Trying to judge the behaviour of a young brash black man who had grown up in deep South of the US in the 40’s and 50’s by today’s standards is purile.
Actually it isn’t imo, he was right to stand up to the white man. This was the white man who forced black women to give up their bus seats to them, this was the white man who banned black children from their schools, this was the white who lynched and left the bodies of innocent black men hanging from trees.
When Ali first became champ enforced racial segregation was still perfectly legal in the United States.