The Legend of Muhammad Ali
Christopher D. Pike | February 28, 2010
The memory I will cherish most about the great career and life of Muhammad Ali is the fight with Ernie Terrell. This match quickly became personal when Terrell repeatatly called Ali “Clay” at the weigh in. When Ali finally got the opportunity to face him in the ring he remembered this disrespect. He would begin to destroy Terrell and taunt him throughout the fight by screaming “What's my name”?
Cassius Clay would become Cassius X and Cassius X would soon be called Muhammad Ali. So when you call him out be sure to use the right name. He is not just the greatest fighter of all time but one of the greatest humanitarians to ever bring food to a starving child in any part of the world. If you do not know Muhammad Ali history then grab a book. Ali is one of the greatest men the world has ever seen. Not because he transformed the world we live in today but because he cared about the world we do not see. He truly is the world's greatest.
No man could imagine that Ali would try to compete with the great George Foreman. The world awaited the Muhammad Ali George Foreman fight. A man that could lift enormous men off the mat with one blow. The rumble in the jungle is maybe the greatest event in professional sports. Ali did not have a chance against the most powerful man in the world but strategy not words would make Ali a champion once again. With foreman viciously pounding Ali for 7 rounds on the ropes Ali's corner would scream for Ali to move. Like his entire career Ali would make his move when he felt the time was right. He could see Foreman was tired. He would explode off the ropes with artistry and determination. He would stunn the crowd and shock the world.
In 1967 with the Vietnam War gaining dominance and his refusal to be drafted, Muhammad Ali became an important member of the black pride movement. He would become a man that would not be held down by the racial instability that surrounded him. With this act of defiance towards the American Government he was not only stripped of his passport and his boxing license he was stripped of the title as the greatest. He did not fight for 3 years before he lost his match with Joe Frazier in 1971.
In this entry I will be discussing the greatest boxer of all time. It is hard to call Muhammad Ali just a boxer. It is even harder to see any other man be called the greatest of all time. His charisma and charm would be admired by the world that called him champion. Ali is one of the most recognizable faces in the world and he is the greatest character the sports world has ever seen.
No man in sports used the spoken word with so much flare. Muhammad Ali quotes and his mouth would prove to be legendary but his feet were a marvel to watch. He would shuffle his feet long enough to mesmerize his opponent and give himself an opportunity to deliver that devastating blow. He would float in the air like a butterfly captivating his audience and sting like a bee when your eyes became focused on the grace and beauty that he would display.
