Okay, I might as well confess. When I was a kid I was sparring with him, and "rung his bell" which led to his rapid decline. Hey, he knew the risks! Seriously, he was one of the best "outside"defensive boxers that ever stepped into a ring, and Floyd Mayweather (and countless others) were no doubt influenced by the man. And as for his character, giving up two precious years of what is a short career (sports) with the boxing ban was very telling. A lot of people back then "dodged the draft" because they didn't want their current pursuits (education, good jobs, etc) to be derailed. But Ali took a MAJOR FINANCIAL HIT by converting to Islam and thus dodging the draft. Two years is a huge chunk out of a narrow window of a boxer IN HIS PRIME. Ironically had Ali just enlisted, his mandatory service would have been.....two years. So once he realized he's not boxing/making money he could have said "fuck it" and enlisted, no doubt not even going into combat because the military would would him as a recruiting tool doing USO shows or fitness expertise or something similar and whatnot. I think the government was using Ali as an example for not being "their boy" and playing ball by enlisting. It was obviously vindictive overkill by our government.
"I've wrestled with an alligator, I've tussled with a whale, I did handcuff lightning, and threw thunder in jail. I'm bad. Last week I've murdered a rock, injured a stone and hospitalized a brick. I'm so mean I make medicine sick. Last night I cut the light off in my bedroom, hit the switch and was in bed before room was dark. I'm so fast man I can run through a hurricane and don't get wet. When George Foreman meets me he'll pay his debt. I can drown and drink the water and kill a dead tree, wait 'til you see Muhammad Ali." RIP, champ.
Awesome video! That's some smart fighting right there! Don't just stand flat footed in the pocket and bang - dance around & stay loose until your opponent starts making mistakes - then get in the pocket and bang under your terms! One reason I don't believe Ali's head trauma from boxing was that big a factor in his decline, it was Parkinson's alone. Ali retired long before he started taking serious head trauma from getting slow and getting tagged a lot. His style ensured he didn't get hit in the head very much compared to many "punch drunk" fighters. BTW that "trash talk" was pretty classy compared to today: **** you mother******! I'll bust your ****ing head open you little ****! Yeah Ali was a force of nature - once in a generation greatness no doubt about it, when the "heavyweight" division was STACKED with great talent!
On the military service question, I always understood him to be philosophically opposed to the war. The issue wasn't whether he could have gotten a soft assignment, but that he preferred to sacrifice himself rather than do anything in service to what he viewed as an immoral undertaking. I don't think he had official status, but I have the utmost respect for him and other conscientious objectors. Compare the stand they take to people like Trump, Bill Clinton, and George W Bush, all of whom worked the system in ways to avoid serving (or a combat assignment in Bush's case), but because it was inconvenient. Total respect for Ali.
He believed that killing another was wrong unless there were extreme circumstances and it was absolutely necessary. Of course, @Dinner has advised me that given that he was a savage animal Muslim this is a load of nonsense and he actually wanted all infidels dead.
From my news director/former sports anchor/former football coach friend's Facebook page. So, we're left here in a world without The Champ. What are we gonna do with, for and to each other? First, the obvious. Ali was at the very least one of the five greatest athletes I ever saw. He made The Sweet Science both sweet and scientific. He also had the best all-purpose athletic frame ever. Imagine Ali as a small forward. Or a centerfielder. Or a tight end. No less than Vince Lombardi frequently said Ali would have been the best TE in NFL history. But it was outside the ropes that defined the greatness of The Greatest. Understand, he spent most of his life as the single most loved human being on Earth. That statement cannot be challenged. It is empirical fact. Historians speculate about what marked the beginning of our "modern era." (I acknowledge that every era has in fact been at the time the "modern era.") A lot of folks point to the JFK assassination. Good theory. Plausible. But I think just as plausible is the idea that Clay/Ali's victory over Sonny Liston was the dawning of an age. The world....and certainly American culture....changed on a dime. (Yes, The Beatles and the British Invasion....going on at exactly the same time......were equally instrumental.) To say Ali had the courage of his convictions would be an understatement. He made a stand of conscience. And he was right. Let's get this straight. He was RIGHT. He surrendered three years of his athletic prime rather than compromise his beliefs. Here's his takeaway...for anybody who paid attention. Don't quit. Don't EVER quit. I recall the Frazier Trilogy....Ali later reflected he felt his very life leaving his body. I recall the INSANELY bold strategy of letting George Foreman pummel him for seven rounds. But that was nothing. That man then lived the final three decades of his life with Parkinson's. Parkinson's is The Effing Devil. He never lost his grace. Never lost his humor. Never lost his obvious concern for others. All you needed to know was to watch Ali interact with children. He loved children. And they instantly and automatically ADORED him. When I learned of his passing....I instantly knew I had to do something symbolic as a tribute. Here was mine. It was a small one...and it was a personal one. But it came straight from him. I worked out to the point at which I was very tired. And then I pushed through it. And I escalated it to the point where I was very, very tired. And I pushed through it. Then I took it up to extremely tired...a little bit afraid....and starting to feel a little cowardly. And.....I pushed through that, too.. That's his legacy. That's his lesson. Ali looked us all right in the eye and told us he was The Greatest. It ain't braggin' if it's The Truth. So, we're left in a world without The Champ. What are we gonna do with, for and to each other? Showing kindness would be a start. Showing courage would be another..
Is it possible for you to leave your petty disputes out of at least ONE thread? He was a legend but Ill always dispute that "Greatest" title. Marciano never lost a fight his entire career and if we go outside the heavyweight division there are boxers like chavez and hagler who dominated their division much longer than Ali. Regardless of all that I still hope he rests in peace and condolences to his family.
