For those of us who grew up during Clay/Ali's best boxing days, there was truly nothing like him. From his win in 1964 over Liston at the Miami Beach Convention Center to win the title "Heavyweight Champion of the World", (by the way, you could get a ticket to that fight for a mere $20) to beating Liston again in 1965, (Rump - you need to change your caption from 1964 to 1965), to all of his great defenses of his title until he was stripped of it when he refused to join the Army and fight in Vietnam. Then, when he was finally able to fight again and thrilled us against Smokin Joe Frazier over three memorable fights, and then maybe the greatest win of his career in Zaire with the "Rumble in the Jungle" over George Foreman (rope-a-dope), and even after he lost to Leon Spinks only to beat him and regain the title for a third time, he was pure entertainment, both in and out of the ring.
But he was the most recognizable person on earth in the 20th century not because of what he did in the ring, but what he did outside of it. Unlike a boxer like Floyd "Money" Mayweather who daily tweets about how many cars or watches or homes he owns, Ali raised more money around the world for charities than Mayweather will ever make in his lifetime. While athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, who were arguably just as famous athletes in their prime, they, unlike Ali, chose not to step outside their sport (which is their right) and speak to issues that were important on the world stage. Ali, many times unpopularly, stood up for what he believed in.
I had a close connection to Ali and cherish those moments. I think my favorite part of Ali was his famous relationship with Howard Cosell. Watching the old clips of their back and forth brings back so many great memories.
There will never be anybody like him again and I am so happy to have grown up in the generation that was able to witness it.
A great documentary entitled Muhammed Ali - Made in Miami is worth a watch to understand the history of Cassius Clay/Ali and his connection to Miami/Miami Beach.
Ali and I all agreed on one important issue: Parsley as a garnish is downright ridiculous and the practice is outmoded, outdated, and should be stopped. I chatted with Scalia once, and he agreed. So does Lee Bailey, George Clooney, Dan Quayle, and Bernie Sanders.
Trump would absolutely end Parsley as we know it today. It's some foreign French anti-american tradition and he would bar all parsley from entering the US, even if meant creating a parsley wall. Vote Trump.!
I loved Muhammed immediately but I was very much in the minority. He was despised by the great majority of Americans of his time because he was deemed a braggart, or a traitor or just uppity, insolent and independent while being black. Looking back he was right about everything and was clearly one of the greatest world figures of all time but his passing is also a good time to reflect upon how absolutely wrong the majority of Americans were and what great injustices were abided by most during these times. Lasting wisdom is best learned through reflection. The life of Muhammed Ali should inspire all of us to reflect upon racism, intolerance and the stupid mob mentality they produce.
Ali was my boyhood hero (along with Roberto Clemente). I remember reading in his biography about when he fought George Foreman some of the lessons he learned from before the fight. He established camp in what was then Zaire, Africa, long before Foreman got there. He learned the culture and thus learned what has since become a famous chant from that fight- "Ali Bomaye" which I believe literally means "Ali Kill him." On the night of the fight, as the champion, Foreman was entitled to stay in his dressing room and enter the ring last. Again, Ali wrote about getting into the ring early, testing the ropes- which became the tool he used for the "rope-a-dope" strategy of letting the ropes absorb the body blows Foreman unleashed on him. Ali felt that being in the rung early and getting a feel for it helped him greatly that night. As a result, I always try and get into a courtroom before a trial early. To walk to and from the podium, to begin to feel comfortable with my surroundings.
And perhaps the biggest lesson of all was confronting fear. It's hard to comprehend today just how much of a destructive force Foreman was. He knocked down Joe Frazier SIX times in less than two rounds to take the belt from Frazier. This is the same Frazier who Ali took 15 rounds and beat him in the fight of the century the year before. Foreman didn't just beat professional fighters, he didn't just knock them out, he brutalized them with tremendous punches that even when blocked, caused damage. Foreman defended his title twice before fighting Ali- a first round knockout and then a second round knockout of Ken Norton, a future champion and no slouch as a great heavyweight.
Foreman wasn't just expected to win, he was expected to seriously hurt Ali. Ali was past his prime. In their one common opponent, Frazier- Ali had lost to him and was never close to putting him on the canvas, and Foreman ran over Joe Frazier like a steamroller. In the consideration of great upsets of all time- like the 69 Mets, the Jets over the Colts, The Giants over the undefeated Patriots and my 1960 Pirates over the Yankees in seven, Ali's defeat of Foreman as an upset is rarely mentioned. But it was an upset. People close to Ali just didn't think he didn't have a chance, they were worried for his safety. Howard Cosell, in a private moment, told Ali not to take the fight because he could be killed.
This was the fear Ali faced down as a he fought a man 7 years younger (Ali was 32, Foreman 25) and much bigger and physically stronger. There is a lesson in this. Every man puts on his pants one leg at a time. Even the best can be beaten, and fear is a debilitating factor that must be overcome to achieve greatness.
I loved Ali the way I loved Clemente. I think I just identified with their outsider status. I admired the way they stood up for what they believed in and did things others didn't. It may seem insignificant today, but after he won the MVP of the world series in 1972 and was interviewed on network TV, Clemente first chose to speak to "his people" in Puerto Rico in Spanish- something unheard of at the time and even today I heard a (now retired) Hispanic baseball player say that as a child it was one of the most significant moments in his life. As he got older and sicker, I long ago steeled myself for this day, and when it arrived, I was sad, but not surprised. I read a quote from Ali that I had forgotten: "It's wrong to hate a man for his color, no matter the color of the man doing the hating." Profound.
It's a poorly written sentence above where I talk about Ali losing the first fight he had to Frazier. It went 15. Frazier knocked Ali down with a picture perfect left hook in the 14th. Ali got up- because he could take a punch better than any fighter who ever lived- but he lost the decision. He of course went on to beat Frazier in a decision in their second fight, and then the famous thriller -in- Manilla, where Frazier couldn't answer the bell for the 15th.
I so admired Mohamed Ali. The darling of the media, he backed up his poetic swagger with results.
ReplyDeleteTHE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
ReplyDeleteTHE GREATEST .....
For those of us who grew up during Clay/Ali's best boxing days, there was truly nothing like him. From his win in 1964 over Liston at the Miami Beach Convention Center to win the title "Heavyweight Champion of the World", (by the way, you could get a ticket to that fight for a mere $20) to beating Liston again in 1965, (Rump - you need to change your caption from 1964 to 1965), to all of his great defenses of his title until he was stripped of it when he refused to join the Army and fight in Vietnam. Then, when he was finally able to fight again and thrilled us against Smokin Joe Frazier over three memorable fights, and then maybe the greatest win of his career in Zaire with the "Rumble in the Jungle" over George Foreman (rope-a-dope), and even after he lost to Leon Spinks only to beat him and regain the title for a third time, he was pure entertainment, both in and out of the ring.
But he was the most recognizable person on earth in the 20th century not because of what he did in the ring, but what he did outside of it. Unlike a boxer like Floyd "Money" Mayweather who daily tweets about how many cars or watches or homes he owns, Ali raised more money around the world for charities than Mayweather will ever make in his lifetime. While athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, who were arguably just as famous athletes in their prime, they, unlike Ali, chose not to step outside their sport (which is their right) and speak to issues that were important on the world stage. Ali, many times unpopularly, stood up for what he believed in.
I had a close connection to Ali and cherish those moments. I think my favorite part of Ali was his famous relationship with Howard Cosell. Watching the old clips of their back and forth brings back so many great memories.
There will never be anybody like him again and I am so happy to have grown up in the generation that was able to witness it.
Cap Out .....
The Captain Reports:
ReplyDeleteA great documentary entitled Muhammed Ali - Made in Miami is worth a watch to understand the history of Cassius Clay/Ali and his connection to Miami/Miami Beach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSZX7sFqwxE&sns=em
Cap Out ....
I'm warning you right now people, be nice.
ReplyDeleteAli and I all agreed on one important issue: Parsley as a garnish is downright ridiculous and the practice is outmoded, outdated, and should be stopped. I chatted with Scalia once, and he agreed. So does Lee Bailey, George Clooney, Dan Quayle, and Bernie Sanders.
ReplyDeleteTrump would absolutely end Parsley as we know it today. It's some foreign French anti-american tradition and he would bar all parsley from entering the US, even if meant creating a parsley wall. Vote Trump.!
ReplyDeleteAlmost all parsley sold in the US is grown in California or Florida. Freedom Parsley
ReplyDeleteI loved Muhammed immediately but I was very much in the minority. He was despised by the great majority of Americans of his time because he was deemed a braggart, or a traitor or just uppity, insolent and independent while being black. Looking back he was right about everything and was clearly one of the greatest world figures of all time but his passing is also a good time to reflect upon how absolutely wrong the majority of Americans were and what great injustices were abided by most during these times. Lasting wisdom is best learned through reflection. The life of Muhammed Ali should inspire all of us to reflect upon racism, intolerance and the stupid mob mentality they produce.
ReplyDeleteAli was my boyhood hero (along with Roberto Clemente). I remember reading in his biography about when he fought George Foreman some of the lessons he learned from before the fight. He established camp in what was then Zaire, Africa, long before Foreman got there. He learned the culture and thus learned what has since become a famous chant from that fight- "Ali Bomaye" which I believe literally means "Ali Kill him."
ReplyDeleteOn the night of the fight, as the champion, Foreman was entitled to stay in his dressing room and enter the ring last. Again, Ali wrote about getting into the ring early, testing the ropes- which became the tool he used for the "rope-a-dope" strategy of letting the ropes absorb the body blows Foreman unleashed on him. Ali felt that being in the rung early and getting a feel for it helped him greatly that night. As a result, I always try and get into a courtroom before a trial early. To walk to and from the podium, to begin to feel comfortable with my surroundings.
And perhaps the biggest lesson of all was confronting fear. It's hard to comprehend today just how much of a destructive force Foreman was. He knocked down Joe Frazier SIX times in less than two rounds to take the belt from Frazier. This is the same Frazier who Ali took 15 rounds and beat him in the fight of the century the year before. Foreman didn't just beat professional fighters, he didn't just knock them out, he brutalized them with tremendous punches that even when blocked, caused damage. Foreman defended his title twice before fighting Ali- a first round knockout and then a second round knockout of Ken Norton, a future champion and no slouch as a great heavyweight.
Foreman wasn't just expected to win, he was expected to seriously hurt Ali. Ali was past his prime. In their one common opponent, Frazier- Ali had lost to him and was never close to putting him on the canvas, and Foreman ran over Joe Frazier like a steamroller. In the consideration of great upsets of all time- like the 69 Mets, the Jets over the Colts, The Giants over the undefeated Patriots and my 1960 Pirates over the Yankees in seven, Ali's defeat of Foreman as an upset is rarely mentioned. But it was an upset. People close to Ali just didn't think he didn't have a chance, they were worried for his safety. Howard Cosell, in a private moment, told Ali not to take the fight because he could be killed.
This was the fear Ali faced down as a he fought a man 7 years younger (Ali was 32, Foreman 25) and much bigger and physically stronger. There is a lesson in this. Every man puts on his pants one leg at a time. Even the best can be beaten, and fear is a debilitating factor that must be overcome to achieve greatness.
I loved Ali the way I loved Clemente. I think I just identified with their outsider status. I admired the way they stood up for what they believed in and did things others didn't. It may seem insignificant today, but after he won the MVP of the world series in 1972 and was interviewed on network TV, Clemente first chose to speak to "his people" in Puerto Rico in Spanish- something unheard of at the time and even today I heard a (now retired) Hispanic baseball player say that as a child it was one of the most significant moments in his life.
As he got older and sicker, I long ago steeled myself for this day, and when it arrived, I was sad, but not surprised. I read a quote from Ali that I had forgotten: "It's wrong to hate a man for his color, no matter the color of the man doing the hating."
Profound.
Phil
It's a poorly written sentence above where I talk about Ali losing the first fight he had to Frazier. It went 15. Frazier knocked Ali down with a picture perfect left hook in the 14th. Ali got up- because he could take a punch better than any fighter who ever lived- but he lost the decision. He of course went on to beat Frazier in a decision in their second fight, and then the famous thriller -in- Manilla, where Frazier couldn't answer the bell for the 15th.
ReplyDeletePhil