Even though it's been more than fifteen years since Muhammad Ali last laced on the gloves for a big fight, he's still capable of setting off quite a rumble, as evidenced by a just-filed lawsuit surrounding the Oscar-winning Ali documentary When We Were Kings.

Fifties rock legend Lloyd Price (famed for such hits as "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Stagger Lee") was one of the promoters behind the 1974 heavyweight championship fight between Ali and George Foreman that serves as the centerpiece of the film. Price claims that his original contracts gave him exclusive rights to "all films and concerts surrounding the event," and that producer David Sonenberg and distributor Polygram Pictures fraudulently seized control of the raw film and recordings.

The lawsuit states that director Leon Gast -- who was retained by Price and his partners to assemble a documentary -- spearheaded a legal sleight-of-hand campaign to transfer ownership of the materials without the knowledge or consent of Price's company, Festival in Zaire, Inc.

A Polygram spokesperson said the company had no knowledge of the suit and declined comment.

DAVID SPRAGUE(September 2, 1998)