# Canonical recap data for Muhammad Ali Refuses Vietnam Draft (1966)
# Source: https://recap.at/1966/ali-draft-refusal
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: ali-draft-refusal
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1966/ali-draft-refusal"
title: Muhammad Ali Refuses Vietnam Draft
aliases:
- Ali's Draft Refusal
- Muhammad Ali Vietnam Protest
- Ali Stripped of Title 1967
subtitle: Ali's refusal to be drafted became the defining act of athletic activism, linking sports to civil rights and forcing a reckoning with American conscience.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1966-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1966
decade: 1960
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "the Greatest", he is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970, was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, and was the
summaryLong: Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "the Greatest", he is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970, was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, and was the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.
lede: On April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War, declaring "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong." The heavyweight boxing champion was stripped of his title, banned from the ring, and faced criminal charges for his principled stand against the war and in defense of his religious beliefs as a Nation of Islam member.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Muhammad_Ali_NYWTS.jpg/1280px-Muhammad_Ali_NYWTS.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Muhammad Ali"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date of Refusal
  value: April 28, 1967
- label: Criminal Conviction
  value: June 20, 1967; sentenced to 5 years prison and $10,000 fine
- label: Boxing Title Stripped
  value: WBA and WBC heavyweight titles removed immediately
- label: Ring Ban Duration
  value: 3 years (1967-1970)
- label: Supreme Court Appeal Result
  value: Conviction overturned June 28, 1971 (8-0 decision)
- label: Age at Refusal
  value: 25 years old
- label: Religious Affiliation
  value: Nation of Islam member since 1964
timeline:
- date: 1964-02-25
  title: Ali Wins Heavyweight Championship
  description: Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston to become world heavyweight champion, then announces his conversion to the Nation of Islam and adoption of the name Muhammad Ali.
- date: 1965-08-05
  title: Draft Board Reclassifies Ali
  description: Selective Service reclassifies Ali from 1-S (student) to 1-A (available for military service) following his refusal to participate in ROTC training.
- date: 1966-02-17
  title: Ali Announces Draft Opposition
  description: "Ali states publicly: \"I have already said I ain't going ten thousand miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over.\""
- date: 1967-04-28
  title: Ali Refuses Induction
  description: At the Houston induction center, Ali refuses to take the step forward to be sworn into the military, famously stating "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong."
- date: 1967-04-30
  title: Boxing Titles Stripped
  description: The WBA and WBC immediately strip Ali of his heavyweight championship and declare the title vacant.
- date: 1967-06-20
  title: Ali Convicted
  description: Federal jury in Houston convicts Ali of violating the Selective Service Act; he is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and fined $10,000.
- date: 1967-06-21
  title: Boxing License Revoked
  description: New York Athletic Commission and other state boards revoke Ali's boxing license, effectively banning him from the ring nationwide.
- date: 1969-05-14
  title: Appeal Reaches Supreme Court
  description: The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Ali's appeal, with briefs filed by the U.S. Department of Justice arguing for upholding the conviction.
- date: 1970-10-26
  title: Ali Returns to Ring
  description: After a 3-year-7-month exile, Ali fights Jerry Quarry in Atlanta; he wins by TKO in the third round.
- date: 1971-06-28
  title: Supreme Court Overturns Conviction
  description: In an 8-0 decision (one justice recused), the Supreme Court reverses Ali's conviction, ruling that the government failed to provide a rational basis for denying his conscientious objector status.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali"
  title: Muhammad Ali
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Ali's refusal transformed him from sports figure into political symbol and accelerated the broader cultural reckoning with Vietnam. His prosecution and exile from boxing became flashpoints in debates about patriotism, religious freedom, and government authority—issues that rippled through American society for years.
categories:
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: social_movement
eventTypes:
- civil_disobedience
- activist_campaign
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- mobilization
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Muhammad Ali refuses Vietnam draft in 1967, sparking legal battle and stripping him of boxing title.
wikidataQid: Q36107
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260607010942/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-07
  label: Muhammad Ali
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali"
