Why is Muhammad Ali so revered?

Jeffrey D. Boomhauer wrote:

the sad part is you probably really are a track coach, helping the State spread propaganda to our youth, i.e. Black Muslim racist morons are heroes for not being willing to serve their country. And this is because 'blacks weren't equal'. You make me wanna vomit..

If you're going to troll, put some effort into it

If you weren't alive during charlamagne's reign then you know nothing about europe or anything european. If you weren't, in fact, physically holding JFK's hand when he was shot to death than you KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LOSS.

Damn kids and their hip hop music don't respect how amazing ali was!

Let me break down the reality:

1) Ali was a dominant fighter in his era

2) Ali was (before brain damage by the mid/late 70s) a very astute media presence and very good in an interview.

3) During his time period boxing was very very popular - his media celebrity was significantly higher than any subsequent sportsman. MJ might come somewhat close during the 90s.

All this said - he was not the best known person in the entire world. That is laughable. Also - he was not a truly transcendent athlete. He was a great fighter, best of his generation... but him versus Klitschko would be like Tommie Smith versus Wallace Spearman.

Yeah, baby boomers are insufferable. But Ali's legend grows with time because, gradually, people have come to realize there is no one really like him anymore. No one.

I was not a big fan of his when he was active, but come on - who has dominated his/her event like Ali, and stood up/got punished for personal beliefs at the same time.

Time has turned him into a legend, (mostly) rightfully so.

One other 'achievement': he made athletic showboating acceptable. Now it's almost expected of our pro sports figures. That's a shame. Blame it on Ali.

It's kind of hard to imagine Lebron James early in his career coming out against military intervention in Syria or Tiger Woods taking a stance on same sex marriage. What a lot of people are missing is that Ali was very outspoken on the wedge issues of the day and was very unpopular with a large segment of the population for doing so. His athletic achievements gave him the platform to be politically relevant and he was willing to risk his athletic career to use that platform. The list of athletes who are remotely comparable is pretty short. (Zatopek comes to mind)

I don't revere any boxer. They were all tied in with the mob, and often who won was orchestrated, like wrestling. Lots of moolah to be made on betting.

Ali was a great TV star. I'll give him that. And because he was moolah in the bank for the mob, he was allowed to go on way too long, and now look at him.

Check out the 30/30 documentary on him and Larry Holmes. You'll see an Ali that should have quit after the thriller-in-Manila.

If you think this is crap about the mob, you're living with your head in the sand.

lucidityRules wrote:

I don't revere any boxer. They were all tied in with the mob, and often who won was orchestrated, like wrestling. Lots of moolah to be made on betting.

Ali was a great TV star. I'll give him that. And because he was moolah in the bank for the mob, he was allowed to go on way too long, and now look at him.

Check out the 30/30 documentary on him and Larry Holmes. You'll see an Ali that should have quit after the thriller-in-Manila.

If you think this is crap about the mob, you're living with your head in the sand.

This is true. Look into how and who formed the NFL, and your opinion might change about what you're watching every weekend. At least you'll have questions. The NFL is all about gambling.

Sports are entertainment. Because it's "entertainment", it can be manipulated for certain outcomes. The big American sports appear on the up and up, but the history of them are rife with connections to the mob and its influence. It's hard to believe that it has gone away. Players who have had gambling problems have been a liability, because that's when the mob can manipulate them. The big sports do their best to keep it out of the news, or to control the spin if it gets out. A certain gambling NBA star and his exit from the game at the height of his powers has always been suspect (he returned later).

He was a good boxer. (I could never get into boxing nor this this new MMR craze.)

His boxing skills were second to his PR skills. It didn't hurt to have the late Howard Cosell carrying his gym bag for him.

He also knew how to play the victimization/race/antiwar card to his benefit while not seeming overtly to do so.

He was clever and/or had clever people around him.

The man, sadly, is very ill today.

Here is the real story. Ali was hated by the majority of Americans after the time he objected the draft. He already was hated by most for his boasting, the first sports star that made trash talking part of his game. He did it from the start.

But he had charisma that TV loved and Howard Cosell, another egotistical self-promoter played it perfect to latch on the Ali. It was not just marketing that made his legend though. It was the comebacks and brutal fights between Frazier and Foreman viewed by nearly everyone that

won him over to the majority (whites) who eventually recognized the heart and courage behind the mouth.

In the late 1960's the black power movement was pushed to prominent black athletes by outsiders like the USC sociologist Edwards (the man behind the black power salute at Mexico City). It was a major movement.

Ali joined in and converted to Islam like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ahmad Rahshaad and a lot of African-American athletes right after, and had that as a rationale to object to serving his country in a conflict that had no ramification to defending his country.

He likely was recruited heavily by Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Black Muslim movement. I'm sure Ali identified with the movement and if you aren't a black person who grew up in the 1950's in the south you might not understand the the pull that this would have on a big ego who could see his sports career making a bigger impact on social change.

Jesse Owens was the one black sports hero still at that time who for a while rejected the movement and was looked at by that generation as an old Uncle Tom. He later wrote a book about changing his views. It was called "I Was Wrong".

Was Muhammad Ali the greatest boxer of all time? No. If you research the sport there are plenty of others that were easily arguable better. Joe Louis, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leanord, Sugar Ray Robinson, Willy Pep are all legends at different times and weight divisions.

Ali was the biggest name and most famous boxer the world has ever cared about at the time when TV still was 3 channels and everybody watched.

Before internet, maybe at the beginning of satellite cable. Imagine poor people in third world countries like Haiti, Jamaica, or Zaire in those days all knowing one name who called himself The Greatest.

I read a book recently about Haile Gebresaillase titled "The Greatest." I still agree with that even over Bekele. He's still my vote for the greatest distance runner in history.

I don't think "The Greatest" referring to Ali means educated fans think he was the best ever. He was something different and bigger.

Kind of like Elvis Presley. He might not have been the best ever but he is The King.

clownshoes wrote:

Kind of like Elvis Presley. He might not have been the best ever but he is The King.

Wow!

An excellent read.

Please note however that Ali was never completely on board with the Nation of Islam's idealogy. He split with them on their extreme thoughts about race; Ali in fact had very good relationsships with a lot of White people and at no point did he demonstrate or express hatered towards White people. Ali hated the way he felt White people treated Black people and the injustice he saw in America. That is what he spoke about, but at that time, as a Black man, that pretty much made you a racist.

Also, Ali was a great boxer and I can make a good case for him being the GOAT. He greatness begain long before Ali/Fraizer and Manlia, in 1960, Olympic boxing in stature was second only to T&F, Ali was a star coming out of the Olympics. He was only 18 teen when he won the gold medal and for what I have read, he was never hit above the torso in all of Olympics fights. Only a couple of months removed from his H.S. graduation, he was absolutely dominant and was talking trash back even back then. The September 1960 Sports Illustrated issue is a classic because of the post olympics insightful interview they with then Cassius Clay.

In terms of how good of a boxer he was, you need to watch his fights when he was working his way up the ranks.

Same reasons that our current president is popular: He's a black, muslim leftist.

Certain reservations here.

First of all, unlike what Hollywood would like us to believe, that every collection of white friends always have a fellow black buddy amongst their company - Ali clearly believed in a sort of apartheid amongst the races.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqiWFLsgVi4

And I fully agree with him on that.

Secondly, he was quite foolish as regards his own wellbeing, imagining himself to be immortal and deliberately taking unnecessary punishment to prove how great he was.

He second to last fight was horrifying with Larry Holmes using his head as a punchbag for 10 rounds.

I kept screaming for someone to stop the slaughter and those in charge of his welfare at that time were criminal.

I even recall his Olympic triumph.

There was this famous Polish European light heavyweight champion at that time, Pietrykowski, who I had watched demolishing with ease our national champion a couple of months before the Games.

So I was waiting for the same to happen when I saw he was in the final against some very young gangling American kid.

Of course, the opposite happened and I couldn’t believe the effect the punches this Cassius Clay person was throwing was having to this supposedly great champion.

The Poles couldn’t believe it either.

I basically grew up with his career. I loved him, revered him. Now, remember that we didn't hear about star athlete's flaws back then. I also looked up to Mickey Mantle- imagine him today? Rehab, bad press, etc ...

Ali was a champion, he or Marciano were the best (I thought Marciano).

I don't know- he was a great champion who made his sport exciting and popular.

He was past his best when he beat a peak form George Foreman who had demolished the rest of the worlds best. Tyson would have struggled to lay a glove on him at his earlier peak

I met him at a book signing (anyone could turn up) about 20 years ago when he was already struggling with Parkinsons

My gran had that so I was cautious about asking him anything and though I would just go for a handshake

From a crowd of hundreds outside (50% at least former boxers)

He had already seen half the queue when they let me and 2 others into the book shop. From a huge crowd suddenly there werre just a few of us the big book shop. First was an old guy, Ali who was seated next to his wife jumps up and starts sparring with him! Then it me, I had a loud t shirt on. Ali jumps up again puts his arms out wide staring at my top and pulls an astonished face. Next up an old lady, Ali is up again and gives her a huge smacker and big hug

From what I read since he was always like that, but I saw it first hand. Name one other world level sportsman who would give so much to the general public.

He was the greatest!

Ali did not do a single day of jail time.

And outside of the public eye he was not a great person. He may have generous with money, but he was only generous when it was good PR. Claimed to be a man of the people but I don't recall him setting up any charitable organizations or doing anything to tangibly benefit the inner cities.

He was also as great a womanizer as he was a boxer. Even introduced his girlfriend as his wife at a public event in Manilla. Meanwhile, his real wife saw it at home. Doesn't sound like a great man to me.

Ever heard of Hank Greenberg? He gave up FOUR prime years of his HOF career by enlisting in WWII.

Joe Binks wrote:

Certain reservations here.

First of all, unlike what Hollywood would like us to believe, that every collection of white friends always have a fellow black buddy amongst their company - Ali clearly believed in a sort of apartheid amongst the races.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqiWFLsgVi4

And I fully agree with him on that.

Why do you believe races should be separated?

FinHornEscapee wrote:

lucidityRules wrote:

I don't revere any boxer. They were all tied in with the mob, and often who won was orchestrated, like wrestling. Lots of moolah to be made on betting.

Ali was a great TV star. I'll give him that. And because he was moolah in the bank for the mob, he was allowed to go on way too long, and now look at him.

Check out the 30/30 documentary on him and Larry Holmes. You'll see an Ali that should have quit after the thriller-in-Manila.

If you think this is crap about the mob, you're living with your head in the sand.

This is true. Look into how and who formed the NFL, and your opinion might change about what you're watching every weekend. At least you'll have questions. The NFL is all about gambling.

Ya think?

Fixed and phony: Boxing, UFC, MMA, WWE