When Muhammad Ali Got Pissed at Ernie Terrell During Vietnam War in 1967
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
The late World Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, in the 1960’s as world champion, was at his best in fighting prime when he defeated Cleveland Williams, Zora Folley, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and Ernie Terrell. As Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, and Ali interacted with Malcolm X and the National of Islam of the late Honorable Elijah Wallace Muhammad, not everybody bought into Ali’s big mouth against the grain approach. Ali certainly sold tickets during this time period, before having all of his titles stripped for him as he avoided fighting in the Vietnam War, and went to the United States Supreme Court to regain his license to box.
Terrell (1939-2014), fighting between 1957 and 1973 out of Chicago, Illinois, compiled a respectable professional record of 46-9 with 21 knockouts. Terrell, on the rise, cut through Cleveland Williams in a rematch), Zora Folley, Bob Foster, Doug Jones, and George Chuvalo, winning three Word Boxing Association World Heavyweight title bouts, a title which had been stripped of Ali.
When Ali met Terrell on February 6, 1967 in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, in the main event, it would be the last appearance for Terrell as world champion and the last appearance for legendary referee Harry Kessler, whose career began in 1930. The time period, in the midst of the height of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War protests, covered everything from Dr. Martin Luther King to Angela Davis, from Senator Robert Kennedy to Richard Nixon, from Lyndon Johnson to Dr. Huey Newton and the Black Panther’s. Ali’s outspoken rise occurred in turbulent historical times. When has the world known any different? Ali’s meteoric presence was aided by the controversial antiwar movement of the time in the United States.
Ali’s fight in the ring paralleled the fight for civil rights equality. Meanwhile, Ernie Terrell, whose sister Jean was the lead singer of The Supremes, was also a singer in his own right, Ernie Terrell and the heavyweights. Ernie, like many, continued to call Ali Cassius Clay, and even sang a song that promised to do away with the features of Cassius too. Many considered Clay becoming Muhammad Ali a betrayal of mainstream culture, while Ali viewed Ali as an expression on freedom from the white man’s way of thinking.
Terrell and Ali verbally clashed. Terrell, at 6’6″, towered over Ali, and enjoyed an 82 inches reach, with a four-inch reach advantage over Ali. Terrell still preferred to go inside, and fight down and dirty. Terrell loved to work in clinches.
However, in his prime, had the fastest hands in the history of the heavyweight division. Ali’s dazzling hand speed and spectacular footwork made way for misery for even the most hard-working of heavyweights.
In the center ring, archival footage shows Ali talking to Terrell, while Terrell took his fist and pushed Ali backwards by the throat during the prefight instructions. Ali, a vicious headhunter, opened with a seven-punch combination to Terrell’s head, all of which landed. This opening combination set the precedent for Ali’s intentional 15-round torture of Terrell. Ali used flurried to create angles for hooks and uppercuts, getting through and around defensive guards with pinpoint precision accuracy in his punches. Ali’s jab was a constant presence in the face of Terrell, and his right hand had power. Even George Foreman fell to Ali’s power later.
With Terrell, Ali came in closer than normal, and pawed with gloves to see how close he could get to time his punches consistently. Ali’s ability to land, dart in and out, and remain out of Terrell’s punching range ultimately meant Terrell had no target. Ali, by remaining of his feet out of range, controlled the ring, the tempo of the bout, and the initiation of all punch exchanges. Ali became the first fighter since Gentleman Jim Corbett to use superior footwork to control the ring and his opponents. Like John L. Sullivan, Terrell had no ‘Plan B’ answer to this unique talent of Ali.
When Terrell came in, hitting Ali behind the head and bullying him into the ropes, Ali grabbed the neck and triceps, minimalizing Terrell’s ability to move. As Archie Moore once noted, Ali could always reach into his bag of tricks. Terrell still tried to walk Ali down, but Ali simply continued to puncture Terrell’s high guard, and then pivoted back to center ring after landing. Ali then began working to the body of Terrell, then slipped Terrell’s counter jabs with superior head movement.
The thing about Ali versus Terrell, when you break it down, is Ali demonstrated many of the tactics, techniques, reflexes, and approaches which would later be used to defeat his subsequent opponents. Ali’s technical execution of his abilities and instincts was at his brilliant best against Terrell. Meanwhile, Terrell continued punching behind the head, and referee Harry Kessler let Terrell get away with it. Howard Cosell called this bout. Terrell was dirty all the way. Ali got nasty in response beyond a certain point, nailing Terrell with crisp punches and then pushing Terrell into the ropes. Eventually, Terrell, cut over both eyes and forced into defensive mode, was staggered about the ring as an easy target.
The last few rounds of this bout in the 15-round era were not pretty championship rounds, as Ali continued giving Terrell a violent beating by creating openings with punches, opening Terrell’s guard, and landing more punches. Both fighters were in superb condition, though it is unlikely in the Mills Lane era which followed today’s referees would have allowed Terrell the benefit of the doubt to take so much punishment. Ali versus Terrell did unify the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council Heavyweight titles.
Terrell, in losing to Ali, Thad Spencer and Manuel Ramos in 1967, was not really winning more than a round or two in bouts of 15, 12, and 10 rounds duration. Terrell came back three years later to win seven straight, before two losses ended his career for good in 1973. It needs to be understood there are certain types of losses which can break a fighter’s confidence, will and heart. Ali broke Terrell’s ego, and taunted him with “What’s My Name?” throughout the bout. Ali, who died in 2016, probably never thought about Terrell again. Ali versus Terrell was not a memorable bout in terms of Ali fight fans. Terrell versus Ali was a classic in terms of Ali’s abilities and using his game plan to do what he did best. Ali was pissed off by Terrell’s refusal to acknowledge his Muslim name and beliefs. Ali wanted a knockout. With Terrell, he did not get one, but he left Terrell with a forever memory. There was some good hate between Ali and Terrell at the time, and it sold tickets.
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