Muhammad Ali, dead at age 74

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..indeed, 'The Greatest'...

[wsantia1]

..indeed, 'The Greatest'...

I second that.

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[Ron Sower]

Loved to watch him box...and I'm not really a boxing fan. He seemed to always do what he said he would do. Then he became a good humanitarian .

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[LizStreithorst]

It's not that I don't care that I haven't responded yet.  It's because it hurts.  I was just a kid when Ali was fighting.  Like most folks who won't admit it I didn't like Ali when he was fighting because he bragged so about himself.  I didn't like Cosell either.  I thought that he was full of hot air. 

Then I got hooked on boxing when I was in my 30's.  I watched it every week on ESPN with my husband.  I watched new guys come up and move up .  I watched Freddy Roach fight.  He was a favorite.  I saw Bobby Czyz throw a fight.  It broke my heart.  He never threw a punch. 

Now I know the damage that a career in boxing can do.  I recently heard an interview with Freddie Roach.  He's a trainer.  He can hardly speak right because of brain damage.

Over time I came to admire Ali.  His relationship with Cosell was playful and serious at the same time.  They worked well off one another.   It is not bragging saying "I am the greatest" if you prove it.  He proved it.  He was a man of integrity who said nothing and did nothing that was contrary to his strongly held beliefs.  He wouldn't fight in Vietnam and he suffered for that but he preserved his integrity.

I heard an interview with Ali after he got Parkinson's.  He was asked if he would do the same thing again knowing the outcome.  He said "absolutely".  He took on all comers including the brain damage.  He was a strong man in every way.

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[LizStreithorst]

I've been watching videos of some of his fights.  When he was young he didn't get hit much except for glancing blows.  He was so fast.  It was when he got older  that he had to sustain damage before he could win.  He certainly was a beautiful sight to behold when he was in his prime.