Cassius Clay (
David Ramsey), winner of the
gold medal for
boxing in the
light heavyweight division at the
1960 Summer Olympics, rises in the professional ranks and defeats
heavyweight boxing champion
Sonny Liston in a stunning upset to capture the title in 1964. Controversy surrounds his decision to join the
Nation of Islam, his name change from Cassius Clay to
Muhammad Ali, his friendship with
Malcolm X (
Joe Morton), and his
conscientious objection to the
draft during the
Vietnam War. Stripped of his title, he eventually recaptures it in 1974 in the so-called "
Rumble in the Jungle"—an epic bout against
George Foreman in
Zaire. ==Cast and crew==