Watch: When Muhammad Ali allegedly talked down a Vietnam military veteran from committing suicide in 1981

Muhammad Ali was not only 'The Greatest of All Time' in boxing, but also a class act at all times outside of the squared circle as well.

According to several reports at the time, Muhammad Ali rushed to a Los Angeles building on January 19, 1981, to save a man who was standing on the ledge of a fire escape, prepared to take his own life. The man was reportedly a veteran of the Vietnam War.

(1981) 38 years ago today, Muhammad Ali talked a 21-year-old out of committing suicide."You're my brother, I love you and I wouldn’t lie to you. You have to listen. Come home with me."30 minutes later, the two left in Ali's Rolls-Royce limo and headed to the police station. pic.twitter.com/Qns6Ii2fAd

— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) January 19, 2019

It is worth noting that the incident took place a day before the first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States of America.

One of the most distinguished reports on the incident came from Terry Drinkwater, a veteran of CBS Network.

You can watch a revisiting of the report conducted by the network in 2016 that showed original footage from the incident. The video shows the man standing on the ledge of a Los Angeles building as Terry Drinkwater lets viewers know what he said and how Muhammad Ali talked him down.

"From a ledge nine floors above Wilshire Boulevard, the hooded man shouted 'I'm no good, I'm going to jump. The Viet Cong are coming at me.' The Police, a psychologist, and a minister had all but given up, trying to change the despondent man's mind, when Muhammad Ali, who happened to be nearby, volunteered to talk to him. The former heavyweight champion went to a window and reportedly yelled, 'I'm your brother. I want to help you.' Recognizing Ali, the man finally opened the fire escape door and Ali approached him on the ledge. It was a very tense 20 minutes. Several times it looked as though Ali was going to fail. Then, suddenly, it was all over. The man, Ali said later, began to weep. He was taken to the psychiatric ward of a veteran's hospital. The former champ promised to visit him there later this week," Terry Drinkwater narrated.

Watch the full video below:

Podcaster suggests Muhammad Ali could have staged the incident

In a January 2019 episode of the What Really Happened podcast, sponsored by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, film-maker and storyteller Andrew Jenks spilled the findings of an investigation that he conducted into the Ali incident for over three years.

Jenks revealed that Muhammad Ali's close friend and personal photographer Howard Bingham was present at the scene when the man tried to plummet to his death and had called the legendary boxer. Muhammad Ali was there within minutes, rolling up in his Rolls-Royce.

On the podcast, Jenks suggested six possibilities that could have been the reality.

"One, Ali saved a man from committing suicide. Two, Ali broke into national news coverage during a presidential inauguration. Three, Ali wanted to prove to the world that he was still the greatest. Four, Ali was determined to showcase the shortcomings of the Vietnam. Five, all the above. Six, none of the above," Andrew Jenks said.

Muhammad Ali's refusal to be drafted into the military and choosing to be a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War is a well-known story that he'd reiterated in multiple interviews at that time.

Rahimahullah ❤Muhammad Ali on why he refused to serve in the murderous Vietnam War. pic.twitter.com/q8nppZtW2F

— رامین (@Rmodeen) August 11, 2021

While on one hand, he was found guilty of draft evasion and faced up to five years in prison, on the other hand, it made him an icon for the counterculture generation who vividly opposed the war.

Listen to the full podcast below: