Dennis Acapone - Cassius Clay 1973/Dr. Alimantado And Soul Syndicate – I Am The Greatest Says Muhammad Ali 1974
Two massive mid 70s reggae cuts about the greatest sportsman of all time.
OK — I know this sounds about as likely as Arnold Schwarzenegger living down my street, but both stories are true, I promise you.
Ali wasn’t just a boxer. In the ring, he was graceful, dynamic, and powerful — he truly did “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”
Outside the ring he was an activist, entertainer, poet, and revolutionary. He spoke of justice, equality, and pride. As he famously told Michael Parkinson: “You can’t beat me physically nor mentally.” His fight against the oppression and discrimination endured by African Americans was just as important as his fights in the ring.
His role as a civil rights activist began in 1964, days after becoming heavyweight champion of the world. He legally changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and declared his membership of the Nation of Islam, led by Malcolm X until Malcolm’s death in 1965.
In 1966, during the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused to be drafted into the armed forces on religious grounds:
“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people — some poor hungry people in the mud — for big powerful America… I’m not going 10,000 miles from home to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people of the world over.”
The penalty was brutal. He was stripped of his titles, banned from boxing in 1967, and sentenced to five years in prison — though the sentence was overturned on appeal. In 1971 the Supreme Court finally cleared his name, allowing him to return to boxing. Despite losing four years of his prime, Ali reclaimed the undisputed heavyweight title in 1974 by beating George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle.
In 1977, Ali came to South Shields. The town, best known for its maritime history, had a small but vibrant Muslim community, made up mostly of Yemeni sailors and their descendants. The Al Azhar Mosque on Laygate Lane is one of the oldest in the UK.
Johnny Walker, a painter and decorator who ran a boxing club in South Shields, travelled to the US to ask Ali to help raise money for local boys’ clubs. Ali agreed.
He toured the town in an open-top “silver jubilee” bus, gave speeches, sparred with local boxers at the Gypsies Green Stadium, and even played darts against Welsh champion Alan Evans. The four-day visit was a sensation.
And yes — legend has it that Ali married his wife Veronica in South Shields. The truth is more likely that their legal marriage took place in the US, but that they held an Islamic ceremony at the mosque on Laygate Lane. Around 7,000 people turned out to celebrate with them.
The press often portrays Islam as a foreign religion that arrived recently in Britain, “threatening” our way of life. The reality is different: a long history of Muslims working here, contributing to culture, community, and sporting success.
Including, of course, one Muslim who came over here carrying the undisputed heavyweight title of the world.