logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2013
9m 6s

Muhammad Ali and the Draft

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 1967, the world heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, refused to be indicted into the American military. His decision to follow his conscience and not serve in Vietnam galvanised radicals across the US.

Simon Watts speaks to Dr Nathan Hare about a visit by Muhammad Ali to Howard University at the height of the outcry over his refusal of the draft.

(Photo: Muhammad Ali in training. Credit: R McPhedran/Express/Getty Images)

Up next
Dec 2023
The funeral of Nelson Mandela
On 15 December 2013, South Africa held the funeral of Nelson Mandela who led the struggle in defeating apartheid and became the country’s first black president. His ancestral home in the village of Qunu in South Africa’s Eastern Cape hosted 60 world leaders including four United ... Show More
15m 32s
Aug 2023
The Bristol bus boycott
Sixty years ago, there was a boycott of local bus services in the English city of Bristol. The bus company had specified that it did not want to employ black bus drivers. The boycott ended on 28 August 1963 and the campaign helped to bring about Britain's first laws against racia ... Show More
9m 58s
Sep 2024
Emperor Haile Selassie in Bath
In 1936, Haile Selassie came to Bath in the west of England to escape Mussolini and the fascists who had invaded Ethiopia.He bought a property – Fairfield House - and moved his entire family and staff there. He quickly became the talk of the town.The local paper ran daily updates ... Show More
9m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Muhammad Ali
From the day he burst onto the scene, Muhammad Ali changed boxing history. But he also influenced the American civil rights movement, the perception of Islam, the view of the war in Vietnam, and the self-branding of athletes themselves. So how did his beliefs affect his career? W ... Show More
54m 7s
Nov 2022
Muhammad Ali Enters Boxing’s “Moral Crusade”
November 22, 1965. In downtown Las Vegas, thousands of fans come inside from a rare rainstorm to watch a boxing match featuring young superstar Muhammad Ali. But the lopsided crowd isn’t cheering for Ali; it’s backing two-time heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. The two men hav ... Show More
32m 12s
Feb 2023
Muhammad Ali: A Case Study in Purpose-Driven Decision Making
Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, rose from a poor family in segregated Louisville, Kentucky to international fame, winning three heavyweight boxing titles and becoming a civil rights leader and role model for millions of people around the world. How did he do it? Har ... Show More
25m 44s
Sep 2021
Muhammad Ali and the Making of a New World
Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was perhaps the most famous man on Earth, and not only for his epic skill in the ring. In this episode, Doc Rivers is joined by legendary sportscaster Al Michaels and longtime sports journalist Michael Wilbon to discuss Ali’s powerful and revolut ... Show More
22m 27s
Jun 2020
The man who shot Muhammad Ali
Legendary photographer Neil Leifer, who captured some of the most iconic images of Muhammad Ali in a career spanning half a century, joins Mike and Steve to tell the story behind some of his most famous work. Also, reaction to the confirmation of the date of boxing's return in th ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2024
How Muhammad Ali’s Grammy-Nominated Comedy Album Changed Everything
Float like a butterfly, sting like... a standup comic? Sixty years ago, long before the current golden age of smack talk, a 21-year-old Cassius Clay was nominated for a Grammy, for what should be considered the first diss album — a poetic, heavyweight takedown of Sonny Liston in ... Show More
50m 31s
Jun 2016
178: "Mohammed Ali: une personnalité exceptionnelle"
He was the world’s most famous boxer. But, to many, he represented much more than a particular sport. In this lesson, let’s talk about Mohammed Ali. 
12m 38s