We are definitely in the true crime era of entertainment. Sometimes Hollywood takes a lot of liberties with those stories, but other times the truth is so much stranger than fiction, all producers need to do is tell us what happened.
Suggested Reading
Peacock’s new limited series, “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist,” is based on a real robbery that happened in Atlanta during Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight. The story comes from the podcast, “Fight Night,” which is based on the wild real life characters and events surrounding the heist.
We know these sorts of series don’t always have time to include every detail of the crime and investigation, so we’ve gathered some of the most shocking revelations from the podcast into one place. As the drama unravels on-screen, bookmark this page and follow along with our recap of the incredible, wild true story behind “Fight Night.”
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” is now available to stream on Peacock.
Black Excellence Everywhere
The term star-studded doesn’t feel good enough for how stacked this cast is — it includes Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Chloe Bailey, Lori Harvey, Sinqua Walls, Clifton Powell and Dexter Darden. We rarely get projects that feature this much Black talent in one place, so when we do, we need to show up for it.
Kevin Hart as the Chicken Man
In recent years, we’ve seen more of Kevin Hart’s serious side. This time around he taps into comedy and drama, using all his skills to deliver the many layers of Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams. For the superstar actor/comedian, working with such an acclaimed cast and crew helped him elevate his performance and get locked into the story.
“Iron sharpens iron. So if you put yourself around better iron, you’ll just continue to get better,” Hart told TODAY. “In this case, the biggest change was not only the period piece, but attaching myself to a true story.”
Samuel L. Jackson’s Personal Connection
Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t just star as mob boss Frank Moten, he also served as an unofficial historian for the production. The Marvel actor lived in Atlanta at the time of the fight and his wife lived in the neighborhood where the series was filmed. They were married in a church in the area. His firsthand knowledge was invaluable, as he gave them insight into the community and events that you could never find in a newspaper article or police record.
Executive producer Will Packer explained that he was the on set barometer for what the production had right or wrong.
“Sam was a wealth of information throughout. He would tell us if we weren’t getting things right — if that wasn’t the watch that they wore, if that wasn’t the look that they had,” Packer told The Hollywood Reporter. “Sam was very serious about that because he lived through it. He was at college at Morehouse at the time, so he was like an extra researcher for us that made sure he kept us in line. Sam said we got this right, and that meant a lot coming from him.”
It Was Originally a Comedy
Before we get into the true crime of it all, we need to share an interesting tidbit about the project’s origins. According to Vanity Fair, it started as a remake of “Uptown Saturday Night” starring Kevin Hart and Chadwick Boseman. After the “Black Panther” star’s passing, Hart was reluctant to return to the idea, but he told producer Will Packer it had to be drastically different from what they were originally developing.
“It was kind of a sour spot attached to that world, and I didn’t want to touch it at all, being that me and Chadwick were so close,” Hart said.
What Went Down on Fight Night
Local hustler Gordon “Chicken Man” Willams was tasked with throwing a Vegas-style afterparty following the 1970 comeback fight of Muhammad Ali. It would be attended by all of the richest and most powerful crime figures from around the country. Except someone else saw the party as an opportunity.
As the fight ended, the heist crew burst into the home where the party was being held and took control of the residence. As guests began to arrive, they were met by masked men with guns, who forced everyone to strip down to their underwear while they stole their cash and jewelry.
With so many notable criminals in attendance, everyone knew the fallout would be violent and severe.
Why Was the Fight in Atlanta?
The fight against Jerry Quarry was Ali’s big comeback after being forced to relinquish his championship for refusing to go to Vietnam. The controversy around his stance meant other cities weren’t willing to host the fight. Atlanta, which was trying to establish itself as the center of the “New Black South,” stepped up.
Who is the Chicken Man?
“Fight Night” podcast host Jeff Keating explained that Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams was a local hustler and drug dealer who was very well connected, so he was the perfect person to tap for this huge post-fight afterparty. Kevin Hart plays Chicken Man in the series.
They Robbed the Black Mafia Family
Among the questionable characters in attendance at the party were some very powerful bosses rumored to be members of the Black Mafia Family. This included Frank Moten, “the Black Godfather.”
Who is Frank Moten?
According to the podcast, Frank Moten was allegedly an extremely powerful crime boss known as “the Black Godfather,” and reportedly one of the leaders of the Council of 12, the bosses of the Black underworld. He’s the last person you’d want to steal from. Samuel L. Jackson plays him in the series, because who else is going to be “the Black Godfather?”
Everyone Assumed the Chicken Man Was Involved
During the robbery, the suspects had everyone at the party strip down to the underwear and lay down on the cold cellar floor. Chicken Man just happened to wear long underwear that night, which led some people to think he knew what was going to happen. That combined with the fact that the crime took place in his house, he became Public Enemy No. 1.
The police and local media even started acting like he was involved, which put him and his family in danger. The Chicken Man ended up flying to New York and pleading his case directly to Frank Moten and the Council of 12.
Who Was the Real Mastermind?
The podcast posits that another alleged underworld figure, Richard Wheeler, was the actual mastermind of the robbery. He flew back to New York to be seen publicly watching the fight on closed circuit TV at Madison Square Garden. However, he may have left his right hand man behind to commit the robbery. He and Moten reportedly did not like one another, so this was Wheeler’s chance to get one up on everyone. Terrence Howard plays him in the series.
No One Knows Exactly How Much Was Stolen
Since the victims weren’t exactly the type to fill out police reports, no one knows exactly how much was stolen at the party. It’s rumored to be somewhere around $1 million — hence the series’ title.
The Embarrassment Was More Insulting Than the Money
For these powerful men, it wasn’t necessarily about the money, it was about the embarrassment of being stripped down to their underwear and not being able to protect the women in their lives. It’s really about pride.
JD Hudson’s Investigation
Atlanta police detective JD Hudson knew the Chicken Man from around town, but he didn’t think he was involved in the heist. Hudson was working security for Ali that night, so he was at the fight. His connection to the people who were robbed made him the best choice to lead the investigation. Don Cheadle plays him in the series.
How Did the Black Mafia Family Find the Robbers?
In the podcast, Hudson explains that one of Frank Moten’s bodyguards saw two of the robbers fleeing the scene. He followed them, allegedly torturing and killing them for intel on the rest of the crew. This was followed by the brutal deaths of other people who were rumored to be connected to the crime.
Things Got Very Bloody
If you steal from the Black Mafia Family, there are definitely consequences. As Detective Hudson continued his investigation, he ran into complications as alleged suspects kept turning up dead.
How Did it All End?
Even Richard Wheeler ended up dead — allegedly killed by his right hand man, who was later arrested and sent to prison for other crimes.
With the heist putting extra attention on his business, the Chicken landed in prison on drug charges. When he got out, with the help of a friend from prison, he resumed his business. A deal went wrong, but luckily he was able to talk his way out of it and make things good with his partners. After this final close call, the Chicken Man got out of the game for good and turned his life around.
Chicken Man Became a Pastor
Gordon realized it was time for a change, stopped doing drugs and found the Lord. His son described this as a genuine transformation for his father.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
