Cassius Clay on the Steve Allen Show 1963

The Steve Allen interview with Cassius Clay before he was known as Muhammad Ali. Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964 and subsequently converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.

Notice first that Allen introduces Clay as “colorful” twice to this totally Caucasian audience. This interview was conducted after Clay had won the 1960 Olympics Gold Medal in the light heavyweight division in Rome, the Golden Gloves heavyweight title in New York that same year, twenty fights with fifteen knockouts, and was in contention for the heavyweight crown.

Clay immediately states that he didn’t realize Allen was so tall, because he was looking for a sparring partner (Clay stood at 6-ft, 3-in and at 208 pounds at the time). Then, Allen notes Clay’s propensity for poetry, and Clay adds that he’s a “prophet.” He stated that every time he fought he would tell his opponents which round they were going down. He stated that, “fifteen times I’ve told the clowns the exact round that they were going down.” Referring to Henry Cooper, he said, “This is no jive, your fight will end in five. And it did.”

The note to the “Burma Shave” quatrains that Allen refers to are the rhyming Burma Shave billboards that graced roadsides in the early 1960s. One Burma Shave example includes, “A whiskery kiss / For the one / You adore / May not make her mad / But her face will be sore. So, you might see why Allen equated Clay’s little rhymes to these then-popular road signs.

The audience was then allowed to ask questions. The first request was for a poem, and Clay responded, “If you like to lose your money, be a fool and bet on Sonny,” referring to Charles “Sonny” Liston, who was also known as the “Black Bear.” Clay was to fight Liston February 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida, but the fight nearly was canceled when the promoter, Bill Faversham, heard that Ali had been seen around Miami and in other cities with the controversial Malcolm X.

Another questioner asked Clay who he thought the best fighter was “besides yourself,” and he responded, “Sugar Ray Robinson.” Clay admits that he “thinks in rhyme” to one woman who questioned his rhyming capacity. “Me, WHEEE!” That was the poem that he stated was the greatest poem of all time that he just made up while she asked that question. The audience loved it.

It’s amazing how much fashion has changed within the past half century…note the narrow lapels, thin ties, short pants with boot legs and creases. The tight pants are a nod to the Beatles, who introduced the peg leg look at about the same time as this interview. So, Allen and Clay are nattily dressed for the time.