Muhammad Ali vs. The Draft | Heavyweight | 1

American Scandal

Wondery

True Crime, Exhibit C, Society & Culture, History, Documentary, History Daily, American History Tellers, Lindsay Graham

4.6 • 18.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As a young boxer in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay begins to hone his brash, flamboyant persona while climbing the ranks. After winning the heavyweight championship and embracing the Nation of Islam in 1964, he becomes Muhammad Ali, a figure as polarizing as he is talented. But when he becomes eligible for the draft, he refuses to serve, risking his career and legacy to stand by his beliefs.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, this is Lindsay Graham, host of American Scandal.
0:03.1	Our Back catalog has moved behind a paywall.
0:05.9	Recent episodes remain free, but older ones will require a Wondry Plus subscription.
0:10.6	With Wondry Plus, you get access to the full American Scandal archive, add free, plus early access to new seasons, and more.
0:17.7	Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:20.7	Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:41.5	It's the afternoon of June 20, 1967, inside a federal courtroom in Houston, Texas.
0:47.3	25-year-old Muhammad Ali is sitting at the defendant's table, holding his head in his hands,
0:54.0	waiting for a jury to decide his fate. Over the last five years, Ali's life has changed completely. He went from being the heavyweight champion of the world to getting stripped of his title and charged with a felony.
1:00.0	As a member of the nation of Islam, he opposes the Vietnam War on religious grounds and refuse to be drafted into the U.S. Army.
1:08.0	His claim for conscientious objector status angered many, but Ali is no stranger
1:13.3	to criticism. His brash attitude and unconventional boxing style have earned him his fair share of
1:18.9	detractors, and this trial has been no different. For the last two days, he sat at the defense
1:24.3	table and watched the government prosecutor attack his character,
1:31.8	suggesting he's lying about his religious beliefs to avoid military service.
1:34.3	The judge seems hostile, too.
1:38.6	When the prosecution described the nation of Islam as a militant organization,
1:44.0	Ali spoke up to defend his religion, but the judge reprimanded him for speaking out of turn.
1:48.0	Ali isn't used to being muzzle like this, and it's infuriating.
1:56.2	And now that jury deliberations have begun, there's nothing he can do but wait.
2:01.1	Ali's attorney, a 55-year-old white Texan named Hayden Coveington, pats him on the shore.
2:02.4	How you doing, champ?
	...

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