RIP Muhammad Ali

[jts1882]

He won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960 fighting as a light heavyweight.

He was only 18 at the Olympics and so it is not surprising he would fight professionally at a higher weight.

Scara is right about his beliefs on black supremacy and that different peoples weren't supposed to live together. The Nation of Islam did have some weird beliefs about the white man being "white devils" created by an evil scientist, plus some weird stuff about a "mother wheel" (UFO). They wanted a separate nation for black people and opposed the integrationist approach of Martin Luther King. Ali even spoke at KKK events.

He also had the nasty baiting of his black opponents about being Uncle Toms, stupid ugly brutes, etc. There were a couple of fights where he famously had his opponents beaten and prolonged the punishment and taunting as revenge for what they had said. Frazier got it badly and eventually got his own back with comments about Ali's mental and physical state. All very unpleasant.

Against that he was an amazing boxer and showman. He also missed the 3-4 years when he should have been at the peak of his career. He was 25 years old when banned. What I hadn't realised until reading articles about him this weekend was how he was a very different boxer when he came back from the ban. He was heavier and slower, yet still more mobile than any other heavyweight. He couldn't avoid the punches like his younger self and this ultimately had its toll.

 

[markie]

RIP to this legend. A really great one.

 

[kris03]

The Greatest- Muhammad Ali.

RIP Champ

 

[Grays_1890]

Scara is right about his beliefs on black supremacy and that different peoples weren't supposed to live together. The Nation of Islam did have some weird beliefs about the white man being "white devils" created by an evil scientist, plus some weird stuff about a "mother wheel" (UFO). They wanted a separate nation for black people and opposed the integrationist approach of Martin Luther King. Ali even spoke at KKK events.

He also had the nasty baiting of his black opponents about being Uncle Toms, stupid ugly brutes, etc. There were a couple of fights where he famously had his opponents beaten and prolonged the punishment and taunting as revenge for what they had said. Frazier got it badly and eventually got his own back with comments about Ali's mental and physical state. All very unpleasant.

Like Scara said he placed himself in the light so therefore he has to be judged as a boxer and a man.

As a boxer he was great, as a boxing fan I have my own Greatest opinion but thats sport for you.

As a man I disagree with everything the man stood for, he was not what he said he stood for and that came out in his comments on Frazier being an Uncle Tom. Frazier was a working class boxer who lived and trained as the stereotypical black man of the times that Ali said he was defending, in that one comment alone as a rich black man he lost all credibility from me in his "fight"

But that said, in sport we lost a great fighter and I wish that on no man. RIP

 

[Bullet]

He was only 18 at the Olympics and so it is not surprising he would fight professionally at a higher weight.

Scara is right about his beliefs on black supremacy and that different peoples weren't supposed to live together. The Nation of Islam did have some weird beliefs about the white man being "white devils" created by an evil scientist, plus some weird stuff about a "mother wheel" (UFO). They wanted a separate nation for black people and opposed the integrationist approach of Martin Luther King. Ali even spoke at KKK events.

Very interesting, I did not know that. I hadn't heard it mentioned during the TV coverage of his passing.

 

[Grays_1890]