A quiet dining room in Louisville.
The kind of place where the Jukebox and the coffee never run out.
In the corner, a table carries a small sign: reserved.
Bud Crawford steps inside. Calm, chop up, that slow Omaha walk. He nodded to the waitress and then noticed the table. Muhammad Ali is there, bigger than life, even in silence.
Ali Grins.
“Well, now yes. Look who walks in my house.
They call you Bud, the one who closes big mouths.
I junk with giants, I dance in the light,
But you, boy, you are quiet – then end it in one night. “
Crawford (sitting down):
“You talked a lot, champion.
I, I let my hands talk.
You had the eyes of the whole world.
I had to fight just to be noticed.
Tell me … how did you handle the hate? ‘
Ali (laughing, clapping his hands):
“Oh, I love it, I love it! Cold as ice!
I, I sold the show – you don’t roll the dice.
I told them I would stab, I said I would drive,
You don’t need a rhyme – you sink the boat!
And the hate? Hate was my fuel, son.
They threw me, I danced.
They doubted me, I roar.
I turned every hater into a ticket.
You? You turn them into believers. “
Crawford (half-smile):
‘Spence was the big fish.
I told everyone I would catch him.
They laugh.
I caught him.
He did not swim again.
This is how I handle hate. “
Ali (leaning forward, smiles broadly):
“You so bad, you made the big fish forget how to swim!
He got into the shark, you sent him slim.
Porter the bull, you made him stop,
Indongo fell quickly, Gamboa lit.
Canelo wore gold, thought he reigned like a king,
But you stripped his crown – didn’t even hear the bell! ‘
Crawford:
“I had to wait.
They freeze me.
Pacquiao didn’t want it.
Thurman praised himself.
I stayed patiently.
But sometimes, champion, I wonder … why did it take so long? ‘
Ali (now serious, voice mitigating):
“Listen, boy. This is the way of greatness.
Look, it’s sweet if they rejoice you quickly.
It feels good if they love you early.
But it’s emotion. This is prejudice.
The beauty of late recognition
Is when those who doubt you …
Those who have struggled with you …
Is forced to acknowledge the truth.
It’s not love, it’s fact.
It’s not hype, it’s history.
Like art they ignored, at the back of the back –
Years later, they see it and cannot deny it.
It’s greatness, boy. It’s forever. “
Crawford (nod):
“I like it.
Truth about prejudice.
Facts about feelings.
That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
When I’m done – no excuses, no star.
Just facts. “
Ali (smile again, playful):
‘Facts it is! You are colder than winter, sharp as a knife.
Me, I have grown my way to history – you fought your way in life.
Two roads, one mountain. Different storms, the same air.
I shouted my greatness. You whispered yours. But both?
Both will echo forever. “
Bud stands, respectful:
“Must go, champion.”
Ali tilting his head, blowing him back:
“Where are you going, young man? Sit back.
Eat lunch with me. Tell me everything about Omaha. “
Bud smiles. He sits.
A waitress sets down two menus and looks at Bud: “Didn’t think I would ever see anyone else sharing this table.”
Ali Gil:
“I don’t either. He showed up for 3 times undisputed and fifty years late, but just in time. ‘
