III.

The Controversial Champion

In 1967, in the middle of the Vietnam War, Ali refused to be inducted into the United States Army on the grounds that he was a black Muslim minister and therefore a conscientious objector. He had thrust himself into the middle of a period of volatility in American society. Ali was an outspoken African American at a time when the country’s commitment to civil rights was being widely questioned. He was also one of the most prominent conscientious objectors against the war, which was attracting more and more protest. Ali was convicted of draft evasion, and his popularity plummeted. Early in 1967 he was stripped of his heavyweight title and the title was declared vacant. When he was subsequently banned from fighting in the United States, Ali filed a number of court appeals.

Ali was allowed to return to the ring in late 1970, but in his absence Joe Frazier had taken the world heavyweight title. After three years without a championship fight, and with only two warm-up matches as preparation, Ali entered the ring in March 1971 for his highly promoted bout with Frazier. Because both Ali and Frazier carried undefeated records, the bout was billed as “The Fight of the Century.” Ali lost the 15-round battle, and Frazier retained his title. Later that year the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Ali's draft evasion conviction.