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A royal match Ali vs. Foreman in When We Were Kings by MATTHEW HAYS
Ali was desperate to rebuild his boxing career in the early '70s after being stripped of his title and convicted for refusing to fight in Vietnam. For Ali, serving in the war was unconscionable; and as Ali put it, "No Vietcong ever called me a nigger." While managing to avoid a prison sentence, Ali did face more than three years of forced retirement. By 1974, many were calling Ali finished. George Foreman, who had proven himself a brutal opponent, held the WBA championship. Don King, the now-legendary boxing agent, went to both Ali and Foreman and offered them $5 million each to fight. In a bizarre turn, King managed to raise the money from Zaire President Mobutu Sese Seko, who apparently wanted to heighten his nation's profile by hosting the fight. A date for the fight was set, and a music festival was planned to precede it. Thus Kings becomes an all-star doc epic, with B.B. King and James Brown appearing alongside boxing enthusiasts Norman Mailer and George Plimpton. Then came a nightmare: a mere five days before the fight was scheduled, Foreman was injured during a training session, ending up with 11 stitches. The fight had to be postponed for six weeks. The filmmakers stayed on, filming the egomaniacal--and highly entertaining--posturings of Ali. Ali is the star of this film. His verbal match with commentator Howard Cosell is easily as entertaining as the main event; the filmmakers cut between Cosell declaring that he doubts Ali can win, saying he simply isn't the man he used to be. Ali says he's talked to Cosell's wife, who says Cosell isn't the man he used to be. The Academy Awards have screwed up royally in the past few years with the Best Documentary category. Often the best docs are overlooked; When We Were Kings, however, is a perfect nominee. I suspect it will knock out the competition. When We Were Kings opens this Friday, March 14. See film listings for showtimes |
When we think of America in the '70s, we think of Watergate, Vietnam and the energy crisis. Sports fans, however, recall the epic 1974 fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire. Now a documentary 23 years in the making brings the event to life, full of amazing footage and contemporary interviews on the fight's significance.