On the 17th January Muhammad Ali reachs the age of 70.
Over the years, dislike or love him, you could not ignore him.
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On the 17th January Muhammad Ali reachs the age of 70.
Over the years, dislike or love him, you could not ignore him.
Gotta love him, what charisma
Watching the footage of Ali in full poet mode always gives me a laugh, the mans a real broke the mould character.
He was beautiful when he was young. Made me weep to see him after he got Parkinson's.
Happy birthday, champ! One day after mine! It was sad to see him deteriorate, but he hung in there, and kept on battling the disease. A great boxer!
^ happy belated to you both.
Ali was a classy boxer. Compare and contrast to Tyson.
^Not belated, but thanks. Another week!
Voted the greatest sportsman of the 20th Century i believe and shares his birthday (17th January) with my own.
At 70 he's a tad older but having grown up in the same era i recall most of his fights and pre-match wind-ups. One of the great characters (if not 'THE GREATEST' character) of the fine art of boxing. :)
^And a happy early birthday to you both!
Cheers DK, just wish that i could have shared a birthday cake with the great man during his peak years, the cheeky young rascal that he was. :)
Fond memories of him still and always some reminiscing of his younger days to engage friends with both here and the UK. :)
Looking at him at Joe Frazier's funeral, it's hard to see him making 71. But there hasn't been as charismatic a heavyweight champion since, and I doubt there ever will be.
Are there people that disliked him?Quote:
Originally Posted by MANICHAEAN
He was, and always will be, The Greatest.
^There were and still are people who hate him. He name was Cassius Clay, converted to Islam, changed his name to Mohammad Ali, and was a draft dodger in the 1960's.
He said things like this:
"No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slavemasters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end."
He made heaps of people angry.
^On the other hand, he went to jail for his convictions, rather than running off to Canada like the rich white kids.
^ Right. I should have said he was a conscientious objector, not a draft dodger.
Or getting Daddy to get him a nice cushy job in the "National Guard", like a certain U.S. President who had the fucking audacity to pitch up on an aircraft carrier acting like he was a Vet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton
I think Tyson in his prime would have knocked him out.
No way, he was too fast. The fastest heavyweight I have ever seen: with his hands, his feet and his reactions. I'm not sure if you ever saw the interview with Ali & Frazier when Tyson appeared unbeatable. Parkinson, I think it was asked Ali how he reckoned Tyson. Ali replied that he did not rate him.
Parkinson asked how he would have fought Tyson.
Ali replied, "I would have played with him for six rounds and then stuck him."
Brash? No. His ability and pride would have carried him through.
Ali was only 21 at the time, and Tyson was never anything more than a magnificent clubbing beast, so you might be right about Tyson doing him when he was young.
But the best Tyson ever had to offer against the best Ali had to offer?
Not a fucking chance in hell.
Actually, he never spent any time in jail (he was convicted of avoiding the draft in 1967 but was out on appeal the entire time afterward until his conviction was reversed in 1971 by the supreme court)- he did lose his title and his license was suspended for (I believe) three years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton
From disgrace to amazing grace?
^^I stand corrected.
Ali is one of the main reasons why sports stars get paid so much these days.
Not many people he paved the way for have 1/1000th the charisma, bravery, honesty or talent that Ali has / had.
Related: The docu film "Fighting Ali" is one of the best boxing-related films I've seen.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2012/01/704.jpg
Typical of Blue :)
What happened in the next round Blue, the 5th ?
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Clay posed for pictures, held up his hand with five fingers outstretched to remind the crowd of his prediction that he would win in the fifth.
The crowd booed; Cooper left to a round of applause. Back in his dressing room, Clay talked of how near he had been to defeat several times.
In victory, Cass the Gas became a gracious young man. He had nothing but praise for Cooper's gameness and the power of his punching.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2012/01/824.jpg
Maybe, maybe not, it's hard to gauge fighters from different eras, but one thing I know, Ali would have been back for moreQuote:
Originally Posted by bsnub
Arguably the most loved and respected black person of our era.
He along with Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis Jr paved the way for other black people into mainstream white society.
Nelson Mandela ?
Think he was talking specifically about Americans.
He along with others (Martin Luther King for example) followed but Ali by using his sporting talents and personality opening the doors for other blacks to break the mould.Quote:
Originally Posted by sabaii sabaii
And Nat King Cole. The first Black entertainer to have his own TV show (1956).Quote:
He along with Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis Jr paved the way for other black people into mainstream white society.
Jackie Robinson. Broke into the major league with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946.
Paul Robeson.
OK this is getting tough now.
Not a chance!!! Ali would have had him beat mentally before he even stepped into the ring.Quote:
Originally Posted by bsnub
Tyson was a bully and played on that but Ali would have twisted this before the fight then got in the ring and out thought and frustrated Tyson before taking advantages of the openings Tyson left.
People go on about a prime Tyson but when was his "prime"? 20, 21? Yes he knocked people out for fun but in reality who did he actually beat? Spinks? An old Larry Holmes? Not exactly the best resume for the supposedly best boxer of all time.
Yes going to prison fucked his career but you cannot rate Tyson on what he could have been you have to rate him on what he was which was an explosive puncher who won a world title early but never really beat any big big names.
To quote Public Enemy............"Don't believe the Hype!".
"The Greatest" has been having a programme every night this week in the UK looking at his life. I was always under the impression that his kids were all girls, and all lived at home with Dad. On the first count it appears i am wrong. See article below.
Muhammed Ali's children: 2 boys 7daughters.
Muhammad Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. Ali met his first wife, cocktail waitress Sonji Roi, approximately one month before they married on August 14, 1964. Roi's objections to certain Muslim customs in regard to dress for women contributed to the breakup of their marriage. They divorced on January 10, 1966.
On August 17, 1967, Ali (aged 35) married 17-year old Belinda Boyd. After the wedding, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: Maryum (b. 1968), Jamillah and Liban (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali Jr. (b. 1972).
However, Ali began an affair with a young woman named Veronica Porsche in 1975. By the summer of 1977, Ali's second marriage was over and he had married Veronica. At the time of their marriage, they had a baby girl, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, Laila, was born in December of 1977. By 1986, Ali and Veronica were divorced.
On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda Ali. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. Their mothers were close friends, although Lonnie has publicly denied the popular notion that Muhammad Ali was once her babysitter. They have one adopted son, Asaad.
Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital relationships.
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He is a very special person.
An amazing dedicated boxer with outstanding credentials.
A very interesting link below, well worth looking at.
'I'm so mean I make medicine sick' – Muhammad Ali's greatest quotes
“Hating people because of their color is wrong.
And it doesn't matter which color does the hating.
It's just plain wrong.”
― Muhammad Ali
This next quote from Ali is so very true.
Champions aren't made in gyms.
Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-
a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill,
and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
― Muhammad Ali
I've seen that quote on a few walls in Boxing Gyms,
when he renounces Islam ,and changes his name back to Cassius -a nice name , I'll start respecting him
^ never happen. all part of the mystic.
dont forget willie mays. my hero as a boy.
Don't be dumb, do you realise how much cash he gets out of the Ragheads?Quote:
Originally Posted by blue