

Everyone who is a fan of Muhammad Ali knows how deep of a bond he shared with famous television host Dick Cavett. The famous ‘Dick Cavett show’ on which the first guest was Muhammad Ali, ran from 1969 to 1975 with a huge fan base. However, Michael Schulman from The Newyorkerr has recently interviewed Dick Cavett and a lot of unspoken words about Ali. This has created a huge buzz among the fans of the legend.
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In his early days, Dick Cavett was an aspiring television host and Ali was already a very big name in America. During and after the show, a huge friendship developed and the two exchanged a lot of words about politics, boxing, and society. Cavett’s interview with Michael Schulman has dropped some huge bombs.
What has Dick Cavett revealed?
In the interview with Michael Schulman, Cavett talked a lot about his journey. He expressed how he felt about taking interviews with some famous people such as Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Ali, Groucho Marx, etc. Some of them became his friends later. Apart from Muhammad Ali, Groucho Marx also became a good friend of Cavett.

via Imago
Muhammad Ali Cassius Marcellus Clay, 1942 – 2016. American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet, and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century. WorldxHistoryxArchive 917_02_WHA_179_0999
Cavett recalled a moment in the famous show, which was too peculiar for someone like Muhammad Ali at that time. He said, there was an ABC guy who told, “Nobody gives a sh*t what Gore Vidal or Muhammad Ali think about Vietnam.” Gore Vidal was a writer. It became a shock to Cavett as to how someone can not acknowledge the champion boxer for his contributions.
“ This sort of stunned me. They decided they would not air that as my first show. I objected. But they took one that I had taped a week later when I was more broken in. That show aired first, and the ‘controversy’ show was five shows later,” He added.
At that time there was a lot of backlash against Muhammad Ali, as Ali opposed going to war in Vietnam. But the media was behind him for a catch.
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Muhammad Ali and Vietnam war
It was the time of America’s invasion of Vietnam, or popularly known as ‘The Vietnam War’. It was a time when cases of Americans being forced to fight in the Vietnam War were increasing, especially the African-Americans, which Ali was deeply against. Muhammad Ali also got nominated, but at last, he withdrew from the war and gave a press conference regarding the same. For his withdrawal, Ali was blacklisted from boxing in New York, and also WBA stripped his heavyweight title for the second time.
After 6 years of the boxing legend’s death, Dick Cavett revealed a lot about his old friend Muhammad Ali. Even after being at the top, Ali was backlashed by the people at that time. It may be uncomfortable, but it was true.
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What do you think about Dick Cavett and the whole Ali and Vietnam incident? Let us know in the comments below.
Watch this story: Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila Ali’s lavish lifestyle
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