My principal and I were talking about Ali last night, and he was saying how lucky he was to have lived through the era that got to see him at his best. We were saying how he has been in rough physical shape for a long time and we both expressed our surprise that he had made it to 74 in the shape he was in.
This morning we got the news that he was hospitalized and we were surprised, because we just had that conversation last night. Very sad to see him go.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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Originally Posted by malcolmk14
My principal and I were talking about Ali last night, and he was saying how lucky he was to have lived through the era that got to see him at his best. We were saying how he has been in rough physical shape for a long time and we both expressed our surprise that he had made it to 74 in the shape he was in.
This morning we got the news that he was hospitalized and we were surprised, because we just had that conversation last night. Very sad to see him go.
Back in 1997 my brother was on business travel in Detroit and was lucky enough to see Ali in person. The below is what he sent me via email.
"I was sitting in the World Perks Club minding my own business when in walks the champ, his wife and what looked like a couple of his kids. They sat in the same seating area as me. A bunch of Northwest employees brought in their cameras and started snapping pictures with him. He was very gracious and patient and had time for each of them. He never said a word the whole time. Once they all left him alone he started reading the newspaper so I didn't bother him for another photo. His wife gave me the nod like she appreciated me leaving him alone. All in all, still a very cool experience."
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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Here are a list of some of his best quotes (in no particular order):
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"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't."
"Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even."
"I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked."
“How tall are you? So I can know in advance how far to step back when you fall down!”
"I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them."
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
I was about 12 years old when the "rumble in the jungle" took place, it wasn't just a war in the ring it was 6 months of trash talking crazy stuff! I remember being totally amazed at these to fools and the back and forth smackdowns. At first Foreman didn't even want to fight him because if he won he was afraid they would just say he "beat up an old guy", if he lost it would be "he couldn't beat an old guy". That all changed with the $5 million purse though.
I actually thought Foreman would kick his arse after destroying his last 10-15 opponents including Frazier and Norton. As usual I and probably many other fight fans were again proved wrong by the freak of nature Ali.
"My conscience won't let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me n*****, they never lynched me, they didn't put no dogs on me, they didn't rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. ... Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail." - - Muhammad Ali. RIP.
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74? That's so young. I don't follow boxing or anyone in it, but the footage I have seen led me to believe he was much older than 74. Maybe because it was B&W. Honestly I didn't even know he was still alive. RIP to a legend I guess.
Watching old clips of the man in his prime, it strikes me how fleeting youth is. How much time did Ali spend working his magic in the ring, as opposed to fighting the effects of his career and Parkinson's disease.
He's rare in that he's one of the few whose greatness was (in large part) appreciated in his own time, and not just in retrospect. A shame we can't bottle the moments a man like that brought to the world.
@2:20: "Ali comes out for round 2 and plays pitty-pat with Tyrell, disdainfully."
They way he toyed with his rivals - the best boxers in the world - was remarkable. It's the kind of thing we'd normally regard as arrogant and poor sportsmanship (and a lot of people at the time did - his opponents usually had popular sentiment on their side). But watching it today, you can only marvel at his superiority.
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
I'm not sure if he's the greatest athlete ever, but I can say pretty confidently he was the most important athlete ever. Pretty much transcended everything, inspired more people than any athlete and maybe person in the 20th century. Just a monumental, titanic figure.
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"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
