The Great Black Hope?

Organiser: University of Wolverhampton

Wednesday 25th October 2017

Samuel Johnson Building, Gorway Road, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 3BD.

The University of Wolverhampton will be hosting a special talk on what Muhammad Ali meant to Black politics.

It places Ali in the context of a world where boxing was unusually open to Black and White athletes competing against each other, an openness that led not to racial harmony but White backlash. It shows that Ali broke the mould set by previous African-American champion such as Joe Louis who had sought to appease White society by striking a deferential pose. It will explore Ali’s involvement in the Nation of Islam and his racially -charged taunting of Joe Frazier in an attempt to establish how sincere Ali was in his advocacy of Black Power.

Will Cooling has covered pro-wrestling, UFC and boxing for a variety of outlets including Fox Sports, Wrestling Observer and Fighting Spirit Magazine. For FSM, he has previously written about Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, and Muhammad Ali’s wider legacy.