When Muhammad Ali was the most hated man in America

Hard to imagine now, but at one time Muhammad Ali was the most hated man in the United States — the bête noire of a sporting and political establishment that did its best to ensure his life was destroyed as a result of his refusal to be drafted for the war in Vietnam.

Ali’s stand against the war exploded across US society and the wider world like a hurricane; coming as it did early in 1966 when the war was still in its infancy and broadly supported. His draft status had been reclassified 1-A, which meant he was now eligible. Up to then the then world heavyweight champ had been deemed ineligible due to poor test results.

Ali’s famous quote to the press, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong”, resounded across the world. It was delivered spontaneously after hours of being badgered for his response to being re-classified. The next three years would never be the same, and afterwards neither would America.

The nation’s leading sportswriters at the time lined up to attack Ali in the days and weeks following his outburst, which dominated both the…