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Black Superman

By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.

I was 10 years old when the song “Black Superman Muhammad Ali)” made its debut in late 1974. I loved the sing and I loved Ali, who had just beaten George Foreman in boxing’s infamous “Rumble in the Jungle.” Only recently did I learn that the song, written and performed by Johnny Wakelin, was actually a reworked version of Wakelin’s “Hungarian Superman” – which Wakelin recorded in 1972 as a tribute to journeyman heavyweight Joe Bugner.

Anyway, nearly 47 years later, I still love the song. How can you not love a song that includes the lyrics, “My face is so pretty, so you don’t see a scar/Which proves I’m the king of the ring by far!” Check it out:

 

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