MUHAMMAD ALI; THE GREATEST!

Jun 06, 2016 Editorial

Today, tributes from all over the world are pouring in for Muhammad Ali who passed away on Friday at age 74 at a Phoenix-area hospital from a respiratory ailment. Ali, who had long suffered from Parkinson’s syndrome which had impaired his speech also made one of the world’s greatest boxer and a graceful athlete almost a prisoner in his own body.
In his tribute to the iconic boxing champion, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 17, 1942, as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., US President Barack Obama described Ali as a towering champion who fought for what was right.
According to President Obama, Ali’s fight outside the ring, especially against joining the US Army had cost him his heavyweight boxing title and his public standing. It also earned him enemies, it made him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground and his victory helped us get used to the America of today.
It became obvious that his strong opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War and his refusal to be drafted into the American army in 1967 contributed in large measure to the respect he gained globally. However, that decision cost him three-and-a-half years of his career in the prime of his life. He was stripped of his boxing licence and sentenced to prison. He was not incarcerated because the US Supreme Court ruled in his favour.
This was indeed the true measure of Muhammad Ali who was declared Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated Magazine. The float like a butterfly and sting like a bee boxing champion was an inspiration to the world. His life was about more than boxing. He lived a life of purpose and conviction and with great intensity and passion. His irrepressible personality transcended sports and captivated the world. Thus his passing presents a moment for all to reflect onhis life.
Few boxing fans in the world have given the brash 22-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay any chance of defeating the heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston. But in the February 1964 fight, the youngCassius Clay who had generated world attention by winning gold in the light-heavyweight division in the Olympics held in Rome in 1960, shocked the world when he defeated Liston.
Thus began his most colourful and exciting career as the world heavyweight champion that lasted for two decades with 56 wins, from 61 fights; 37 by knockouts. He became the first boxer to win a world boxing heavyweight title on three separate occasions: 1964, 1974, and 1978.
Although his unwavering anti-war stance became a rallying cry for many Americans and the wider world against what he perceived as unjustified military aggression by the powerful United States, yet in 2005, Muhammad Ali was honoured with the United States’ two highest civilian awards: the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for exemplary services to his country.
Those who have followed his career would know that he believed the word impossible is being used by those who find it easier to live in the world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Ali refused to be defined by the world.
In spite of his fearsome reputation as a fighter, he spoke out against racism, war and religious intolerance. He was placed in the pantheon of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela by President Obama.
Despite his skill, Ali suffered from an affliction common among most boxers and other athletes— their inability to quit while they are ahead. It was very painful to watch him being beaten by his former sparring partner Larry Holmes in Las Vegas in 1980. But he could not be held down by the temporal dimensions of his age. He was in your time, he was in our time, but he was also above all time.
Ali will be remembered as the greatest sportsman of the 20th century and for being among the most influential, game-changing human beings of the era.

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