Interviewer: Howard Cosell
Interview Subject: Muhammad Ali
Program: Wide World of Sports, WABC-TV, USA
Broadcast Date: 1968
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‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ were the famous words of arguably the world’s best boxer and greatest sportsman of the 20th century, Muhammad Ali.
Ali however was stung himself when American Wide World of Sports presenter Howard Cosell interviewed him on his WABC-TV show, while he was banned from competing in 1967-68.
The ban, which resulted from Ali’s refusal to go to the Vietnam War, prevented him from fighting title challengers Joe Frazier, Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis.
Cosell immediately places the boxer offside by claiming his actions were cowardly – not for remaining at home – but for not fighting his title contenders.
Cosell, an avid follower of Ali and a prolific journalist in the boxer’s career, knew what made Ali tick and what would push him, well…slightly over the edge.
Ali’s disdain is obvious and as Cosell was used to in his career, the feisty boxer’s backhand comments were laughed off as if the two were friendly chumps trading insults.
The Ali versus Cosell interviews have become famous for the love-hate relationship these two foes had shared with their viewers. This interview in particular not only shows the experience of Cosell as a journalist, but the close knowledge of and the relationship with Ali.
The casual banter between the two unusually places them on an even level which American audiences were not used to in this era.
After his ban, Ali defeated Quarry and Ellis but was beaten by Frazier in the battle known as ‘The Fight of the Century’.
Alex Pavlidis is a first-year Bachelor of Journalism (Sport) student at La Trobe University.
See the rest of upstart’s list of 50 interviews for journalists here.
