Muhammad Ali and actor James Earl Jones, who at the time was starring in the Broadway production of the Great White Hope. The play told the life story of boxing legend Jack Johnson and after watching it, Ali told Jones that if you replace the problems caused by Johnson's love for white women with Ali's religious preferences, the two great boxers had virtually the same life story.

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Jack Johnson (right) knocking out James J. Jeffries in their 1910 title fight. Jeffries was the first of the so called Great White Hopes backed to take the title from Johnson, who had become the first black heavyweight champion two years earlier. After the fight, there were race riots across America which lead to 25 deaths and several lynching attempts.
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