Muhammad Ali (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016)
Jun 4, 2016 6:22:56 GMT
Admin and TomKjeldsen like this
Post by diane9247 on Jun 4, 2016 6:22:56 GMT
After a very long battle with Parkinson's disease, The Greatest died today in an Arizona hospital surrounded by his large family. The New York Times has a wonderful video about his life and career, which I was not able to embed. Check it out at the link below. It's well worth the 20 minutes.
Ali was known as much for his intelligent repartee, ebullient personality and sense of humor as he was for boxing. At the age of 22 in 1964, he defeated Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston to become the youngest boxer to win the Heavyweight belt. He was controversial in the 1970s for publicly and loudly opposing the Viet Nam war and refusing military service, thus having his heavyweight title rescinded by the World Boxing Association. He converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay, calling that his "slave name." Wikipedia
He was never modest, but he had the stuff to back up his grandiosity. Besides, that applied only to his boxing career, not to his relationships to family and friends. During his career and until his death, despite his controversial stances in the 1960s and 70s, and his mastery of trash-talk, Ali was beloved by sports fans, the general public and after their wounds healed, even by former opponents.
Ali was the most thrilling if not the best heavyweight ever, carrying into the ring a physically lyrical, unorthodox boxing style that fused speed, agility and power more seamlessly than that of any fighter before him. NYTimes
Ali was known as much for his intelligent repartee, ebullient personality and sense of humor as he was for boxing. At the age of 22 in 1964, he defeated Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston to become the youngest boxer to win the Heavyweight belt. He was controversial in the 1970s for publicly and loudly opposing the Viet Nam war and refusing military service, thus having his heavyweight title rescinded by the World Boxing Association. He converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay, calling that his "slave name." Wikipedia
He was never modest, but he had the stuff to back up his grandiosity. Besides, that applied only to his boxing career, not to his relationships to family and friends. During his career and until his death, despite his controversial stances in the 1960s and 70s, and his mastery of trash-talk, Ali was beloved by sports fans, the general public and after their wounds healed, even by former opponents.
