__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
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I've been a long time boxing fan as I was introduced to it when I was about 5 or so. My dad was a pro and my older brother was offered to turn pro but he got an education instead. I was a big fan of Ali and used to watch his fights on TV or televised in a cinema. When he changed his name, it was hard for me to understand it at first but I got use to it. He was a heavy weight who moved like a welterweight, just amazing. After his suspension he wasn't the same. He'd lost a step but learned to outsmart his opponents. I felt bad for him later in his career because he took too much punishment and it cost him. I did get to see him live against Chuvalo in Vancouver but everyone knew the outcome before it happened. It was just another payday for Ali.
Out of the ring he did a great thing when he refused to be inducted. It was at the height of the anti-war movement and as another has said he could have just gone along with the process with probably no danger to himself, but he didn't. He stood up for a new way of looking at life and war. Too bad it's not still in vogue. Rest in Peace Muhammad Ali.
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Muhammad Ali unknowingly invented rap music, simply by being himself in public. If true, this would mean that rap did not originate (as commonly believed) in the South Bronx during the '70s; it would mean rap was invented in Kentucky during the '60s.
While it's difficult to prove Ali invented rap music, it's almost indisputable that he spawned what is now referred to as "the modern athlete," a term that's generally used as coded, pejorative language. When someone complains about "the modern athlete," he or she is usually just saying, "This particular black athlete behaves like a rap star, even though I've never actually listened to rap music in my entire life." These perceived traits include overt self-promotion, indifference toward authority, and confidence that hemorrhages into arrogance. As such, the relationship among Ali, sport, and rap is latently omnipresent, and examples of that three-pronged relationship are everywhere.
In his book "Hip: The History," journalist John Leland calls Ali a "trickster of hip" who used his narcissism as "an instrument of generational catharsis, not private need."
Muhammad Ali unknowingly invented rap music, simply by being himself in public. If true, this would mean that rap did not originate (as commonly believed) in the South Bronx during the '70s; it would mean rap was invented in Kentucky during the '60s.
While it's difficult to prove Ali invented rap music, it's almost indisputable that he spawned what is now referred to as "the modern athlete," a term that's generally used as coded, pejorative language. When someone complains about "the modern athlete," he or she is usually just saying, "This particular black athlete behaves like a rap star, even though I've never actually listened to rap music in my entire life." These perceived traits include overt self-promotion, indifference toward authority, and confidence that hemorrhages into arrogance. As such, the relationship among Ali, sport, and rap is latently omnipresent, and examples of that three-pronged relationship are everywhere.
In his book "Hip: The History," journalist John Leland calls Ali a "trickster of hip" who used his narcissism as "an instrument of generational catharsis, not private need."
I've sometimes blamed Ali for the invention of rap. I guess he wasn't perfect.
Ali got his shtick from Gorgeous George, one of the top wrestlers of the time.
Quote:
As a young Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali was impressed by George's boasting and noticed the electrifying effect it had on the crowd. He thought the loudmouth act might work for him, and he was right. James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, admired George's flamboyant use of capes, and soon his stage act featured him sobbing through Please Please Please, all the while being comforted and draped in a cape by a valet. Even Bob Dylan drew strength from the Gorgeous George stance as an antihero.
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
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I've been a long time boxing fan as I was introduced to it when I was about 5 or so. My dad was a pro and my older brother was offered to turn pro but he got an education instead. I was a big fan of Ali and used to watch his fights on TV or televised in a cinema. When he changed his name, it was hard for me to understand it at first but I got use to it. He was a heavy weight who moved like a welterweight, just amazing. After his suspension he wasn't the same. He'd lost a step but learned to outsmart his opponents. I felt bad for him later in his career because he took too much punishment and it cost him. I did get to see him live against Chuvalo in Vancouver but everyone knew the outcome before it happened. It was just another payday for Ali.
Out of the ring he did a great thing when he refused to be inducted. It was at the height of the anti-war movement and as another has said he could have just gone along with the process with probably no danger to himself, but he didn't. He stood up for a new way of looking at life and war. Too bad it's not still in vogue. Rest in Peace Muhammad Ali.
Didn't Ali say that Chuvalo was the hardest hitter and one of the best opponents he faced? I recall reading that he had a lot of praise for him after the match (I don't believe Ali was able to knock him down and both matches went the distance).
Kind of OT, but my family is from the same Canton of Bosnia that Chuvalo's was from. Those matches against Ali are revered there, probably more so than in Canada. It's funny when "not losing badly" is considered a victory, but when facing Ali, it was the best anyone could have expected.
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Didn't Ali say that Chuvalo was the hardest hitter and one of the best opponents he faced? I recall reading that he had a lot of praise for him after the match (I don't believe Ali was able to knock him down and both matches went the distance).
Kind of OT, but my family is from the same Canton of Bosnia that Chuvalo's was from. Those matches against Ali are revered there, probably more so than in Canada. It's funny when "not losing badly" is considered a victory, but when facing Ali, it was the best anyone could have expected.
Oh yeah, Chuvalo was a tough cookie for sure and punished anyone he fought but he didn't have a real chance against Ali but for sure Ali respected him. IIRC Chuvalo and a French Canadian (can't remember his name) were the top Canadian heavyweights of the time. Maybe the only greater Canadian boxers were Tommy Burns, Yvon Durrelle, Lennox Lewis and I guess Trevor Berbick.
Who's Yvon Durelle? This may have been the greatest fight I've ever seen. It was the World Light-heavy weight Championship against 44 year old Archie Moore another ring immortal, on CBC.
I wasn't alive when he was fighting but what I picked up over the years gave me the general opinion that he was an overly narcissistic jerk.
Given the outpouring of respect and adulation over the last day or so I want to go back and watch some of his footage to see if my opinion is warranted.
