About a year ago I made a picture collage of famous people from my youth. All people I remember from TV, the news, and movies.
Each one says something to me. Somewhere close to center is the picture of Mohammad Ali. The 1965 pic of the rematch with Sonny Liston.
In the first-round Ali gave him a staggering blow that put Sonny on the mat. Because of the time it took him to get to his feet it was ruled a knockout.
As a kid in the sixties, I always loved this picture. Ali knew he was the greatest, and his expression showed it. I can’t help it, but I love this confidence in any person. It’s not arrogance because he was the greatest and he proved, time and time again. Like they say, “It’s not bragging if you can do it.”
I should back up a little. I was raised in the Detroit area my entire life. My parents I describe as typical 1960 businesspeople. Cigarettes and highballs after dinner were the norm. “Hunny, will you make me a highball,” was a common request from dad.
Unfortunately, racial predigest was the norm in our house as well. Because Ali was such a controversial person, he was not very popular.
After all, he changed his name in the early sixties from Cassius Clay to Mohammad Ali when he joined the Nation of Islam. He refused to be drafted in 1967 because of his beliefs. He was then stripped of his titles but later went to court and got them back. And then, his poetry statements about himself really put them over the edge.
He truly was “The Greatest.” He is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held The Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970, was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, and was the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979.
In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. As a boxer, Ali was known for his unorthodox movement, footwork, head movement, and rope-a-dope technique, among others.
Enter into this story a very good customer, Doug. Doug and his two friends Vinny and Mike are a few years my senior. Doug must have noticed my collage, because about a week ago he tapped me on my shoulder and pointed to his back. He was wearing a Mohammad Ali T-shirt. This sparked a conversation, which also started me thinking.
Have we come to a point in history where we can look back on this man and just appreciate the athlete he was? Did he suffer from human faults? Of course. Does that take away from his extraordinary accomplishments? I say no.
He was called a coward for not going to Vietnam. To that I say, you should have stepped into the ring with him and seen.
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