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The Greatest

Page 11

by Walter Dean Myers


  Dupree, Jimmy, 87

  E

  Ellis, Jimmy, 88, 89, 100–101

  Evers, Medgar, 39

  F

  Farmer, James, 28

  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 68

  Fetchit, Stepin, 79

  Fight chronology, 165–169

  5 Percenters, 70

  Foreman, George

  Ali fight (1974, Kinshasa, Zaire), 115, 116–123, 124–125, 126–127, 130, 143, 144

  Frazier fight (1973, Kingston, Jamaica), 108, 110–111, 116, 132–133

  media and, 132

  personality of, 157

  Foster, Bob, 90, 103

  Foster, Mac, 101, 103

  Fox, Michael J., 148

  Frazier, Joe, xi

  Ali and, 85, 90, 91, 99–100, 131–132

  Ali fight (1972, NY), 91–93, 94–95, 96

  Ali fight (1974, NY), 108, 111–112, 130, 141

  Ali fight (Quezon, Philippines, 1975), 131, 134–135, 136–137, 138–139, 144

  Bugner fight (1973, London), 111

  career and biography of, 86–90, 131–132

  Ellis fight (1970), 89

  Foreman fight (1973, Kingston, Jamaica), 108, 110–111, 132–133

  health of, 109–110, 132–133

  Mathis fight (Olympics, 1964), 101

  media and, 132, 133

  Olympics (1964), 77, 86, 101

  as role model, 98

  G

  Glenn, John H., 26

  Golden Gloves championships

  Ali, 9, 76–77

  economic levels, 76–77

  Quarry, 72

  Graham, Billy, 148

  Graziano, Rocky, 48

  Gross, Milton, 102

  H

  Harlem (NYC), ix, 13–14

  Hepburn, Katherine, 148

  Hitler, Adolf, 24

  Holmes, Larry, 146

  Hypertension, 110

  I

  Inside Boxing, 42

  J

  Jackson, Reggie, x

  Jackson, Tommy “Hurricane,” 150

  Jeffries, James J., 49

  Johansson, Ingemar, 25

  John Paul II (pope of Rome), 148

  Johnson, Jack, 49, 50

  Johnson, Lyndon B., 51, 67

  Jones, Doug, Ali fight (1963, NY), 30–31

  Joplin, Janis, 55

  K

  Kennedy, John F., 38, 39, 114

  Kennedy, Robert F., 69, 114

  Kent State University killings, 114

  Kentucky Golden Gloves, 9

  Kerner Commission, 68

  King, B. B., 117

  King, Coretta Scott, 71

  King, Don, 119

  King, Martin Luther, Jr., 28, 51

  assassination of, 68–69, 70, 72, 98–98, 114

  March on Washington, 39

  nonviolence, 46

  Knockout, professional boxing, 18

  L

  Lewis, Al “Blue,” 102

  Life magazine, 147

  Liston, Charles “Sonny,” 36, 50, 51, 90, 159

  Ali fight (1964, Miami Beach), xiii–xix, 43, 46–47, 88, 106, 147

  Ali fight (1965, Lewiston, Maine), 50, 51–52, 53

  boxing skills of, 47

  career of, 25, 26

  criminal activities, xiv–xv, 47, 154, 157

  Golden Gloves championship, 76

  media and, 132

  Patterson fights (1962 and 1963), xiv, 26, 46

  Little, Malcolm. See Malcolm X

  Lomax, Louis, 36–37

  London, Brian, 57

  Louis, Joe, ix, xi

  Ali and, 113–114, 120

  career of, 23–25, 64, 131, 143

  health of, 150

  media and, 78

  name change, 48

  racism and, 28

  Louisville Sponsoring Group, 14, 18

  Lubbers, Rudi, 107

  Lyle, Ron, 130, 144

  M

  Mafia, Liston and, xiv–xv, 47

  Mailer, Norman, 117, 120, 122

  Malcolm X, 28, 38, 153

  Ali and, 37

  assassination of, 50–51, 98–99, 114

  leadership of, 39, 50

  March on Washington (1963), 38–39

  Marciano, Rocky, 113, 143

  Martin, Joe, 6–7, 8–9, 10, 143

  Mathis, Buster, 87, 101

  McIlvanney, Hugh, 91

  Media

  Ali and, 22–23, 31–32, 36, 42–43, 58–59, 66–67, 68, 78–79, 91, 92, 93, 96, 99, 101, 103, 107, 146, 154–155

  Frazier and, 132

  Liston and, 47

  Louis and, 78

  name changes and, 48

  Nation of Islam and, 36–37, 143

  Patterson and, 54

  Meredith, James H., 57

  Mildenberger, Karl, 57

  Moore, Archie

  Ali and, 113–114, 120

  Ali fight (1962, Los Angeles), 26, 27

  boxing and, 17, 133

  career of, 15, 16, 26

  training camp of, 18–20

  Muhammad, Elijah, 28, 37, 42, 50, 98

  Muhammad, Wali “Blood,” 120, 146

  Muhammad Ali vs. Superman, 108

  N

  Name changes, 48, 58–59

  Nation of Islam

  Ali and, 28, 42–43, 48–49, 64, 66–67, 96, 98, 102, 106, 143, 154–155, 159

  conscientious objector status, 59–61

  growth of, 36–37

  name changes, 48, 58–59

  schism in, 50–51

  segregation and, 67–68

  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 25, 98, 154

  New York State Athletic Commission, 88, 89

  Nixon, Richard M., 98, 108

  Nonviolence

  Ali and, 36

  King, Martin Luther Jr. and, 46

  rejection of, 57

  Norton, Ken, 106–107, 116, 141

  O

  Olympic Games (1960), ix–x, 10, 11, 12–13, 25, 77, 147

  Olympic Games (1964), 69, 101, 143

  Olympic Games (1968), 69, 108, 110–111, 114

  Olympic Games (1996), 147–148, 149

  Owens, Jesse, 114

  P

  Papaleo, Guiglermo, 48

  Parkinson, James, 148

  Parkinson’s disease, xi, 148, 150–151, 159

  Patterson, Floyd, xi, 90, 91, 154, 155

  Ali fight (1965, Las Vegas), 52, 54

  Ali fight (1972, NY), 102–103, 104–105

  career of, 25

  civil rights movement, 28

  Liston fights (1962 and 1963), xiv, 26, 46

  media and, 132

  Peace movement. See Antiwar movement

  Pep, Willie, 48

  Perez, Tony, 72, 74

  Pietrzykowski, Zbigniew, 12–13

  Plimpton, George, 117

  Poitier, Sidney, 71

  Powell, Charles, Ali fight (1963, Pittsburgh), 30

  Presley, Elvis, 103

  Q

  Quarry, Jerry, xi, 89

  Ali fight (1970, Atlanta), 71–72, 73, 74, 92, 141

  Ali fight (1972, Las Vegas), 102

  Frazier fight (1969), 88, 89, 90

  Golden Gloves championship, 76

  health of, 150

  R

  Race riots, 68

  Racism. See also Segregation

  boxing and, 49, 90, 132

  Nazi Germany, 24

  U.S., 37, 113, 152–153

  Ramos, Manuel, 88

  Randolph, A. Philip, 28

  Reagan, Ronald, 89

  Robinson, Jackie, ix

  Robinson, Sugar Ray, ix, xi, 13–14, 19, 28, 48, 64, 143, 150

  Rudolph, Wilma, 13

  Russell, Bill, 64

  S

  Sadler, Dick, 119

  Sarria, Luis, 120

  Schmeling, Max, 24

  Segregation. See also Racism

  Brown vs. Board of Education, 21–22

>   limits imposed by, 4–5, 33

  Nation of Islam and, 67–68

  U.S., 113, 152–153

  Smith, Red, 99

  Smith, Walker, Jr., 48

  Spinks, Leon

  Ali fight (1978, Las Vegas), 144

  Ali fight (1978, New Orleans), 144, 145, 146

  Sport magazine, 36, 42

  Sports Illustrated magazine, 18, 54, 61, 85, 102, 131, 152

  Sportsworld magazine, 133

  Sportswriters. See Media

  Stainbeck, Barry, 36, 42

  Stander, Ron, 109

  Stepin Fetchit, 79

  Stoner, Fred, career of, 6–8

  Symbionese Liberation Army, 70

  T

  Television. See Media

  Terrell, Ernest

  Ali fight (1967, NY), 58, 101

  Golden Gloves championship, 76

  Thurmond, Strom, 89

  Truth, Sojourner, 41

  U

  U.S. Supreme Court

  Ali conviction reversed by, 100

  Brown vs. Board of Education, 21–22

  V

  Vietnam War

  Ali and, xi, 97, 106, 155, 157

  cease-fire (1973), 107

  draft resistance, 59–61, 69

  escalation of, 26, 58, 69

  origins of, 21

  protests of, 55, 67, 114

  W

  Walcott, Jersey Joe, 48, 52

  Wallace, Mike, 36–37

  Watergate scandal, 107–108

  Wepner, Chuck, 130, 144

  When We Were Kings (documentary film), 118

  Williams, Cleveland, 57

  World Boxing Association, 65, 70, 88, 89

  World War II, 3, 24, 28

  Y

  Young, Andrew, 71

  Z

  Zyglewicz, Dave, 88, 89

  THANKS TO BURT SUGAR, BOXING HISTORIAN, FOR HIS EARLY ENCOURAGEMENT; AND BILLY GILES, MIDDLEWEIGHT, AND JIMMY DUPREE, LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT, FOR THEIR PATIENCE AND INSIGHTS.

  Other books by Walter Dean Myers for you to enjoy:

  My Name is America:

  The Journal of Biddy Owens, Birmingham, Alabama

  My Name is America:

  Journal of Joshua Loper, a Black Cowboy

  At Her Majesty’s Request:

  an African Princess in Victorian England

  Slam!

  The Glory Field

  Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary

  Somewhere in the Darkness

  Shadow of the Red Moon

  Fallen Angels

  Copyright © 2001 by Walter Dean Myers

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, a division of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and SCHOLASTIC PRESS and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-130210

  First edition, January 2001

  Cover photo © 1966 by Thomas Hoepker

  Cover design by Kristina Albertson

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-14543-4

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

 

 

 


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