Muhammad Ali used his position as the Boxing Heavy Weight Champion to become a symbol of black nationalism at the same time Civil Rights Protest were occurring throughout United States. In the biography King of the World, Muhammed Ali is famously quoted stating that he was “a new kind of black man.” Muhammad Ali was not a new type of black athlete because he was seen as the “bad negro” and faced opposition similar to that of Jack Jackson, Paul Robeson, and Sonny Liston. While Ali’s methods and ideology were different among other black athletes, he was similar to those before him because he engaged in actions that resulted in retribution across the United States because they refused to wear “the mask.”
Muhammad Ali provoked opponents, the media, and boxing fans in a similar manner that Jack Johnson acted. Jack Johnson…show more content… Robeson then began to speak out against the United States claiming it should not fight against the Soviets that has “in one generation raised our people to full human dignity.” Black leaders denounced Robeson and said that he did not represent the viewpoints of blacks. Ali made remarks against the government during that Vietnam War by stating “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong,” which indicated that he would refuse the draft that was required. Like Robeson, Ali was political and often spoke out for blacks and their grievances Ali was similar to Robeson because they both argued that they should not fight for a country that does not give them basic rights. Like Robeson’s, Ali’s defiance against the government was seen as unpatriotic. However, they both believed that they were fighting for blacks who were sacrificing their lives for a nation that will not provide them with the basic right every human should
