1.
LV Ali and Ellis at desk
0.02

2.
SV Ali talking to pressmen
0.07

3.
SV Pressmen
0.08

4.
SV Ali signing
0.11

5.
SV Pressmen
0.13

6.
SV Ellis signing
0.20

7.
CU Ellis speaking (SOUND)
1.07

8.
CU Ali speaks (SOUND)
1.38


TRANSCRIPT: COMMENTATOR: "Mohammad Ali and former sparring partner Jimmy Ellis met in a New York hotel today and signed contracts to meet in a 12-round heavyweight fight at the Houston Astrodome on Monday night July twenty-six. Ali has been guaranteed a minimum of 450,000 dollars--Ellis, 20 per cent of all income with the house scaled to do one million 200,000 dollars."



SEQ. 7: ELLIS SOFINT: "It's my greatest moment to be in a fight with Mohammad Ali because he stays the greatest, but I've always felt that I could beat him and I'm going to show you on July twenty-six just what I can do. Everybody has always said that Jimmy Ellis is just an ex-sparring partner, and he's this, and everybody just thinks I'm just a little bitty kid. And I must show Mohammad Ali and I must show the whole world just what I can do. I mean, I was a sparring partner; I worked; I got paid; I did my job and did it good. You never heard a champ that he worked with me and sparred with me and I paid him. I never really blabbermouth like somebody else who standing here. He only give over his view--I can't out-talk him but I will outfight him. I'm going to tell you this right now."



SEQ. 8: ALI SOF INT: "That's when you get beat--when you start regarding people as that, you understand. I done just this to Frazier--I played with him. I didn't take Frazier seriously--I played with him for three rounds. Just had him so's he couldn't do nothing in the corner....I lost. Be most serious, I'm going to be in shape; I'm going to be ready. I can't give him nothing and he's not giving me nothing. If I lose, I've finished. If he loses, he'll be farther down the line. But if I lose, I'm finished."




Initials B/0200 WLW/PW/BB/0215


TELERECORDING
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS A VOICE-ON-FILM COMMENTARY FOR USE IF REQUIRED.

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mohammad Ali--Cassius Clay--yesterday (June 2) contracted to fight a 12-round match with his ex-sparring partner Jimmy Ellis on July 26 at the Houston Astrodome. This film, showing the signing ceremony in a New York hotel, includes a voice-on-film commentary and sound-on-film interviews with El'is and Ali.