The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page A8

8A 10,2016 The Courier-Journal He was only 20 years old but already the fourth-ranked heavyweight boxer. His Olympic gold medal in Rome as two years behind him, and his champ ionship bout with Sonny Liston still 16 onths away. But when Cassius Clay, as he was still known, appeared for 90 minutes on Milton show 5, (after its phone number) he already was a mast er of self-promotion and braggadocio. A nd why not? He had won all 16 of his first professional fights, 13 by knockout. And in 11of them, he had predicted in exactly which round his opponents would fall.

this night, the questions varied wildly. Had he ever fixed a fight? Did he ate much? What did he like for dinner? Six months after welterweight champion Benny Paret had died from injuries in a bout, was he worried about he dangers of boxing? And when, he was asked poignantly, should a boxer ang up his gloves? Many of the callers that night were children, but one was an angry old man who challenged him to a fight. Clay de- clined the offer. With the permission of NewsRadio 840 WHAS and thanks to Metz, who survives Muhammad Ali at age 94, here are excerpts of questions and answers from it Like to be a orld Famous aller: You say you are great and a lot of people say you are great. But every great man has faults.

What are you faults? lay: I have faults and one of my aults is too much. As a matter of act, me and Metz here just got through and I eat two pieces of pie and five scoops of ice cream and two orders of veal and two orders of dressing and three slices of bread, a green salad and a owl of chili. aller: What do you eat the day of a fight? Clay: have a big steak dinner at about 4 So at 10 when I usually go on, that means be hungry. A nd that makes me fight hard because I wait to get back and aller: Do you ever lose your temper in the ring? Clay: lose my temper in the ring because when you lose your temper ou get wild and you know what doing. Great fighters lose heir Metz: What about outside the ring? THE COURIER-JOURNAL Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, trained in 1960 for his first professional fight.

CLAY, 20, DESCRIBES LIFE OF A BOXER Recording features fighter answering questions on call-in show THE COURIER-JOURNAL Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, made his singing debut in 1960 at the Fairgrounds with pecial chorus of Central High School. ANDREW WOLFSON The Rev. Jessie Jackson said that the ate boxing legend Muhammad Ali ce- ented his status as a hero when he refused induction into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. is the most visible guy in the orld, as an athlete, taking on the most isible war in the world in which thou- ands of people are being killed every Jackson, a civil rights leader and a1988 candidate for president said in an interview with The Courier-Journal on Thursday.

ackson was in town for uslim prayer service and funeral for Ali, who died last Friday after along battle with Disease. Ali refused to be inducted into the Army in 1967 because he opposed the ar. conscience let me go shoot my brother, or some darker peo- le, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger; they never lynched me; they put no dogs on Ali said in explaining his effort to obtain conscien- ious objector status. After the federal government brought charges against Ali, he was stripped of his heavyweight championship and was barred from fighting in all 5 0 states for more than three years.

go from making $6 million for 15 minutes of fighting to being a pauper, willing to give up the money and the fame and willing to go to jaul for a cause, putting principle over comfort, and putting dignity over dollars, that took him to a zone of global martyr- Jackson said. was a living, walking Jackson said. ackson, who like Ail, is 74, said he had known Ali for some 50 years and hat what he has seen in Louisville since A passing has given him both and orry to see Ali pass, Jackson said he was heartened by the fact that Louisville had come to terms with Ali and as celebrating him after the city had treated him and other African-Americans badly when Ali was a child and ven after Ali came home from the 1960 Olympics in Rome as the light heavyweight gold medalist. Ali wrote that hortly after returning to Louisville, he tossed the medal off the Clark Memorial Bridge after he was refused service at a restaurant. have seen him come full circle to him being rejected in Louisville to him being revered and not reviled in his Jackson said.

I think he was cut deep by growing in the margins of Jacks on said. world-class victories and being rejected at home, having agold medal and not being able to eat a amburger Jackson said. a gold medalist, but better care for the horses at the stadium than there are for small black Jackson said that life should teach us that with special gifts from God have godly responsibil- i and likened him to Joe Louis who used his victory over German boxer Max Schmelling to pierce Adolf Hit- claims of Aryan superiority in 1938, and to Jackie Robinson, who roke color barrier in 1947. In that lineage of athletes who have sed that platform to create social cons ciousness, in Jackson said. PAT COURIER-JOURNAL Civil rights leader Rev.

Jesse Jackson speaks ith The CJ's Joe Gerth on the life of Muhammad Ali. Rev. Jackson: Ali is ahero Praises his objection to fighting in Vietnam War JOSEPH GERTH In a remarkable flowering of faith and friendship, people gathered from a round the world to attend Islamic funeral prayer service for Muhammad Ali at the Kentucky Exposition enter in Louisville. Many were Muslims, coming to show their appreciation for the world-famous oxer who had adopted their faith as a young man and showed the world that the religion of Islam is about prayer, tol- rance and peace. has put peace at the forefront of Sohail Kaushal said, who traveled from Manchester, England with his friend, Muhammad Khalil, to attend the service.

Ashraf Joseph, a lawyer from Ann Arbor, took his two sons, ages 7 a nd 9, out of school to attend the service, elieving they should learn more about he man who shared their religion. wanted them to see a Muslim American celebrated as a mainstream Joseph said. Joseph said he used the more than five-hour drive to Louisville to tell the boys about Ali, his career as an athlete, his adherence to the Muslim faith, and his rise to worldwide prominence as a spokesman for peace and tolerance. I wanted this to be a teachable moment for he said. Kaushal and Khalil said they came rom England to attend because of their admiration for Ali and what they said as his importance as one of the est-known ambassadors for Islam.

His eath was a blow to fans in their Manc hester community, leaving people in ears, they said. Kaushal and Khalil were pleased to et free tickets for the prayer service but were not able to get tickets for Frid memorial service. still rying. are Kaushal said. raveling from Bangladesh, Mohammad Ali came to Louisville to attend the prayer service for the world famous oxer he met at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.

Mohammed Ali broke down in tears as he described how the two be- ame friends 45 years ago. Mohammad Ali thumbed through photos of himself with the champ and alked about how he kept in touch with Ali over the years either personally or through his daughter and how much he meant to him. slept in my home. We were so Mohammad Ali said. Though the purpose of the event was aJanazah Islamic funeral prayer ser- ice, the atmosphere was celebratory as a ttendees warmly greeted each other ith handshakes and hugs.

People from other faiths included Jacqueline Ellis, of Louisville, a Baptist, a nd Kaury Edwards, the pastor of Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church in Louisville. really respect the life that he Edwards said. just a boxer. the things he did outside the ring that made him the llis said she wanted to show her respect to Ali and the many Muslims who came to the prayer service. I want to see all these beautiful people bow down and pray for one of the reatest people on she said.

everal Muslims at the event said hey were pleased to see their faith howcased in such a positive light after a barrage of bad publicity about religious extremists and controversial comm ents by political figures such as Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for resident, who has suggested a tempor- a ry ban on Muslims entering the country. hey included Shafi Ahmed, who traveled from Detroit for the prayer service. in the current climate, ith certain political candidates, this kind of event shows the world that this is what Muslims are all he said. everal attendees representing the Muslim Youth of North America said they were pleased by how the service ighlighted their faith at an event that drew international attention. face it at a time when it is difficult to be a Muslim in America, a very good said Dina Fahmila, 19, a student at the University of Louisville and a member of the Muslim youth executive board.

A a time when some youths are look- i ng for role models, Ali serves that pur- ose, Fahmila said. a Muslim youth, hard to find someone who represents she said. ahmila had just arrived at the event with Zainab Kahloon, 17, of Lexington, also on the executive board, and Habeeb Quadri, 41, of Chicago, the chairman, when they began running into other members from around the country. Quadri said Ali has inspired a genera- ion of young Muslims through his ideals of courage, strength, confidence and spirituality. one of our first Mus- im heroes in he said.

Imam Rafiq Mahdi, of Knoxville, said drove more than 200 miles to attend uhammad prayer service be- ause the former boxer was such a force i his life. Prayer service for Muhammad Ali draws mourners from around globe DEBORAH YETTER AND JOSEPH GERTH.