Original subtitles

TV NEWS:'At his initial hearing today,

'Mark Chapman, the man accused of John Lennon's murder,

'entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.'

Too much needless death.

'With a record 80 million viewers tuning in to discover

'who shot JR Ewing?'

Too much needless death.

DOORBELL

Assalaamu Alaikum, Champ.

Assalaamu Alaikum, my brother.

That's a strong tie, Champ.

-You like it? -Yes.

You know I know when you lying, Herbert.

That's the only reason you still -my manager. -You got me.

It was a birthday present from my kids. And yes, it's ugly.

Ain't nobody with sense like this tie.

But you know what I really wanted for my birthday, don't you Herbert?

Champ, can I at least sit down before you start with...

Yes, you can sit down and listen to me tell you how I want Holmes.

I want my rematch with Holmes. Have you got my rematch with Holmes?

Because I shall return, I shall return!

I know, I know, I know.

Holmes got lucky, he caught me on a bad day.

The Champ got beat by a chump.

The winner got beat by a beginner.

The heavyweight spender got beat by a pretender.

You landed ten punches in ten rounds.

And if y'all hadn't thrown in the towel,

I'da knocked him out in the 11th.

I owe it to my fans to go out on top.

You got nothing left to prove to anybody, Champ. You the greatest.

Of all time.

Of all time. You forgot the best part.

Look, you're 39, you've given your fans enough.

It's time to think about retiring. I did that already. Twice.

You see, I'm so good, I defeated retirement too.

See, you know what I am gon say. Yes, I do.

You're gonna say, "You right, Ali, as always.

"You could be the first four-time heavyweight champion of the world."

-You a wise man, Herbert. -You need to think about your health, Champ.

I knew you was gon say that. DOORBELL

Which is why I also invited Don King.

What? Not that fool!

Don don't care about you, Ali, I do.

I know that, and I love you too, brother.

But Don's going to serve me up

a world title fight with a side of Larry Holmes.

DOORBELL

Let's just pretend nobody's in.

I don't have time to be dealing with his "baby, baby, baby" nonsense.

He just act like that for the cameras.

He ain't no better or worse than you or me.

Well, he little bit worse.

Baby, baby, baby!

Assalaamu Alaikum, my brother. How are you, Don?

I'm doing wonderfully.

All the more for seeing your pretty face.

That's exactly how I feel whenever I look in a mirror.

You still got it, baby! You the M-O-N-E-Y!

Herbert.

Don.

I'm sorry I'm late, Champ.

Traffic up on Wiltshire Boulevard is stupid crazy.

Don't even worry about it. You ready to get down to business?

Always, Champ, always!

Can I just say, that is a fantastic looking tie?

I got one just like it.

So you got good news for me, Don?

Champ, I am good news.

Good N-E-W-S news.

Well?

Well, what?

What's the good news?

I'm working on it.

Champ, you need to listen to me.

If you fight again, you gon damage your history.

I ain't gon damage history, I'm gonna make history.

Sylvester Stallone said your fight with Holmes was like watching

an autopsy on a man who was still alive.

Herbert, when I want the opinion of a fake boxer,

I'll call up Joe Frazier.

This is M-O-N-E-Y, baby!

Save it for the promotion.

I've watched you beat everybody.

But age? Ain't nobody can beat that.

Ignore him, Champ. It's about L-E-G-A-C-Y and M-O-N-E-Y!

What the hell is it with you and spelling, huh?

Now he spelling two words in one sentence.

You been making miracles your whole life.

Miracle Muhammad, that's who you are.

And what if you out of miracles, Champ?

Out of miracles?

Out of miracles?!

Herbert, when I lost to Leon Spinks, what happened?

You came back and whupped him, baby!

And when Sonny Liston was supposed to knock my pretty head

clean off my shoulders, what happened?

You double-whupped him, baby!

And George Foreman, the ugly beast that was supposed to

swallow me whole and end my career, what happened?

A-whuppity whup-whup-whup, baby!

Cos that's what I do. I'm Muhammad Ali, and I do the impossible.

Because you are the greatest.

Of. All. Time.

You see, he remembered.

Now, y'all know what I want.

Now figure out a way to make it happen.

We can't put him in the ring again. It's too risky.

His legs still got fight.

And his name's still worth big money.

KING CHUCKLES

'You're joining us live from Wiltshire Boulevard, downtown LA.

'Nine floors above me, a hooded man is threatening to jump.

'Police, a psychologist and a minister have all but given up

'trying to change the despondent man's mind.'

Too much needless death.

'At this time, no-one is being allowed in or out...'

Herbert!

How far's Wiltshire Boulevard?

About three blocks away, Champ. Why?

'..to avoid the area and to use alternate routes where possible.

'We'll keep you updated with the latest.'

'Unconfirmed reports are coming in that Muhammad Ali,

'the former heavyweight champion, has just arrived at the site.

'It does seem to be Muhammad Ali.'

-Jump! -Hey!

If he jump, he ain't going to be the only one hitting the floor.

Sorry, sir, you can't come through here.

You're Muhammad Ali.

Yes, ma'am. It's amazing to meet you.

You're going to have to leave. Ma'am, I can help.

We have a minister, a psychologist and the best negotiator in LA.

-We've got it covered. -So I see.

And yet despite all those folks,

there's still a man up there on that ledge.

It's a delicate situation, they're professionals,

they know what they're doing.

It's not going so well.

Two hours and he won't come down.

Maybe that's cos you're hollering at him through a megaphone.

Let me go talk to the man.

What makes you think you're going to have better luck than us?

Because I am the greatest.

'This just in - Muhammad Ali has entered the building.'

Assalaamu Alaikum, my brother. Don't come near me!

I'm serious, man, I'm gonna do it. None of you understand!

No, no, no, I'm your brother.

I want to help you, I love you, and I wouldn't lie to you.

Why not? I'm nobody!

Look, you don't know me, and I don't know...

You're Muhammad Ali.

Well, ain't that a thing?

I AM Muhammad Ali.

And ain't I pretty?

Now why don't you come off that ledge and take

a closer look at my pretty face?

'We're coming to you live with this breaking news.

'Muhammad Ali appears to be up at the ledge,

'talking directly to the desperate man himself.

'We'll bring you more updates as the situation develops.'

What the hell are you doing here?

Well, I came to see you, Joe.

Why? I ain't nobody.

Oh, no, sir, you wrong there.

I wouldn't be up here in the cold for nobody,

so you definitely somebody.

No, man, you wrong.

Everyone thinks I'm a nobody.

Who is this everyone?

Cos I would like to meet him and introduce him to my five friends.

Who saying you a nobody, Joe?

My ex-girlfriend.

My folks.

Everyone.

Even the people down there, they want me to jump!

No, no, hey, Joe - those people don't know what they saying.

Don't pay them no mind.

Especially that bald guy.

-Why not? -Because he ugly.

I would have to punch him in the face just to make him look pretty.

He's so ugly, his hair left

because it don't want to be associated with his face.

Now look, Joe, I don't want to be hanging out a window,

giving away all my best lines for free.

So why don't you open up the fire escape so we can talk?

What about him? He just gon grab me.

Who, him? Look at him, he ain't gon grab nobody.

If he wrestled with his conscience, he would lose.

The only bout he had is a bout of flu, and the flu knocked him out.

Man, he couldn't punch a ticket.

Now, come on, Joe, that's more lines for free. Let me in.

How can I trust you?

How can you trust me?

Well, I'ma tell you how you can trust me,

I'm Muhammad Ali, that's how.

Shoo, Mr Policeman.

Me and my friend Joe here are gon need a little privacy.

I'm under strict orders not...

Well, I'm...

OK, Mr Ali.

Please, call me Champ.

OK.

Champ.

Go on now, get now.

Joe.

Joe. See, he gone.

He ain't gon bother us none.

Now why don't you open up

before I huff and puff and blow the door down?

Joe, hold on! Joe, wait!

CROWD GASPS

Whoa, whoa, take it easy. Take it easy.

Take it easy, I'm not coming after -you. -I ain't taking no chances.

For someone who ain't taking no chances,

you taking a hell of a lot of -chances. -Not with you, I ain't.

I know you quick.

I heard you say you can turn the light switch off in your hotel room

and be in bed before the room gets dark.

You a fan, Joe? Everybody's a fan of you, Champ.

So you saying you don't know -nobody who ain't? -Nope.

Well, if nobody ain't a fan, and you a fan of mine,

then you got to be somebody.

I keep telling you, man, I ain't nobody!

I got nothing, OK? I got no-one!

OK, OK. I'm just talking, Joe.

I don't mean no harm.

You got no idea. You ain't got no problems.

You the greatest.

Joe...

Look, I been calling myself the greatest since before I was

the greatest. It don't mean nothing.

No matter who we are, we all got problems to face. Why don't you...?

I ain't talking about what sports car to buy!

I'm talking about real problems. What real problems you got?

Well, for a start, I ain't as quick as you think I am.

OK.

Guess I know that.

Oh, you do? How you know that?

I saw you on TV against Larry Holmes.

You saw the fight, huh? Everybody did.

Holmes whupped you bad.

Yeah, I messed up, I was lousy.

But don't you worry, I'ma get Holmes next time.

He gon hit the floor in fo'.

So you gon hit him next time?

Cos this time all I saw was you holding on.

-Oh, so you my coach now? -No.

I just think it's better when you dancing and winning, not just...

holding on.

Well, from where I'm sitting,

sometimes holding on can be the best option.

Yeah.

And sometimes it's best to admit when you gotta let go.

Whoa, OK, Joe - it's OK, Joe.

I done told you my problems, now it's your turn.

Why you think you a nobody?

I screwed up.

I lost the only job I ever had.

My girlfriend ran away with another man.

And even my ma say she wants me gone.

No, she just want you out of the house, Joe. Not up on this ledge.

Come on down and we'll go talk to -her. -There's no point, Champ.

My ma don't love me. She says I'm waste of air.

No, she says that because she love you. She want you to be more.

She want you to be better, that's what mothers do,

they get inside your head.

Mothers have more mind tricks than a heavyweight contender.

Except George Foreman, he ain't got no mind tricks,

cos he ain't got a mind...

No, my ma's right, man.

-I'm nothing. -Come on.

Now, you too young to say you nothing. How old are you, Joe?

21.

21?

21. Joe, you got your whole life ahead of you.

21 ain't no age to say you nothing.

How old were you when you won Olympic gold?

How old, Champ?

I was 18.

Olympic gold at 18.

Now, that's something.

Yes, it is. And I admit, it's annoying for this conversation.

But when I was 17, to the whole world, I was still a nobody.

And now I'm 39... Mid-30s, I'm still the same guy.

But you always been a Champ in your head.

In your head, you always been a winner.

In mine, I've always been a loser.

No, you know why I'm a winner, Joe?

I'm a winner cos I'm a fighter. I ain't a fighter like you, Champ!

No, we all fighters. If you get knocked down,

you just have to get back up that one more time.

That's all you gotta do, just get back up that one more time.

Now, can you do that for me, Joe?

Can you get back up that one more time?

I'm sorry, Champ.

Oh, Joe.

Come on, Joe, Joe, Joe, don't do it! Joe.

Joe! Joe!

KNOCKING

What was that?!

-It's the police. -What they doing?

KNOCKING

Well, they're banging on the fire escape door, Joe.

You tell them to leave us alone!

Yeah. They policeman, we two niggas behind a locked door,

they ain't gon leave us alone, Joe.

You tell 'em, man, you Ali.

KNOCKING

I ain't doing that.

Why not?

Because I don't know if you gon be here when I get back.

Well, I promise I will.

And how I know I can trust you, Joe?

How can you trust me?

I tell you how you can trust me, because I'm Joe.

That's how you can trust me.

OK, Joe. I trust you.

-What do you want? -Open the door, Champ. We wanna talk to you.

Don't worry, we're not going to charge at you.

No.

Do feel free to charge at me.

Although I warn ya,

I've knocked out men 50 times uglier than you with one hand.

Now, what do you want? He's gonna jump, Champ.

You gotta let us take another shot.

You had a crack, Ali, you're done.

Nobody tells me when I'm done.

And it's Mr Muhammad Ali to you.

Mr Ali, you tried, but you have to let the expert back in.

Oh, he an expert? In what, exactly?

Cos I don't know if you heard, but I am an expert too.

I'm an expert in giving a black man back his dignity.

That's my expertise. But if he got something better?

Well, I took negotiator training classes for 18 months...

And I been a black man for 39 years.

Well, when he puts it like that.

I ain't throwing in the towel yet, gentlemen.

So if you don't mind, I'm going back to saving my brother.

Me and Joe will be down when me and Joe are ready.

-They gone? -Yeah, they ain't gon bother us no more.

So now I guess you owe me. -I ain't coming down, Champ. -OK.

But I want you to answer just one question for me.

Yeah, all right.

Why today, Joe?

-What? -Why you up here today? What made you do this today?

I...

I guess I woke up this morning,

and I couldn't think of a single reason not to.

So all you saying to me is that -you missing a purpose? -A what?

Everything in life have a purpose, and every man have a purpose.

And it's the knowing of that purpose that helps every soul fulfil it.

-And you believe that? -Yes, I do.

-Everyone. -Everyone.

OK.

If that's the case...

What's that hollering bald man's purpose?

That's easy. His purpose is to get his ugly face punched by me.

And what's my purpose, Champ?

I can't answer that.

I thought so.

-Me neither. -But you got one. You got one, Joe.

We just need to figure out what it is.

Why don't you come back to my house and we can work on it together?

What if we figure out I ain't got a purpose?

Then I'll bring you back here and throw you off that ledge myself!

You got one, everyone got one,

it's a living, breathing thing inside you.

And what's yours? Well, everyone know that.

To be the heavyweight champion of the world.

But it can be, you already that.

No, no, but I...

I gotta get the belt back.

I'ma be the first-ever four-time world heavyweight champion.

How that sound?

It sound like when you said you were gon be the first-ever

three-time world heavyweight champion. It's just one more.

Well, like I said, if you get knocked down,

all you have to do is get back up that one more time.

No, Champ, you need to know when to stay down.

Larry Holmes beat you too bad.

What you know about boxing, Joe? I know what I saw.

And what I read.

The reporter in the paper said that Larry Holmes was beating

the remnants of Muhammad Ali.

The newspapers just print headlines to sell papers, that's all.

And Sylvester Stallone said...

Yeah, I know what Sylvester Stallone said!

They right this time.

You the greatest boxer that ever lived.

After what I saw, it looks like you ain't gon be

the world heavyweight one more time.

If that's the truth, if that ain't your purpose any more, then what is?

If you don't know your purpose, Champ...

..then what hope have I got?

CROWD GASPS

Wait.

Wait, Joe.

I know my purpose.

You my purpose.

So if you jump, I ain't got a purpose.

Truth is, Champ...

I ain't even got the courage to jump.

Oh, no, you got courage.

You still standing.

That takes the most courage, I know that.

You mean that, Champ?

Ain't nobody know it better than me.

But then again, Joe...

you ain't a nobody.

You a somebody, Joe.

Come on.

Come on.

Here you go.

Here we go, here we go. Come on, come on.

Here we go.

Ah! CROWD GASPS

Hold on! Oh, now you want me to hold on!

JOE BREATHES HEAVILY

CROWD CHEERS

You OK?

-Yep. -Yeah.

You sure?

Yeah, I'm sure, Champ.

-Thank you. -No.

Thank you, Joe.

You ready to face the world?

Not really.

Me neither.

Come on.

Come on, let's go.

Oh. One thing I... I gotta come clean about, I lied to you there.

What about?

Well, I said I was slow, Joe. I'm not slow,

I still got the quickest left-hand in all of boxing history.

-Really? -Yeah, you want to see it? OK.

You want to see it again?

Can I come clean with you too, Champ?

Sure, Joe.

I ain't too keen on your necktie.

All right.

-CROWD: -Ali! Ali! Ali! Ali!

Listen up, listen up, listen up. I got something to say.

I want to introduce you all to somebody

and this somebody is Joe.

And he's a friend of mine.

Now, if you'll excuse us, me and Joe met for a purpose.

We just got to go figure out what it is.

Just as soon as I find that bald guy.

I am...

-CROWD: -I am!

Somebody.

I am... I am!

Somebody.

I may be poor.

But I am... But I am!

Somebody.

I may be on welfare.

But I am... But I am!

Somebody.

I may be unskilled.

But I am... But I am!

Somebody.

I am... I am!

Black.

Beautiful.

Proud.

I must be respected.

I must be protected. I must be protected...

Subtitles by Ericsson

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