Topic: Bill Russell

1 chapters across the catalog

70: Four Freedoms
3:54:41 - 4:00:30

70: Four Freedoms

The 1967 Ali Summit and the "Sweetheart Deal" Reveal

Promoter Bob Arum revealed that the famous 1967 "Ali Summit" was originally organized by Jim Brown to convince Ali to take a "sweetheart deal" from the Johnson administration. The deal would have allowed Ali to avoid the draft by performing boxing exhibitions for the military, similar to USO shows. Instead, Ali spent two hours convincing the other athletes that his refusal was correct, leading them to support him publicly.