Ali Refuses Draft: Conscience Over Military Service
A Houston court stripped Muhammad Ali of his heavyweight title on June 20, 1967, after he refused induction into the U.S. Army, famously declaring "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong." Ali was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison, though he remained free on appeal. His boxing license was revoked in every state. The ban lasted three and a half years, from age 25 to 28, taking away what most experts consider the prime years of a heavyweight's career. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction in Clay v. United States (1971), ruling that his conscientious objector claim as a Nation of Islam minister was sincere. Ali returned to boxing and won the title twice more, but his footwork and reflexes were never quite the same.
June 20, 1967
59 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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