Muhammad Ali: A tribute to The Greatest

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Death of “The Greatest” – Muhammad Ali passes at the age of 74

Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion died in hospital in Phoenix in the US state of Arizona. He was admitted on Thursday.

He had a respiratory illness, a condition complicated by Parkinson’s disease.

A family statement says Ali’s funeral will take place in his home town of Louisville in Kentucky.

Muhammad Ali

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay
1960 – Won light heavyweight gold at the Rome Olympics
1964 – beat Sonny Liston to win his first world title
1964 – 1967 World Heavyweight Champion
1974 – 1978 World Heavyweight Champion
1978 – 1979 World Heavyweight Champion
1981 – retired, having won 56 of his 61 fights

Civil rights

Ali converted to Islam early in his career.

Muhammad Ali in quotes

Muhammad Ali was noted for his pre- and post-fight talk.

“As a man who never sold out his people. But if that is too much, then just a good boxer. I won’t even mind if you don’t mention how pretty I was.” – Ali on how he would like to be remembered.

“I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” – Ali describes his fighting style.

"What's hurting me - the name Islam is involved, and Muslim is involved and causing trouble and starting hate and violence. Islam is not a killer religion, Islam means peace. I couldn't just sit home and watch people label Muslims as the reason for this problem." - Ali describes his distress in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US.

"I was never too bright at school. I said I was 'The Greatest'. I never said I was 'The Smartest'. - Ali almost sounds modest about his achievements at school.

"It's hard to be humble when you are the greatest" - Muhammad Ali on himself.

"Muhammad Ali shook up the world and the world is better for it," - US President Barack Obama. "He fought for what he thought was right," Obama added, referring to Ali's commitment to civil rights.

"A man of character, faith, dignity and professionalism" - Wladimir Klitschko, one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions of all time.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-05

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Muhammad Ali – “an outrageous humanitarian”

By Catherine Hardy



Tributes are coming in from friends of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who has died at the age of 74.

Asked how he would like to be remembered, Ali once said – “As a man who never sold out his people.”

“Louisville loves Muhammad Ali, and the world loved him, you will never hear anything bad being said about Muhammad Ali.There`s nothing bad to say, he loved everybody, he would do anything to help even if it was a stranger. I have never seen him angry, he was just a fabulous person,” said Ali’s childhood friend Sonny Fishback

“You knew it from the day he stepped into the yard at the training facility my father Archie Moore ran at 3517 E Street, you knew he was different, and not only as a boxer but he was different as a human being. This guy was probably one of the most outrageous humanitarians you could ever want to meet. We were in Portland, Oregon, he sat in the back of a limousine and signed autographs for over four hours,” added childhood friend Billy Moore.

Married four times, Muhammad Ali had nine children.

Family, friends and national and international figures are expected to gather for his funeral service.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-05

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‘Rest in peace, champ’: the world remembers Muhammad Ali

The world is mourning boxing great Muhammad Ali.

Impromptu memorials are taking place across the globe with everyone from the United Nations to the US president paying tribute to the heavyweight champion.

Fellow boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko said:
“He is a legendary person. He was (an)example for hundred(s) of millions of people around the world. The person who did for sport, for boxing, more than anyone. Deep condolences for all relatives. And I want to say Muhammad Ali is still alive. His spirit, his idea is still alive in our heart.”

Ali was remembered with fondness in Kinshasa, in the now-Democratic Republic of Congo, where he famously knocked out the previously-undefeated George Foreman.

“Boxing gained in value here thanks to him. He encouraged many young people to start boxing and brought attention to our country, Zaire at the time,” said one man.

Married four times, Muhammad Ali had nine children.

Family, friends and national and international figures are expected to gather for his funeral service.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-05

[DM07]

"“Louisville loves Muhammad Ali, and the world loved him, you will never hear anything bad being said about Muhammad Ali.There`s nothing bad to say..."

Wait for it!

TVF has it's own set of rules!

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For final farewell, Ali will draw the world to his hometown

BRUCE SCHREINER
CLAIRE GALOFARO
BOB BAUM


LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Muhammad Ali crafted the plan for his final tribute years ago, long before he died. On Friday, his family will honor him just like he planned, with a global celebration in his hometown.

A procession will carry his body down an avenue in Louisville that bears his name, through his boyhood neighborhood and down Broadway, the scene of the parade that honored the brash young man — then known as Cassius Clay — for his gold medal at the 1960 Olympics.

A day after Ali died at age 74 from complications of Parkinson's disease, a family spokesman outlined plans for Ali's funeral as people from Manila to Louisville to his adopted home of Arizona mourned the boxing great's passing.

The family "certainly believes that Muhammad was a citizen of the world ... and they know that the world grieves with him," spokesman Bob Gunnell said at a news conference in Scottsdale, not far from Ali's home in his final years.

Family members will accompany Ali's remains to Louisville within the next two days. A private funeral will be held Thursday.

After the Friday procession, a memorial service open to the public will be held at the KFC YUM! Center. Eulogists will include former President Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal — who has done a masterful impression of Ali — and sports television host Bryant Gumbel.

The ceremony will be led by an imam in the Muslim tradition but include representatives of other faiths. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch will represent Mormons.

"Muhammad Ali was clearly the people's champion," Gunnell said, "and the celebration will reflect his devotion to people of all races, religions and backgrounds."

The spokesman said Ali died in Arizona at 9:10 p.m. Friday local time of "septic shock due to unspecified natural causes," three decades after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

It is not clear what specifically caused the septic shock. However, difficulty swallowing is among complications of Parkinson's disease and it can worsen at the end of life. It makes eating and drinking difficult and patients are at risk for aspirating food or liquids into their lungs, leading to pneumonia and a chest infection that in weakened patients can lead to sepsis — a bloodstream infection that can in turn cause organ failure and death.

Ali was mourned around the globe Saturday, and in his hometown, not even pouring rain could stop the tributes for "The Greatest."

In the three-time heavyweight champion's old neighborhood, brother Rahaman Ali stood in a small house on Grand Avenue and dabbed his eyes as he shook hand after hand. The visitors had come from as far away as Georgia and as near as down the street.

"God bless you all," the 72-year-old Rahaman said to each.

Ali's death held special meaning in Louisville, where he was the city's favorite son.

"He was one of the most honorable, kindest men to live on this planet," his brother said while greeting mourners at their childhood home, recently renovated and turned into a museum.

Cars lined both sides of the street. Visitors piled flowers and boxing gloves around the marker designating it a historical site. They were young and old, black and white, friends and fans.

Another memorial grew outside the Muhammad Ali Center downtown, a museum built in tribute to Ali's core values: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, charity, spirituality.

By mid-afternoon, nearly 3,000 people had come through the doors, said Donald Lassere, the center's president and CEO. The center would typically draw about 500 visitors on a rainy Saturday, he said.

"Muhammad Ali belongs to the world," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said at a memorial service outside Metro Hall. "But he only has one hometown."

Rahaman recalled what Ali was like as a boy named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., long before he became the most famous man in the world, celebrated as much for his grace and his words as his lightning-fast feet and knockout punch.

In their little pink house in Louisville's west end, the brothers liked to wrestle and play cards and shoot hoops.

"He was a really sweet, kind, loving, giving, affectionate, wonderful person," Rahaman said, wearing a cap that read "Ali," the last letter formed by the silhouette of a boxer ready to pounce.

When he was 12, Ali had a bicycle that was stolen and he told a police officer he wanted to "whoop" whoever took it, Fischer said. The officer told him he'd have to learn how to box first.

Daniel Wilson Sr. was one year behind Ali at Central High School and remembered he was so committed to his conditioning that he didn't get on the school bus like everybody else. Instead, he ran along beside it, three miles all the way to school each morning.

"The kids on the bus would be laughing and Ali would be laughing too," he recalled at the Grand Avenue home.

Ruby Hyde arrived at the memorial holding an old black-and-white framed photo of a young Ali. As a teenager, she'd been a water girl at his amateur bouts and seen even then that there was something special, something cerebral, about the way he fought. Years later, he came back to the old neighborhood as a heavyweight champ, driving a Cadillac with the top down.

"All the kids jumped in and he rode them around the block," she remembered.

He never forgot where he came from, she said. Liston's voice trembled as she recounted running into him at a baseball game a few years ago.

"I got to tell him how much I cared about him. He put that big ol' paw out and just shook my hand," she said. "He just had time for everybody."

The mayor ordered the city's flags at half-staff.

Outside Metro Hall, Fischer pointed west, toward Ali's childhood home, about three miles away in one of the city's poorest zip codes.

"There can only be one Muhammad Ali, but his journey from Grand Avenue to global icon serves as a reminder that there are young people with the potential for greatness in the houses and neighborhoods all over our city, our nation, our world," he said.

Fischer told mourners to teach all children Ali's legacy: that a kid from Kentucky can grow up to be "The Greatest."

"That's how we become champions," he said. "Muhammad Ali has shown us the way."

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-06-05

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Reaction to the death of 'The Greatest' Muhammad Ali

The Associated Press


Quotes from around the world after the death of three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali:

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"He was a natural force. His radiance came from inside. You got the feeling of inner excellence, he felt from himself. It came from him. As he developed as a great champion it was apparent that this was a God given quality I never doubted." — Ferdie Pacheco, Ali's longtime doctor and corner man.

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"He's the most transforming figure of my time, certainly. He did more to change race relations and the views of people than even Martin Luther King. It was a privilege and an honor for me to know him and associate with him." — Bob Arum, who promoted 26 of Ali's fights.

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"Ali, Frazier & Foreman we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away, "The greatest piece" — tweet by George Foreman, Ali's opponent in the "Rumble in the Jungle"

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"He represented what a man should be in an America that's free because he made people accept him as a man, as an equal and he was not afraid to represent himself in that way. That's what I loved about him, very few people ever comported themselves in a manner of being equal in a society where he could have definitely played it a different way." — former NFL great Jim Brown.

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"Without question his legacy is one that he defied the odds because he stood up for what he believed in and when he was put to the test he took personal harm rather than go against his beliefs and what he stood for." — Don King, promoter of "Rumble in the Jungle" and "Thrilla in Manilla."

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"When an icon like Muhammad Ali passes away, it's very emotional. It's also gratifying to know that a guy, one man, would sacrifice so much in his individual life knowing that it would better the next generation of men and women after him. Today I can go to China and all over the world and people know my name and know my face. I give all credit to Muhammad Ali because he was the first icon. He is the GOAT. He's the greatest of all time and it has zero to do with his accomplishments inside the ring." — NBA star LeBron James.

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"Today we bow our heads at the loss of a man who did so much for America. Tomorrow, we will raise our heads again remembering that his bravery, his outspokenness, and his sacrifice for the sake of his community and country lives on in the best part of each of us." — basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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"This is a sad day for me — and for the world. Muhammad Ali was bigger than sports and larger than life. He said he was 'The Greatest' and he was right. He was the greatest of his era in the ring and a global icon in sports. I was a kid during his prime, but I remember some of his epic fights and his incredible style. My sincerest condolences go out to his wife, Lonnie, his kids and family." — basketball great Michael Jordan.

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"The sporting universe has just suffered a big loss. Muhammad Ali was my friend, my idol, my hero. We spent many moments together and always kept a good connection throughout the years. The sadness is overwhelming. I wish him peace with God. And I send love and strength to his family." — soccer great Pele on Twitter and Instagram.

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"Certain people are courageous. He was very courageous in doing what no other athlete probably would have dared to have done, in particular a black athlete at that time," West said. "To me, he's inspired the people to look at inequalities in this world and I think some of the things he did, he just changed the perceptions of people. He was a magnificent person. I loved that guy. I really did." — former basketball star Jerry West.

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"Ali was the example of how you use your platform and speak what you believe no matter what people will say," Curry said, "and (I) look at him (with) a sense of confidence in that regard, for sure." — basketball star Stephen Curry.

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"The true GOAT (Greatest of All Time). What a sad day for everyone to (lose) someone so great and kind and someone who really stood up for what they believed in. He was my hero. He always will be. #muhammadali #cassiusclay" — tennis great Serena Williams on Instagram.

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"I gave Ali the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and wondered aloud how he stayed so pretty throughout so many fights. It probably had to do with his beautiful soul. He was a fierce fighter and he's a man of peace, just like Odessa and Cassius Clay Sr., believed their son could be." — former President George W. Bush.

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"Muhammad Ali, a man who stood by his principles despite criticism and hardship, exemplified a true patriot and a true Muslim. His strength, courage and love of humanity has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to people of all faiths and backgrounds in America and worldwide." — Roula Allouch, chairwoman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' national board.

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"A tremendous loss. There was a time when I was a teenager and I was going through some turmoils in my life and some turmoils in the country. Muhammad Ali gave us all — especially young black men — a sense of pride and a sense of strength." — Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker.

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"On the surface, the fighter and the preacher shared little in common. Ali was a Muslim. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Christian. Their approaches to fighting racism and oppression could not have been more starkly opposing. Ali was bold, brash and unapologetically confrontational. King was even-tempered, calm and unwaveringly rejected hatred. Yet, these men forged a bond of lasting friendship during the Civil Rights era and found common ground on which to oppose the Vietnam War, segregation and housing discrimination. They shared a deep courage and unabiding determination to speak truth to power — just in different ways. In the end, they sought the same things: freedom, justice and equality for everyone." — Dr. Charles Steele, the president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization co-founded and once led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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"He might be one of the most impactful athletes in this past century. He's obviously a charismatic guy, did a lot for the sport of boxing. I think he'll be, at least from my experience, known not just for how great of an athlete he was, but for the impact that he had in a social aspect as well. ... Just I think his personality, in combination with how great of an athlete he was, certainly allowed him to have the impact that he's had on sports, not just boxing." — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan.

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"Mr. Ali was far more than a legendary boxer; he was a world champion for equality and peace. With an incomparable combination of principle, charm, wit and grace, he fought for a better world and used his platform to help lift up humanity." — spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

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"Ali, the G-O-A-T. A giant, an inspiration, a man of peace, a warrior for the cure. Thank you." — tweet by actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease.

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"Muhammad Ali, who passed away yesterday, was an extraordinary athlete and a remarkable man of good deeds who conquered the hearts of millions. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali's life-long struggle against racism and discrimination will never be forgotten. May Allah have mercy on Muhammad Ali, whose courage, conviction and determination inspired all of humanity. — tweet from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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"The best of all time has left. I remember the emotion of my dad when he saw him face to face in Las Vegas, in the fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Herns in 1981. So how can I not feel this loss, if he was what he most admired my father? In the ring he was a dancer. Surely he left because he could no longer give us more happiness. My condolences to his family." — soccer great Diego Maradona on Facebook.

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"His life story is an American story, and it's a story that began in Louisville, Kentucky." — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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"Muhammad Ali was an incredibly important world figure who made an indelible mark on this country's history and the sport of boxing. I remember him coming up to me at my father's (Joe Louis) funeral and saying that he believed my father was the greatest. To me, Muhammad Ali was a hero and certainly the greatest when I was growing up. He was loved by many and I, along with countless others, am saddened by his passing." — Joe Louis Barrow Jr., the son of boxing great Joe Louis.

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"He fought hard, not only in the ring, but in life for his fellow citizens and civil rights. The world has lost today a great unifying champion whose punches transcended borders and nations." — King Abdullah II of Jordan.

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"Ali was not afraid of anything. He made up his own rules inside the ring and out, and he told the world that is how he acted even (if) they didn't like it. ... He was suspended for political reasons, he was arrested, he lost, he once boxed 12 rounds with a broken jaw, but he always came back. We learned from him that victory is the ability to stay on your feet after everyone else has raised their hands and given up." — Yair Lapid, head of Israel's centrist Yesh Atid party and a former amateur boxer.

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"Muhammad Ali has not only been a sports legend but also an outstanding man, whose values transcend his fantastic boxing career. We will always remember him also for his full commitment for the values of equity and brotherhood. We're proud he started his unique sports career winning the Olympic gold medal in Rome 1960, a story that still emotions me very much. He'll be forever 'The Greatest' to all of us." — Rome 2024 bid President Luca di Montezemolo.

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"Muhammad Ali transcended sports with his outsized personality and dedication to civil rights and social justice. He was an inspirational presence at several major NBA events and was deeply admired by so many throughout the league. While we are deeply saddened by his loss, Muhammad Ali's legacy lives on in every athlete who takes a stand for what he or she believes." — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

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"HBO is honored to have known Muhammad Ali as a fighter of beauty and a man of principle. We experienced the joy of working with him in support of initiatives he passionately cared about including, most importantly, his never-ending desire to teach tolerance and understanding of others to all people." — HBO Sports.

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"He sacrificed the heart of his career and money and glory for his religious beliefs about a war he thought unnecessary and unjust. His memory and legacy lingers on until eternity. He scarified, the nation benefited. He was a champion in the ring, but, more than that, a hero beyond the ring. When champions win, people carry them off the field on their shoulders. When heroes win, people ride on their shoulders. We rode on Muhammad Ali's shoulders." — Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and longtime friend of Ali.

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"Rip the greatest of all times in many different ways" — tweet by world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

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"Muhammad Ali was not just a champion in the ring — he was a champion of civil rights, and a role model for so many people." — tweet by British Prime Minister David Cameron.

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"He was an athlete who touched the hearts of people across the globe, an athlete who was engaged beyond sport, an athlete who had the courage to give hope to so many suffering illness by lighting the Olympic cauldron and not hiding his own affliction. He was an athlete who fought for peace and tolerance — he was a true Olympian. Meeting him in person was an inspiration. He was a man who at the same time was so proud and yet so humble." — IOC President Thomas Bach.

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"Hillary and I are saddened by the passing of Muhammad Ali. From the day he claimed the Olympic gold medal in 1960, boxing fans across the world knew they were seeing a blend of beauty and grace, speed and strength that may never be matched again. We watched him grow from the brash self-confidence of youth and success into a manhood full of religious and political convictions that led him to make tough choices and live with the consequences. Along the way we saw him courageous in the ring, inspiring to the young, compassionate to those in need, and strong and good-humored in bearing the burden of his own health challenges. I was honored to award him the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House, to watch him light the Olympic flame, and to forge a friendship with a man who, through triumph and trials, became even greater than his legend. Our hearts go out to Lonnie, his children, and his entire family." — former President Bill Clinton.

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"We are proud to call Ali not only a member of Team USA, but an Olympic champion. With unparalleled grit and determination, he left a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of Americans for years to come." — Scott Blackmun, CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

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"Muhammad Ali is a legend and one of the world's most celebrated athletes, the fighter who ushered in the golden era of boxing and put the sport on the map. He paved the way for professional fighters, including myself, elevating boxing to become a sport watched in millions of households around the world" — boxer Oscar De La Hoya, who won titles at six different weight classes.

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"We lost a giant today. Boxing benefited from Muhammad Ali's talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ali family. May God bless them." — boxer Manny Pacquiao, a champion in eight weight classes.

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"Passing the Olympic torch to Muhammad to light the cauldron at the Atlanta Games in 1996 was the defining moment of my career, and a memory I will treasure forever, as much as any of the medals I won. As Olympians, our role is to inspire others to achieve their dreams, and no person has ever lived that role more than Muhammad Ali." — swimmer Janet Evans.

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"Thinking of #MuhammadAli and remembering a man who was not afraid to take a stand and who was committed to being his authentic self." — tweet from tennis great Billie Jean King.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-06-05

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Kinshasa, Manila and beyond, Ali enraptured fans everywhere

GERALD IMRAY, AP Sports Writer


CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Muhammad Ali rumbled in the African jungle, put on a thriller in Manila, charmed them in London and taunted them in Tokyo.

Like no other boxer before or since, Ali took the big bouts to the farthest corners of the globe, away from the bright lights of Las Vegas and New York. Ali didn't need those lights. He had his own dazzle.

He enraptured people wherever he went: Zaire, the Philippines, Japan, Britain, even Lewiston, Maine. He was brilliant, brash, foolish, and sometimes the bad guy. But by the end, fans everywhere cheered him as if he was their own hometown hero.

Some of Ali's most memorable fights across the world:

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ALI vs. SONNY LISTON REMATCH. Lewiston, Maine, May 1965

Ali had already "shook up the world" when he beat Liston the year before for the heavyweight title. The rematch came at the oddest of places after a deal with the Boston Garden fell through. Lewiston, a mill town, was the replacement venue and the biggest fight of the day took place at a small hockey arena.

Many locals couldn't afford to see it. Some of the tickets were $100 — a huge sum in those days.

"There was a lot of excitement even though the venue didn't sell out," said Paul Marcotte, a Lewiston newspaper reporter who now lives in California. Some free tickets were distributed to locals to ensure that the venue looked fuller than it was, he said.

The fight ended up being quick, and left some shouting "Fix!"

Ali knocked out Liston in the first round, with the moment immortalized as photos captured Ali, muscles straining, looming over Liston and shouting at him to get up. Ali's victory generated controversy over whether he'd really connected, or whether it was a "phantom punch" and Liston had taken a dive. Several sports writers insisted it was a clean hit, a punch so fast you could easily have missed it.

The image of Ali taunting Liston was captured by the AP's John Rooney, who won the World Press Photo award for best sports photo in 1965. It was also captured in color by Neil Leifer of Sports Illustrated.

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AP Writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine.

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ALI vs. HENRY COOPER. London, June 1963 and May 1966

Ali first took his boxing circus outside the U.S. in 1963, when — as Cassius Clay — he fought Englishman Henry Cooper at Wembley Stadium, London, in front of 55,000 people. He returned to fight Cooper again as the champ in 1966. Both bouts were brutal, and both won by Ali, although in the first, Ali was knocked down by a left hook known as "'Enry's Ammer." Trainer Angelo Dundee apparently engineered a tear in his gloves and called for them to be replaced to earn the shaken Ali time to recover.

"That 1963 fight is one of my earliest memories of childhood," said Trevor Beattie, an advertising executive and film producer who owns the gloves and about 50 other Ali artifacts on display in London.

"I remember my dad ranting about the split gloves, and praising this magic man from the States," recalled Beattie, who was 4 at the time. "What made Ali so special for me was my dad said he was a hated man and yet my dad loved him. So I knew even as a child there must be something special about him."

Away from the fighting, Ali won British hearts over the years with four entertaining appearances on a popular talk show. Surrounded by the soft furnishings of a British television studio, a relaxed, charming and witty Ali took center stage, sometimes flustering host Michael Parkinson with his quick retorts. After one, Ali stood up for his host and turned to the giggling audience and said: "You think it's easy? Come take his position. You'll find out that I'm a witty person and it's kinda hard to talk to a man like me." The Brits loved it.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Manchester, England, and AP Writer Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin, Ireland.

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ALI vs. GEORGE FOREMAN, Kinshasa, Zaire, October 1974

"The Rumble in the Jungle." In Africa, Ali tapped into the psyche of the people like no other place, and the fight against Foreman in Zaire — now Congo, a vast country in Central Africa — established much of his mystique.

None of the experts gave Ali, then 32, a chance against the strong, young and undefeated Foreman, who had destroyed everyone in his way. Foreman had the title, but Ali was the people's champion, creating a crescendo of support for himself from the local fans.

Weighed down by colonial oppression and now the dictatorial rule of Mobutu Sese Sesoko, the people identified with Ali, the fighter who defied authority and challenged the system. Ali milked it. On his training runs through Kinshasa, he would be trailed by kids in ragged clothes mimicking his shadow boxing. He threw off his fancy clothes and wore simple shirts and pants. Ali picked up a chant he heard, "Ali bomaye!" — "Ali kill him!" — and used it wherever he went, waving his fist as he yelled it. When he did, crowds roared it back at him.

The fight was at a soccer stadium, with tens of thousands packed in. Already written off before, Ali adopted what reporters thought were suicidal tactics, the "rope-a-dope," backing into the ropes and inviting Foreman to pummel away. Foreman punched himself out. Choosing his moment at the end of the eighth round, Ali whirled away and knocked Foreman out with a lightning combination.

It resulted in pandemonium as people from all sides rushed in to the ring and mobbed Ali. As Ali, champion again, eventually left surrounded by riot police in bright white helmets, he waved his right fist in the air for the fans one more time. "Ali bomaye!"

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AP Sports Writer Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa.

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ALI vs. JOE FRAZIER, Manila, Philippines, October 1975

"The Thrilla in Manila." Ali's punishing rivalry with Frazier was finally settled in the Philippines in their third battle, when Frazier's corner retired him before the 15th and final round. The bout got its name from Ali's boast that it would be a "killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manila."

Regularly rated one of the best fights ever, the "thrilla" put the Philippines on the map, said Ronnie Nathanielsz, a sports commentator assigned by then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos to act as a government liaison to Ali. Accompanying Ali from Hawaii on board a plane, Nathanielsz said Ali was welcomed by tens of thousands of Filipino fans "like the pope." The fight, at a jam-packed Araneta Coliseum, lived up to all expectations. Afterward, the ecstatic owner of the arena told Ali he would build a shopping mall and name it after him. The popular Ali Mall still stands in Manila.

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AP Writer Jim Gomez, in Manila, Philippines.

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ALI vs. ANTONIO INOKI. Exhibition. Tokyo, June 1976

Bellowing "There will be no Pearl Harbor!" on arrival, Ali played the American invader who must be beaten in his exhibition with Japanese wrestler Inoki. Ali had fought and beaten McArthur Foster in Tokyo four years earlier but his second fight in Japan was one of his weirdest.

There was meant to be a script and Ali, having beaten up Inoki, was supposed to turn to the referee to plead for him to end the fight. Inoki would seize his chance, leap on Ali from behind and pin him. Ali, completing the story he set up with his arrival comments, would yell: "It's Pearl Harbor all over again!"

But the two camps never agreed on whether it was going to be a real fight or an act. It became a farce.

It was at a sold-out Nippon Budokan, a martial arts arena, and tickets cost as much as $2,700 — a huge price for the 1970s. The fight was wildly popular in Japan in the buildup but, ultimately, Inoki spent most of it lying on the canvas kicking out at Ali, who didn't land a punch until the seventh round. The fight went the distance and was called a draw. Fans booed, a real rarity in Japan, but there was a legacy: Ali and Inoki became good friends.

"I'm so sad to see my former rival leave us," Inoki said Saturday.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-06-05

[geriatrickid]

Blah blah blah. Meanwhile he was a serial adulterer who abandoned kids left and right. 4 marriages and how many children legitimate and illegitimate over the years? Ask the kids who he ignored and practically abandoned if he was the greatest.

[MANFROMBOCA]

Blah blah blah. Meanwhile he was a serial adulterer who abandoned kids left and right. 4 marriages and how many children legitimate and illegitimate over the years? Ask the kids who he ignored and practically abandoned if he was the greatest.

a little angry arent we now

[connda]

Excellent athlete. RIP.

[HerbalEd]

Blah blah blah. Meanwhile he was a serial adulterer who abandoned kids left and right. 4 marriages and how many children legitimate and illegitimate over the years? Ask the kids who he ignored and practically abandoned if he was the greatest.

I've been watching a lot of the tributes to Ali on CNN, BBC, and elsewhere. And several of his kids who were interviewed spoke very highly of their dad.

BTW, he had nine children.

Evidently in your world people can't be considered great if they have flaws. I don't know you at all, but I bet you have a few flaws yourself and very well may have done a thing or two that you regret or even keep hidden.

Edited June 5, 2016 by HerbalEd

[lungmi]

Trump didn't comment, GK did it.

[Dumbastheycome]

The only Boxer I have ever seen make the sport a kind of Art form.

[Lokie]

I'm so mean, I make a house brick weep!

R I P Champ!!

[stander]

ALI, MY TAKE

I wasn’t going to write about Muhammad Ali so soon after his death because I don’t have much nice to say about him. But I changed my mind because of (1) the non-stop lionization of him in the media and (2) the posts on the subject by Steve and John.

I agree with Steve that Ali was Donald Trump before there was Donald Trump. Beyond that, I’ll simply offer what I wrote about Ali in 2007 in a post called “Ali turns 65.” I’m including John’s comment on my post:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/06/ali-my-take.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+powerlineblog%2Flivefeed+%28Power+Line%29

[DM07]

Anyone, who has the absurd idea of comparing Trump to Ali, should really seek professional help and have their heads checked!

Trump and Ali (and I don't believe that I have to explain that or even mention the two names in one sentence) have NOTHING in common!

Ali wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth and was not granted a "small loan" of 1 Million bucks by daddy!

He had to - LITERALLY- fight his way up!

Ali was never a racist- he was a victim of racism!

He did not divide people, he would bring them together and he did it, as you can clearly see, when you look a all the people of different race, color, gender and from all walks of live, who mourn his passing!

He was not dodging the draft, he stood up for his convictions and not because he had a little aua-aua in his foot...or not...and he did so and payed for it!

He was show-man and not a bloated, braindead buffoon like Trump.

Ali actually contributed to society.

Oh, what am I doing?!

Pearl before the swine!