Ali’s Lost Interviews

Had the cruel irony of Parkinson’s Disease not robbed Muhammad Ali of his infamous wit and sizzling rhetoric, the previously unseen segments that make up the first half hour of the recently released, ‘Champions Forever: Ali – The Lost Interviews’, may not have held the weight they do today.

Instead, as producer Craig Glazer explains, they are by most accounts the last in-depth interviews the man affectionately known as “The Greatest” was able to give before his illness progressed further, eroding his ability to communicate with the one weapon that rivaled his flashing jabs — his mouth.

The original incarnation of ‘Champions Forever’, released in 1990, featured heavyweight champions Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, and of course, the incomparable Ali, being interviewed together for the first, and so far, only time.  They shared a stirring trip down memory lane, recalling the ring heroics and spiteful rivalries that marked an unprecedented era for heavyweight boxing.

Their collective triumphs and tribulations, along with Ali’s candid reflections on a remarkable life, would be enough to intrigue most boxing fans.

Equally as interesting, however, is the story behind the making of the original film and how, after 20 years locked up in a vault, Ali’s lost interviews came to be made public.

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