Muhammad Ali Passed Away at 74! (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

The Greatest has left us! A very sad day for me. May he R.I.P. One of the things that I regretted most about him getting Parkinson's disease, it robbed us of him being a boxing analyst and sports entertainer. He would've been great in those roles with his personality and wit.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/04/world/muhammad-ali-obituary/index.html

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/15939933/muhammad-ali-dies-74

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

For some reason, a passage from near the end of Norman Mailer's The Fight (a non-fiction novel about the Rumble in the Jungle) comes to mind:
“Driving on the road back to the hotel for the last time, Norman kept passing groups of young boys jogging on the shoulder. He did not know if it was a brand-new phenomenon, but squad after squad of young adolescents were out there on the dark roads, and once he almost hit a few they came up so suddenly in the lights. On the night he jogged with Ali — was it five nights ago? — Ali said afterward, ‘It’ll be a great experience for you remembering that you ran with the Champion just a few days before the fight,’ and he thought it a peculiarly heavy remark at the time, but had the recognition now that it was just possible Ali was going to be right once more — already Norman was beginning to think of it fondly.”

A narcissist who found an ego to match his own, and begrudgingly found it to be warranted.

Ali wasn't just, arguably, the greatest boxer who ever lived. He was an icon, and a cultural force to be reckoned with. Ali had little to fear from being drafted, and a great deal to lose by dodging it. More than any other athlete I can think of, certainly more than any other athlete of his era, he defined his own public image.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Ali's exchanges with Howard Cosell was some of the best TV moments from my youth. I remember listening to the first Ali/Frazier fight on the radio.

 

[Steve...O]

A true American icon and one I greatly respected even though I'm not a boxing fan and didn't necessarily share all of his opinions. His passion and zeal for life are examples we can all follow and his humanitarian work is to be applauded. It's such a shame his last decades were painful ones and I hope that younger members who only know him from the sad videos from the last decade take the time to research his career including the legendary Cosell exchanges Crawdaddy mentioned.

Prayers to his family. We will never see the likes of him again.

 

[RMajidi]

"Me ...We!"
- Muhammad Ali (impromptu 'poem')

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Boxing as a sport now is just a shell of what it was back then. Every Ali fight was an event of the highest order. His fights dominated both sports and entertainment news for months at a time. And he was worthy of all the praise and attention he garnered while in the ring. His leg work combined with the long reach of his arms and deceptive power of his punches made his early bouts seem more like gladiatorial exhibitions than true sporting events. He effortlessly overpowered and bludgeoned his opponents into submission while barely being hit in return. This would change, of course, following his three year exile combined with ageing into his 30's. But then he displayed an amazing amount of endurance and courage as he exchanged blow after blow in brutal fights against younger opponents like Frazier and Foreman.

A Champion’s Champion in and out of the ring, and an inspiration to all with the courageous and inspirational way he fought his final fight against Parkinson's.

Here's to "The Greatest!"
RIP

 

[Dheiner]

RIP to The Greatest.

He was the biggest sports star ever. At least until Micheal and I'm pretty sure even still.

 

[Steve Christou]

The Greatest of them all.
RIP

 

[SAhmed]

Deeply saddened by the passing of this deserved legend amongst legends. A wonderful human being, inspirational figure, hero and a man of honor - one to truly look up to. RIP Muhammad Ali the Greatest.

Regards,

 

[Mojogoes]

I totally agree with all the comments thus day and truly a sad sad day

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I will have to check out the great documentary "When We Were Kings" about the Rumble in the Jungle boxing event in 1974.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Ali's exchanges with Howard Cosell was some of the best TV moments from my youth.

The New York Times has a good article about the dynamic between Ali and Cosell:
Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell: Foils and Friends Bound by Mutual Respect

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The terms icon and legend get mentioned far too often with sports figures. Those terms, though, apply to Ali. No one was a bigger sports icon or legend in my lifetime. Muhammad also did so much for others after he left the ring. May he rest in peace.

As an aside, my grandmother had Parkinson's, and I witnessed the effects of this terrible disease for many years on her before she passed. When it was announced that Ali had the disease, it brought tears as I knew what layed ahead for this truly unique American.

 

[Alf S]

It's interesting how some folks are taking his passing. My mom (76) brought the topic up and was saying how a lot of "her generation" hated the man due to his draft dodging (Vietnam) among other things he did back in the day.

Yes he was a great boxer indeed and a great showman, but he did have his downfalls in other aspects of his life.

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

RIP

I agree he was a great boxer and showman. He was entitled to his religious and political views, whether we agreed with him or not, and I always respected him for his.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It's interesting how some folks are taking his passing. My mom (76) brought the topic up and was saying how a lot of "her generation" hated the man due to his draft dodging (Vietnam) among other things he did back in the day.

Yes he was a great boxer indeed and a great showman, but he did have his downfalls in other aspects of his life.

Hell, you can say the same thing about any of us as we all have are warts too. Furthermore, I'm not talking about the draft as this will likely lead to political discussion which is not what we do on this forum. As you look at each person in life, the one thing I've realized over the years is that each and every one of us is a mixed bag. We all have our faults.

 

[David_B_K]

I've been a tad puzzled over the attention paid to Ali's passing. I agree he had his good and bad sides, but why so much attention paid to a guy who has been out of the public eye for so long?

I think it is because whether or not he really was "The Greatest", he is essentially "The Last of The Greatest". I followed boxing a lot during Ali's heyday, and I just realized that I don't follow it any more. I think once Ali left the sport, he sorta took it with him. While I'm not broken up over his passing, it has made me realize how entertaining boxing was for me when he was a big part of it (and Howard Cosell, too).

 

[Robert Crawford]

I've been a tad puzzled over the attention paid to Ali's passing. I agree he had his good and bad sides, but why so much attention paid to a guy who has been out of the public eye for so long?

I think it is because whether or not he really was "The Greatest", he is essentially "The Last of The Greatest". I followed boxing a lot during Ali's heyday, and I just realized that I don't follow it any more. I think once Ali left the sport, he sorta took it with him. While I'm not broken up over his passing, it has made me realize how entertaining boxing was for me when he was a big part of it (and Howard Cosell, too).

For reasons I can't get into on this forum!

 

[Rob Willey]

As a kid, I never rooted for Ali. Even then, I never gravitated to the athletes who were constantly telling you how great they were. I preferred athletes who let others say how great they were. The passage of time has allowed me to respect and admire his extraordinary skill.

I don't remember ever having a problem with his public comments on social, political or racial issues. I always seemed to agree with him. And I loved the way he could puncture the pomposity of Howard Cosell.

In the end, it seems his efforts and accomplishments in the ring were just a means to a greater end when you see the impact he made as a humanitarian and philanthropist around the world.

RIP Champ. You truly were the greatest.

 

[Wvtvguy]

I was a child when Ali was boxing in the 70's. He was the first athlete I knew other than Evil Kenevil! I grew to become a big fan over the years.

Ali's first opponent Tunney Hunsaker, went on to become a police chief in my home state of West Virginia. When Hunsaker retired in 1992, Ali came back for his farewell ceremony. Keep in mind this wasn't a huge event in New York. This was a small ceremony in a town in WV that was only covered by a few local stations. That he took time for such an event really impressed me.

I remember reading a story that when Ali knocked out Zora Folley in 1967, he walked the boxer over to the cameras so that the Folley's wife & kids could see that he was alright.

I throw those two stories out because my overall impression is that Ali was a pretty decent guy. Not without faults but pretty decent. He always seemed to be kind to fans. He could be cruel to opponents but it sometimes bordered on high school level taunting. I know Ali borrowed some of his tactics from popular wrestlers of the day & you can see that in his pre-fight antics. A gentlemen I know once remarked how much it meant to see a black man on TV in the 60's boasting about how pretty he was. I know there are people who will always hate him but I think the good far outweighed the bad when it came to Muhammad Ali. No other boxer or athlete period was as entertaining. I don't think any other athlete actually tried as hard to be entertaining. A legit icon.

Now if only some type of remastered Blu Rays could be released of his career!