Muhammad Ali And Malcolm X: A Broken Friendship, An Enduring Legacy

The night Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston, the reigning heavyweight champion, crowds had squeezed into the venue, expecting to watch Liston beat the stuffing out of the young braggart. The odds were seven to one in Liston's favor. The air was filled with testosterone and cigar smoke. Few people noticed the tall, quiet man at ringside, immaculately dressed in a dark suit and tie and crisp white shirt, watching the fight intently.

The stranger was Ali's friend and mentor Malcolm X, and he was seen to have smiled broadly when Clay was declared the fight's winner by a TKO in the seventh. Malcolm believed a victory was preordained, that Allah would guide young Cassius in the ring. The next morning, at the traditional day-after press conference, a subdued Cassius Clay told reporters henceforth he would be known as Cassius X. A month later, he would take the name that would become world-famous: Muhammad Ali.

A meeting of minds sparks a friendship

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