On this day in history, April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali refuses to serve military at height of Vietnam War

Joel Waldman reports

Muhammad Ali, the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion, entered the combative ring of politics and culture by refusing to serve in the United States military at the height of the Vietnam War on this day in history, April 28, 1967. 

"I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong," Ali famously said the year before, the exact quote the source of some dispute, in a battle that made it all the way to the United States Supreme Court. 

He later wrote, "I refuse to be inducted into the Armed Forces of the United States because I claim to be exempt as a minister of the religion of Islam."

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Ali was lauded around the world as a hero for standing up for the courage of his convictions. 

Critics say he used the power of his podium and celebrity to dodge the draft at a time when the nation’s working-class young men were fighting and dying at the sharp end of existential struggle for survival against communism. 

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston during their second bout in 1965 and taunts him to get up during their title fight. Ali knocked Liston out in one minute in the first round of their bout at the Central Maine Youth Center in Lewiston, Maine. (Getty Images)

Others allege it was an order from Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad that fueled his refusal to serve in the military. 

"I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong." — Muhammad Ali

Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942, the pugilist punched his way into the national spotlight winning a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome at age 18. 

He captured the world heavyweight title with his famous upset