--- title: Larry Wilmore: Muhammad Ali Embodied Unapologetic Blackness description: By changing his name and joining the Nation of Islam, Muhammad Ali forced the white sports establishment to deal with him on his own terms. canonical: https://time.com/4359641/larry-wilmore-remembers-muhammad-ali/ author: Larry Wilmore article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-07T15:12:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:29.469Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Larry Wilmore: Muhammad Ali Embodied Unapologetic Blackness og:description: "Ali spoke like no other black athlete before him" og:url: https://time.com/4359641/larry-wilmore-remembers-muhammad-ali/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0621e276962c055/698896ba0b72e34bf46e9b89/larry-wilmore.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2057 og:image:height: 1157 og:image:alt: Larry Wilmore attends the Bloomberg & Vanity Fair cocktail reception following the 2015 WHCA Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2016. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Larry Wilmore: Muhammad Ali Embodied Unapologetic Blackness twitter:description: "Ali spoke like no other black athlete before him" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0621e276962c055/698896ba0b72e34bf46e9b89/larry-wilmore.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:05 video:published: 2016-06-04 section: sports topics: heavyweight boxing, Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay, army induction refusal, religion, race in America, Olympic Games, Olympic torch, equal justice, peace genre: tribute, montage tones: reflective, admiring, confrontational, celebratory emotions: pride (high), defiance (medium), admiration (high) sentiment: neutral audience: sports fans, history readers, general news audience people: Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay organizations: World Boxing Association, United States Army content_suitability: death [00:00-02:05]; politics [00:31-01:17]; hate [00:41-01:17] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Larry Wilmore: Muhammad Ali Embodied Unapologetic Blackness > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=aca95ec7-0b8f-4670-988a-5b6987de9f12&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Muhammad Ali 1942 - 2016 [Watch (HLS stream): Muhammad Ali 1942 - 2016](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bqrQRcbQ.m3u8) (2:05)  _Published 2016-06-04. Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight boxing legend who fought opponents in the ring and on behalf of social justice outside of it, has died at 74 years old._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents a montage of Muhammad Ali's career and public statements. It includes his early boastful remarks as Cassius Clay, his refusal to take the army induction oath on religious grounds, and his reflections on race and religion. It closes with a summary of his athletic achievements, including his 1960 Olympic gold medal, his role carrying the Olympic torch in 1996, and his commitment to equal justice and peace. ## Key points - Cassius Clay declares he is the heavyweight champ of the world and says people call him the greatest. (00:08) - Clay refused to take the oath of induction into the army, and the World Boxing Association immediately stripped him of his title. (00:31) - Clay insisted he is an ordained minister and should be exempt, and the video says his stand is based wholly on his religion. (00:31) - A speaker questions why Jesus and the Lord's Supper are depicted as white, and calls for the black man and black woman to unite. (00:41) - Muhammad Ali won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. (01:22) - Ali was the first three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world. (01:33) - Ali carried the Olympic torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics. (01:28) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:31] Clay's Boastful Early Declarations. Cassius Clay makes boastful claims about his greatness and his fights, including his answer on the name Muhammad Ali. - [00:31 to 00:41] Refusal of Army Induction. Clay refuses the army induction oath, is stripped of his title, and cites his religious beliefs as the basis for his stand. - [00:41 to 01:17] Reflections on Race and Religion. A speaker questions the depiction of Jesus and the Lord's Supper and calls for unity among Black Americans. - [01:17 to 02:05] Legacy of Athletic and Social Achievement. The video summarizes Ali's Olympic successes, his three heavyweight titles, and his commitment to equal justice and peace. ## Key quotes - [00:08] Cassius Clay: "I'm heavy weight champ of the world and I don't have to talk no more and say I'm the greatest because people tell me I'm the greatest." - [00:31] Unknown: "Clay insisted that he is an ordained minister and should be exempt." - [00:41] Unknown: "Why is the Lord's Supper all white men?" - [01:10] Unknown: "The black man and the black woman, should unite every good in them for the upliftment of the so- called American Negro" - [01:36] Unknown: "he thrilled, entertained and inspired us." ## Questions this video answers - What name did Cassius Clay give for his next fight? [00:19] - Why did Clay refuse to take the oath of induction into the army? [00:31] - What happened to Clay's heavyweight title after he refused induction? [00:31] - What Olympic achievements are attributed to Muhammad Ali in the video? [01:22] - How many times was Muhammad Ali heavyweight boxing champion of the world? [01:33] ## Content suitability - death [00:00-02:05]: The video is a tribute following the death of Muhammad Ali at 74. - politics [00:31-01:17]: Discussion of army induction refusal, race, and social justice. - hate [00:41-01:17]: Speaker references racial depictions and calls for unity, touching on race relations. by [Larry Wilmore](https://time.com/author/larry-wilmore/) ## Larry Wilmore Jun 7, 2016 3:12 PM UTC  Larry Wilmore attends the Bloomberg & Vanity Fair cocktail reception following the 2015 WHCA Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2016. Larry Wilmore attends the Bloomberg & Vanity Fair cocktail reception following the 2015 WHCA Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2016. Dimitrios Kambouris—WireImage by [Larry Wilmore](https://time.com/author/larry-wilmore/) ## Larry Wilmore Jun 7, 2016 3:12 PM UTC As a young black kid growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, there was no other sports figure that made me understand, appreciate and even find the humor in what it meant to be “black and proud” than Muhammad Ali. For as much as I fell in love with his boxing bag of tricks, it was the Champ’s prideful braggadocio that truly hypnotized me. It was a spell that fell over a lot of black kids my age, not just because of the politically incorrect brashness in promoting his fights. But for a more radical type of politically incorrect speech: his unapologetic blackness. Ali spoke like no other black athlete before him. He emerged in the era of the “aw shucks” humble sports star. You didn’t brag or boast about your exploits. And if you were a black athlete, you were expected to stay in your place. Show gratitude and defer, be a credit to your race. Ali didn’t care about any of that. Taking his cue from flamboyant wrestler Gorgeous George, the young Clay threw out all of the polite rules. He flaunted, ridiculed, demeaned, impersonated and even harassed his opponents. Some purists hated this “vulgar” display, others loved the entertainment value, and even some just dismissed him as a clown with an expiration date. But they all viewed him as an athlete. But by changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, and joining the Nation of Islam, he forced the white sports establishment to deal with him on his own terms. As a conscious black man. It was this consciousness and the eloquence with which he spoke on race matters in those days that connected with me the most. It’s hard to relate to today, but back then there were no examples in the culture of black men who were allowed to be strong, bold, confident, arrogant or any other traits considered overtly masculine, without being called uppity. As a man of color, your confidence had to always come with an apology. And so this blindingly charismatic black Muslim’s “[I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong](http://time.com/3646214/muhammad-ali-dead-obituary/)” unapology for his blackness was breathtaking. Of course I loved Ali for a number of reasons. I agree with him about being the greatest of all time. As someone who would eventually choose a career in comedy, I always appreciated his wit and humor. He was really funny. I admire his public fight with a debilitating disease and the grace by which he handled himself. But the side of Ali that sticks with me the most was his fight over his own identity. Cassius Clay was a slave name according to Ali, and changing it was his way of breaking those shackles in a sense. The inverse of Kunta Kinte being forced to call himself Toby. He insisted the world address him this way, and the world didn’t like it. He was snidely called Clay all the time and was even taunted by other boxers. In fact, Ali famously taunted back at opponent Ernie Terrell for 15 rounds with “what’s my name” “what’s my name?” repeated in between merciless blows. Some watching the bout criticized Ali and said it was cruel of him to torture Terrell in that way. Maybe. But it was definitely cruel to strip millions of blacks of their identities over a couple of hundred years. That’s the fight Ali was criticizing. “What’s my name? What’s my name?” Muhammad Ali. _For much more on Muhammad Ali, see TIME’s_ ALI: The Greatest_, a 112-page, fully illustrated commemorative edition. Available at retailers and at_ [_AMAZON.COM_](http://amzn.to/1rbALvP) ## Transcript [00:00] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ MUSIC ] Cassius Clay of Chicago. [00:03] This will be no contest. This will [00:08] be a total annihilation. I'm heavy weight champ of [00:13] the world and I don't have to talk no more and say I'm [00:16] the greatest because people tell me I'm the greatest. [00:18] Would your next fight be billed as Cassius Clay or [00:19] Muhammad Ali? Muhammad Ali [00:24] Arrogant, boastful, sometimes as delicate. Be ready [00:26] cuz I'm coming to get you. Why are you standing over [00:27] him, Mohammad? I'm [00:31] trying to tell the bum to get up and fight. [ UNKNOWN ] [00:31] [ UNKNOWN ] Heavyweight champion Cassius Clay [00:31] refused to take the oath of induction into the army. [00:31] The black Muslim who is also known as Muhammad Ali [00:31] was immediately stripped of his title by the World [00:31] Boxing Association. Clay insisted that he is an ordained [00:31] minister and should be exempt. The champ is sincere [00:31] in his religious [ INAUDIBLE ] Beliefs. He believes in his [00:31] religion and his stand is based wholly on that .>> I [00:32] said, Mother, how come everything white? I [00:41] said, why is Jesus white with blonde hair and blue [00:41] eyes? Why is the Lord's Supper all white men? [00:49] The black man and the black [01:10] woman, should unite every good in them for [01:15] the upliftment of the so- called American [01:17] Negro ->> One of the greatest athletes of all time [01:20] Muhammad Ali produced some of America's most [01:22] lasting sports memories. From winning the gold medal [01:26] at the 1960 Summer Olympics to carrying the Olympic [01:28] torch at At the 1996 Summer Olympics. As the first [01:33] three time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, [01:36] he thrilled, entertained and inspired us. His deep [01:38] commitment to equal justice and peace has touched [01:39] people around the world. 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