Ali returned to ring with ex-Georgia senator in his corner (The Associated Press)

The former Georgia state senator was the driving force in Ali’s return to the ring on Oct. 26, 1970 in Atlanta. Ali had to surrender his passport during his battle through the legal system after refusing induction to the U.S. Army in 1967, so he couldn’t fight outside the country. ”My passion was to beat the system because the system had done Ali wrong,” Johnson, 87, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.