WHAT’S MY NAME: MUHAMMAD ALI
The Late Boxer Narrates His Own Documentary
It has been nearly three years since the death of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, who died from Parkinson’s syndrome June 3, 2016. But as someone who’s nickname was “The Greatest,” a legacy lives on after death. A new HBO documentary aims to compile Ali’s greatest accomplishments inside and outside the ring.
What’s My Name is a two-part documentary that will air May 16. Instead of choosing another famous person to narrate, director Antoine Fuqua and writer Steven Leckhart decided to let Cassius Clay tell his own story.
The 165-minute biography relies on interviews and found footage of Ali to tell his life as a famous boxer. But Ali was also an outspoken person when the boxing gloves were off. Ali often talked about Islam, segregation in the U.S. and a slew of other social issues. He was an outspoken pacifist and was even fined for evading the draft during the Vietnam War. That incident resulted in a revoking of his title.
But that didn’t stop him from fighting. He floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, and not just because of his quick feet and hands. What he said packed an even bigger punch. His goal was to conquer immortality, and man did he achieve that and so much more.
