WEBVTT

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I've been doing the same since the fight.

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This is the first day and I'm anxious to get my body back in shape.

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What's going to be the hardest thing for you to do?

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Getting up in the mornings and running about five or six miles an hour each morning.

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Going to bed early.

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Cut out those sweets.

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Yeah, that's going to be tough.

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When we talk about the yellows fight, we talk a little bit about perhaps over-confidence.

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A lot of people feel that they can be over-confident.

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Right, because Ellis was a good arm fighter.

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He kept getting in shape during the fights, which means he was a great fighter.

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He was all I needed.

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He just beat Donald Williams, knocked out the strike, went on to beat Josh Fowler.

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Man, I could knock it out, get him in the fight, right?

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I also beat Jared Quarant, a great fighter.

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He was beating the crazy ones and he got hit.

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He's got a lot of push over, and I have to get in shape.

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If I fought Ellis today, if he was in shape, I thought he was listening to me.

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So far, you have to work.

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You weren't, at least you got the decision.

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How do you feel now?

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What about Ellis? If you lose to Ellis, what about your future?

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Well, if I lose to Ellis, I think I should go on retirement.

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But as far as being invincible, I never thought I was dead.

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We had never been beaten before, that's why.

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And I still believe that I'm just doing it better because Joe Frazier had to take a three-week rest after the fight.

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He was a tough fighter, but he was never going to beat.

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And he's just been destroying everybody.

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And after being here for a little while, he turned out to be in good shape.

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So he's still shaping me up.

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You still feel that you won the Frazier fight?

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Well, I know I did, but the judges didn't think so.

33
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One judge said he never won.

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I know I hit him five times before and I watched him kill him over and over.

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And he played within three rounds, which I shouldn't, which on the truth is how good I was if he played with me.

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Well, next time it's just too bad.

37
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Muhammad, you've been a well-managed fighter.

38
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Now you have the possibility of another million-dollar fight coming up with Joe Frazier.

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But in the meantime, you're taking this fight with Ellis.

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Some people question his visibility, that Ellis is a good fighter.

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He might lose.

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Wouldn't that take some of the sucking up the other fight, Frazier fight coming up?

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Well, yes.

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It makes the fight more exciting.

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I'd give it some and all because it's not difficult to lose.

46
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You don't have to take this fight.

47
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I'm planning two more fights with fellow batting tuckers.

48
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Who are they?

49
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I can't say no, but I think Dave, this keeps the game interesting.

50
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As a matter of fact, when they gave me my license, I didn't have to fight Gary Fowler.

51
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I had to work like Donovan Hill.

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I took the license.

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Donovan Hill is action and music and I could have fought Frazier, but this is a big one.

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Listen, a man is not only just a business, a life's idea of being the real physical champion.

55
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And I think he should give everybody a shot and beat them all to the move.

56
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So I could pick a way for Frazier, but I'm in that free will fight program.

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How did you lose the pressure?

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Were you too slow? Did you lack stamina? Were you overconfident?

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Just how do you assess the outcome of that fight?

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Well, I don't believe in a loss.

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And I can't be brave watching him leaving a loss.

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I saw his face, I saw his condition, I saw him out. I was there.

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And so, but I could have did better.

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And the reason I didn't was because I was a little overconfident.

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I figured when it's left hook, when it's powerful, it's a draw.

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I didn't lose that.

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Next time, I'm a little bit out.

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Now, you're preparing for this fight. There's also a Supreme Court decision coming up.

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Does that disturb you at all? Does that affect your mental condition?

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This decision coming up whichever way?

71
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No. Whatever happens is the will of our law, the will of God.

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So I don't pay no attention to it.

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When you say go to jail, I just go to jail. I don't care.

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Thanks very much and good luck.

75
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Hey, where's Stoner?

76
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Where's Freddie Stoner?

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I'm trying to contact him. I ain't got him.

78
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Oh, well, you don't know who's going to be working with you until...

79
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Until Moe Hill.

80
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Yeah.

81
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Because I haven't talked to him.

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You've checked in, champ. You've checked in.

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You'll go right into the hotel.

84
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I'm going to go to the hotel.

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I love the headgear. I had a mouthpiece, which is the main thing.

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And sometimes it's good working without a headgear if you're not really working with qualified punchers.

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And mostly when I don't use a headgear, I concentrate on not being hit.

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Are you going to do anything different in preparation for Ellis in comparison to your preparation for Joe Frazier?

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No, everything will be the same. Just harder work. More work, harder work.

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And just get in shape as usual. I've been doing this 19 years and there's no reason to change the training style now.

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You don't fear Ellis as much as you feared Frazier, do you?

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Not really, but I would say he's the next man to Frazier.

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Because he knows my style. He was beating Frazier until Frazier hit him. He beat Oscar Bonavena.

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Frazier's toughest fight and my toughest fight. He beat Bonavena. He beat Floyd Patterson. He beat Jerry Quarry.

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That fellow gave Frazier all the trouble he wanted. Gave me all the trouble I wanted until I cut him in the third round on the eye.

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So Ellis is just as good as anybody.

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Well, you know a lot about Ellis because Angela Dundee handled both of you guys.

98
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Right. We fought as amateurs. He beat me as amateur and I beat him as amateur.

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And we've had a lot of gym battles and he holds his own.

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Where are you staying here in Chicago?

101
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Well, it's a secret. We don't want too many people bothering us.

102
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Where do you stay when you're not in Chicago? You're living in New Jersey now, aren't you?

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Jerry Hill, New Jersey. Yeah, we have a home there and we're residing there.

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I understand you have a beautiful home there.

105
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Well, I bought a nice house. We love my wife like this so we bought it.

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How's the family?

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Everybody's fine. Three daughters and looking for some boys.

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You're part of the establishment now, huh?

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Yeah.

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Four women against one.

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One final question. I understand that...