I Am Ali Page #9

Um, it became hard to live with

him because of, you know...

Everyone knows, the whole world knows,

he wasn't faithful as a husband.

there's a story to that, too,

I think.

But, um, he's

an incredible human being.

He has a beautiful heart

and very sensitive.

I mean, he cries a lot.

People don't know that.

You know, when something touches him

he'll start crying, more than I do.

There are lots of people,

actors in movies,

playing great parts

and that are idolized,

but it's all a fantasy

and Muhammad was real.

He stood up for what he believed and

he was 100% sincere about all of that.

Um, and I think people

just feel the love,

that genuine love

that comes from him.

It emanates from him

and people can feel that.

At that time in the '70s you very rarely

see the big stars come to Newcastle.

Incredibly, Muhammad Ali turned up.

Not only did he come,

he had just been married a couple

of months before to Veronica Porche

and they had their wedding

blessed in a local mosque.

It's a far cry from

fashionable Beverly Hills.

The mosque comes as a surprise in the

industrial heart of South Shields.

The children of the traditional Muslim

community here were out in force

to greet the champion

and his bride, Veronica.

There were so many things

to say.

I wanted to tell him I was his

greatest fan of all times.

I wanted so many things in me heart

and in me head I wanted to tell him.

He's my hero

and I've got a poem for him.

My poem goes, "Muhammad, I

welcome you here to my town. "

"You come here with no furious frown,

plus your heavyweight boxing crown. "

"Oh, Great One, oh, Great One,

enjoy your stay. "

So afterwards I

used to write to him.

Writing to him in America,

writing to his training camp,

and saying the things that I wanted to

say to him when he was in Newcastle.

And this went on for years.

"Russell, Russell, Russell! It's

Muhammad Ali on the phone!"

I thought she was just winding us up

because we were just watching him.

We're still watching him

on the television.

And I thought... I just ignore her.

I was still watching.

She says, "Hurry up! He'll put

the phone down. Hurry up. "

So, you know, obviously there

was something behind it.

I run into the kitchen. "Muhammad,

is that you, Muhammad?"

"Yeah,

Russ, it's me, Muhammad Ali. "

And it was... it was like... you

couldn't believe it was happening.

And he says, "I'll give you a

date when you can come over. "

He says, "Russ, you don't need no hotel.

You can... "

"I have a room for you.

You can stay in me home. "

I was like...

You know, I was, like, stuck for words.

I goes, "Muhammad, don't say

that if you don't mean it. "

He says, "I wouldn't say it

if I didn't mean it. "

It was fabulous.

It was surreal, really,

I mean, the house itself.

If you ever watch the Rocky

films, in Rocky III,

you see Rocky living

in a big white mansion.

That was Muhammad Ali's house

in 1984.

That was the house that

he gave me a room to stay

and take us out through

the days and going out

and meeting the people

and meeting the fans.

And to be there with him and

see it and be on the inside,

it was so special for me. Like,

a very special, special time.

The greatest! Muhammad

Ali, assalamu alaikum.

You look beautiful.

I love you. Bye-bye.

- Ali in three.

- Au revoir, Ali.

It's very hard for when you see

people who've been in with Muhammad,

who've been so ingrained with Muhammad.

It cannot leave them.

I only had a very small piece of being

with Muhammad, but it never left me

'cause they were personal times

and they were very special.

Did you... Did you spend

the night yesterday?

- Yeah.

- Where?

Dad let us stay at your house

last night.

Yeah, your daddy let me stay

last night.

- You slept in her bed?

- No, he stayed somewhere.

- Mine? A big white bed?

- I don't know whose bed.

- I don't know.

- The room with the big long doors?

- I slept on the floor.

- Get out the way!

Hana, you're ruining it.

I want this kinda bike.

Daddy?

Daddy?

Hana, this is 1979.

November the, 12th

and it's about 8:00pm.

Me and Veronica was going out

to have dinner.

- Now?

- Yeah.

No!

Why you don't want us go

and have dinner?

I want you to eat here.

You want me to eat here?

- I'm going to eat with Mommy.

- I don't want you to.

You don't want me to. Why?

I don't want you to.

How old are you? How old are you?

Say, "I'm three years old. "

"I'm three

years old," like that.

Well, I'm gonna take Momma

to have some dinner.

I don't want you to.

Well, you wanna come with?

I don't think that I would, say

that my father was very strict.

He had very strong beliefs

and values and whatnot,

but he wasn't really too strict.

I actually remember when I

was young and growing up,

knowing that I wasn't allowed

to ask my father for something,

like, it was ice cream after hours

or, you know, Daddy's a "yes" man.

He was the "yes" man.

Everything was "yes. "

- OK.

- I want to, Daddy.

- I'll let you go tonight.

- I want to, Daddy.

OK, you can go tonight.

Just stop saying it, OK?

Even from that early age, I realized

that his "yes" wasn't enough.

So I say to him,

"Are you gonna ask Mommy?"

"I need to hear her tell me

too. " So I ran into the room.

I ask my mother for permission. When

she says "yes," then I know I can go.

Daddy take you.

I just can't help it. You...

I want you to ask Mommy, too.

Yeah, I'll let you go.

Right.

I would not say

there was a difference

between my father publicly

and privately,

because he's

always very charismatic.

Always looking to entertain,

make you smile, make you laugh.

It's not something

he really turned on.

But at the same time he would turn it

up a notch, I think, for the crowd.

But he is always Muhammad Ali,

even at home, you know?

He was always joking.

I'd come home from school and he'd

be sitting behind his office desk

and sometimes he'd have a little wire,

um, arrow going through his head,

just with a little bit of red

blood, pretending that he was dead.

And we'd come home and find

him and we're so used to him,

we just say, "Oh, Daddy,"

and jump in his lap anyway,

and just didn't even

acknowledge it, you know.

When I meet Joe Frazier,

this will be like a good amateur

fighting a real professional.

This will be like a kid

out of the Olympics

meeting the fastest heavyweight

champion that ever lived.

This will be no contest.

What do you say, Joe?

What do you say to that?

I say he's nothing but a

bunch of noise, that's all.

This is the day, man. You understand?

I just want you to...

You're not fighting Quarry, you're

not fighting Oscar Bonavena,

you're not fighting Sonny Liston.

You're fighting Joe Frazier.

Everybody knows that.

They had a big rivalry, um,

back in the '70s, early '70s.

It was a pretty heavy thing, you know.

Um, you know, it was rough.

It was rough.

Well, I think

that Ali is probably clowning,

but there is no question in my mind

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