9pm Thursday MUHAMMAD ALI – A Documentary film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and Ken McMahon
This eight-hour documentary brings to life one of the most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated millions of fans across the world with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace, and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. Ali insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere.
ROUND ONE – THE GREATEST (1942-1964)
Boxer Cassius Clay rises up the amateur ranks to win gold at the 1960 Olympics. He turns professional, sharpening his boxing skills and honing his genius for self-promotion. In 1964, he upsets Sonny Liston to become heavyweight champion.
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. is born in Louisville, Kentucky and takes up boxing at the age of 12. Hard-working and determined, Clay rises through the amateur ranks and at eighteen years old wins the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. He turns professional and moves to Miami, where he trains with Angelo Dundee, sharpening his boxing skills and honing his genius for self-promotion. Meanwhile, he quietly begins attending meetings of a separatist religious sect called the Nation of Islam and becomes a close confidant of the charismatic minister Malcolm X. In 1964, at just 22 years old, he shocks the world by upsetting the heavily favored Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship.
