Becoming Muhammad Ali

Lucky asks, “Want another scene from the movie starring Cassius?” (203). He remembers one fall afternoon at the Clay house. He, Cassius, and Rudy were making posters to advertise Cassius’s next fight, and Cassius insisted on adding slogans to each. Lucky thinks that it wasn’t enough for Cassius to fight; “he had to be a fighter with flair” (203).

Lucky also remembers that Cassius loved music, which likely influenced his love for poetry.

They took the posters all through their neighborhood. At one house, a woman tried to stop them, revealing that she was the aunt of Cassius’s opponent. Politely, Cassius replied that he was friends with his rival, but in the ring, there was no doubt he would win.

Lucky explains that boxing was very popular in Louisville, and Tomorrow’s Champions often had Cassius on as their main attraction. Cassius loved the attention, defeating opponents left and right after his win against Ronnie O’Keefe. His skill quickly gained attention, and “[n]obody […] had ever seen anything like it” (206). Soon, Cassius wasn’t the only one saying he was the greatest.