Muhammad Ali
In sad news, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. He died on Friday night at a hospital due to a respiratory condition in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Greatest was a three-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist. Originally born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942, he won the world championship for the first time at age 22 when he upset Sonny Liston in 1964. “I shook up the world!” claimed Clay. Afterwards, he converted to Islam changing his name to Muhammad Ali.
Ironically, my great uncle Barney Felix was the referee in charge for that famous Clay/Liston I fight. It probably better explains why I’ve always been an avid boxing fan. I was raised on it by my Dad, grandfather and uncle. We used to get together to watch fights on Saturdays when I was growing up in Staten Island, New York. Those were always fun times. Little did I know that my great uncle had a long distinguished career as a boxing official. But as I’ve gotten older, you can imagine the appreciation and admiration I now have. Barney Felix was part of history. That in itself is pretty cool.
With many making accusations of the first fight being fixed due to Liston’s ties to the mob, they had a rematch in May 1965. If the first fight ended oddly with Liston refusing to come off the bench for the seventh round, then what transpired in Ali/Liston II was even more bizarre. The fight lasted less than two minutes with Ali catching Liston with a right that sent him to the canvas. Referee Jersey Joe Walcott lost track of the count as Liston struggled to get to his feet. He was down for at least 20 seconds. When he was allowed to continue, the fight was stopped due to the timekeeper counting out Liston. It left more doubt as to whether Liston was paid off to take a dive due to gambling debts.
Of course, being still in my late 30’s, I didn’t get to see Ali fight. I was too young when he came out of retirement to fight former sparring partner and heavyweight champ Larry Holmes in 1979. Since, I’ve seen the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary on Ali vs Holmes. Every time it comes on, I sit and watch. Emotional pain comes across due to knowing the punishment a washed up Ali took against his close friend who didn’t want to inflict damage. Holmes tried to knock him out but couldn’t. Of course, it took legendary trainer Angelo Dundee throwing in the towel to stop the fight in Round 11. It was the only time in Ali’s career he ever was knocked out.
The damage he sustained in that fight along with others including the Thrilla In Manila against rival Joe Frazier in their third and final fight won by Ali, are said to have contributed to Parkinson’s Disease. He battled the terrible debilitating disease for 32 years. Think about it. That means for nearly the final half of his life, The Greatest was a shell of himself. However, he bravely fought the disease continuing to make public appearances. The biggest coming in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Games when he lit the Olympic torch. One of the greatest sporting moments.
Perhaps Ali’s greatest win was regaining the heavyweight title against heavily favored George Foreman. After avenging a 15-round decision to Frazier, he took on the heavyweight champ in Zaire. In what became known as The Rumble in The Jungle, Ali used the Rope-A-Dope strategy he introduced against Frazier. Allowing the bigger and stronger Foreman to hit himself out by fighting off the ropes, the unorthodox strategy worked. Countering off the ropes, he got some shots in on Foreman while remarking, “Is that all you got?” The King of trash talk’s psychological warfare worked. Eventually, Foreman tired out. That opened the door for Ali to deliver a great flurry and knockout Foreman in the eighth round.
Ali was more than just a fighter. He was a champion at life. He fought for what he believed in. Refusing to be drafted due to his strong beliefs against the Vietnam War, Ali was stripped of the heavyweight title in 1967. His boxing license was suspended and he was convicted of draft evasion. He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000. He appealed successfully with the ruling overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971. However, his strong stance against the war cost him his prime years. He didn’t fight from age 25 to nearly 29.
It’s all the more astonishing that he was able to come back and have success in the ring. Granted a license in August 12, 1970, he defeated Jerry Quarry in three rounds. A 15 round TKO of Oscar Bonavena set up the “Fight of The Century.” In arguably the greatest fight of all-time, Ali squared off against heavyweight champion Joe Frazier for the first time. The dramatic bout took place at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.
Leading up to the fight, a defiant Ali took shots at Frazier. Referring to him as “ugly” and an “Uncle Tom,” Ali said the heavyweight champ should be pretty like him. The hype caused even more attention. Of course, it also resulted in plenty of animosity. His ridiculing and disrespect of Frazier created a intense rivalry. Before a record crowd of 20,455 that included plenty of celebrities, the undefeated fighters took center stage at the Mecca. It was the first time in boxing history that two undefeated heavyweights battled for the championship. Ali entered 31-0 with 25 knockouts while Frazier was a perfect 26-0 with 23 KOs.
The two great heavyweights battled for 15 rounds. But it was a relentless Frazier who caught Ali with a perfect left hook knocking him down in the 15th. An exclamation point on a unanimous decision. Despite the win making Ali eat his words, Frazier held a personal grudge due to being disrespected. Sadly, it lasted until his death on November 7, 2011. He was 67. Their rivalry is one of the greatest in sports. Ali won the final two bouts including the famed Thrilla in Manila. A epic battle for 14 rounds in 100 degree temperatures in the Philippines on October 1, 1975.
During the fight, Ali whispered to Frazier, “They said you were through, Joe.” Frazier responded with, “They lied.” After winning a grueling battle when Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch refused to let his fighter continue for the 15th due to both eyes being closed, Ali candidly admitted that “it was the closest thing to dying that I know.”
Instead of retiring which many in his corner urged him to do, he stuck around. Some began to notice Ali slowing down in movement and slurring his speech. But he kept fighting. After losing a one-sided heavyweight championship fight against Larry Holmes in Las Vegas, he fought once more- losing in 10 rounds to Trevor Berbick. That final fight took place on December 11, 1981.
Three years later, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Syndrome. Through all the pain and challenges, he remained a huge popular public figure who always got the loudest ovations from appreciative fans. Though the appearances decreased over the final few years, he was truly The Greatest. A Legend that shall never die.
