fight wild history the true story of Muhammad Ali's return and a gangster Heist the spectacular premise of peacock's Fight Night the million-dollar Heist seems like pure fiction gun toing robbers Force the country's most notorious gangsters to give up $1 million in cash and jewels at a secret Afterparty following Muhammad Ali's triumphant return to boxing even atlanta-based executive producer will Packer was slown away when he learned about the Brazen burglary that really happened after Ali's Atlanta about on October 26 1970 it was like yo how have I never heard of this Heist this is crazy says Packer who also executive produced the 2020 a heart Fight Night podcast on which the dramatic TV series is faced a bunch of gangsters get robbed after Muhammad Ali fight and it flips the city of Atlanta upside down still to this day it's the biggest heist in Georgia history peacock's Fight Night takes dramatic Liberties in telling the story centered on inv vitious local Hustler Gordon Chicken Man Williams Kevin Hart Williams makes mov throwing the lavish party to impress the Black Mafia including black Godfather Frank Moten Samuel LJ Jackson who rules New York's underworld and his New Jersey associate Richard Cadillac wheeler Terrence Howard here's what's remarkably true in Fight Night first three episodes now streaming Muhammed Ali returned to boxing in Atlanta which lit a flame in his heart Ali Dexter Darden had been sidelined banned from boxing for more than 3 years after refusing to be inducted into the US military during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector while many states refused to Grant Ali a boxing license powerful Georgia state senator lirry Johnson Ron Rico Lee pushed through Ali's comeback bout in Atlanta against heavyweight boxer Jerry Cory dued the Great White Hope the soldout event at Atlanta Municipal Auditorium Drew International attention celebrities Sydney quer Arthur Ashy and Deana Ross politicians and prominent gangsters from around the country it was this elite Black crowd from all walks of life coming down to what was slowly becoming a black City Atlanta says Shay obana Fight Night Creator and executive producer it was the gangster class it was rich folks it was celebrities all coming together in the third round Ali landed a punch that opened a gash over quarry's eye leading to a technical knockout and Jubilation around Atlanta Ali's boxing rebirth was a big night for Atlanta and the beginning of a special relationship between the city and the legendary boxer this culminated with the 1996 Centennial Olympic games where Oli famously lit the Olympic cauldron to start the games OE fell in love with Atlanta and came back many times says hacker but obviously the iconic moment is Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame the chicken man after party turned into a shotgun robbery scores of fashionably dressed paror descended in lemis to Williams house for the postf fight party with special made engraved invitations they were met Inside by two masked armed robbers one brandishing a saw off shotgun who herded them into the house basement the guests were ordered to strip down to their underwear and give up their cash and jewelry which police later calculated to Total over $1 million about $8 million today Opana discovered he grew up close to the neighborhood where the infamous party was held shooting the actual Party House exterior for fight night even on his day off from shooting Jackson showed up to watch Sam just whopped on set and was taking it a all in says Adana his wife is from the neighborhood and he got married right around the corner he was like a historian so many real things happened in this story Williams who earned his colorful Chicken Man nickname from the chicken sandwiches he doled out was suspected immediately of orchestrating the heist because it was his house and party and there was another suspicious detail the strip down Williams was the only guest wearing lawn underwear on the chilly October night suggesting he was prepared Williams credibly maintained he had nothing to do with the robbery until he died in 2014 GD Hudson was charged with protecting Oli and solving the robbery GD Hudson Don chettle one of Atlanta's first FL detective lieutenants played two major roles in The Fight Night Affair first Hudson was charged with protecting Ali before and during the fight escorting the fighter to the ring and then scanning the crowd for trouble trouble