Muhammad Ali - The Greatest

[johncorrigan]

He was an icon of my youth. His latter years have been sadly blighted by the injuries from his boxing, but Muhammed Ali was the greatest sports person of the 20th Century. 2016 now takes the Greatest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16011175

[teamsaint]

Certainly " The Greatest" as far as I am concerned.
Wonderful to watch. A great sportsman, and a great entertainer.

[johncorrigan]

Certainly " The Greatest" as far as I am concerned.
Wonderful to watch. A great sportsman, and a great entertainer.

I remember Harry Carpenter say around the time of the Rumble in the Jungle, ts, that Ali was 'not just the most famous boxer on the planet, not just the most famous sportsman on the planet, but the most famous person on the planet. If you landed him, even in the most remote part of Earth people would know who he was...and they would be very happy to see him coming.' Wish I'd met him...not in the ring, of course.

[pastoralguy]

My father met him, briefly, in the 70's. He told me he'd never met any other human being with as much charisma.

RIP.

[cloughie]

I always liked his appearances on Parkinson.

His little poems one was something on the lines of:
'I like your show and I like your style,
But your fees are so mean I wont't be back for a while'

RIP MA - He's still Cassius Clay to me!

[EdgeleyRob]

A sporting icon who transcended sport.
I obviously didn't know him but I loved him.
Great memories The Rumble,The Thrilla,putting his career in jeopardy over Vietnam,the quotes.

It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am

Muhammad Ali

[Nick Armstrong]

Wish I'd met him...not in the ring, of course.

I have to say, I did! (Not in the ring, of course!) It was by accident... I was at a 'do' at the Savoy Hotel - at one point I went to the loo in the labyrinthine basement, and proceeded to get hopelessly lost trying to find my way back. I rounded a corner and came upon a couple who were clearly in the same situation - Ali and wife... (I can date it to December 1999 as he was in London to be awarded 'Sports Personality of the Century' on that pre-Christmas BBC programme). MA was still very recognisably himself although already struck with the droop and tremor of Parkinsons. I remember saying brightly 'Are you lost too?' and MA's wife did the talking and the three of us retraced our steps, eventually found a lift, and got back to the main lobby. I was able to shake his (big but sadly limp) hand and clap my other hand on his shoulder and say 'wonderful to meet you sir', to a nod and eye contact from the great man.

How sad he had to spend so very long in such a disabled state - but one of the really great figures and characters from my growing-up years.

RIP big man

[pastoralguy]

I have to say, I did! (Not in the ring, of course!) It was by accident... I was at a 'do' at the Savoy Hotel - at one point I went to the loo in the labyrinthine basement, and proceeded to get hopelessly lost trying to find my way back. I rounded a corner and came upon a couple who were clearly in the same situation - Ali and wife... (I can date it to December 1999 as he was in London to be awarded 'Sports Personality of the Century' on that pre-Christmas BBC programme). MA was still very recognisably himself although already struck with the droop and tremor of Parkinsons. I remember saying brightly 'Are you lost too?' and MA's wife did the talking and the three of us retraced our steps, eventually found a lift, and got back to the main lobby. I was able to shake his (big but sadly limp) hand and clap my other hand on his shoulder and say 'wonderful to meet you sir', to a nod and eye contact from the great man.

How sad he had to spend so very long in such a disabled state - but one of the really great figures and characters from my growing-up years.

RIP big man

[Conchis]

The only sports personality who has ever impressed me. Anyone who was of television-watching age in the 60s and 70s will have strong memories of him, whether they were into boxing, or not.

A great political sub-plot to his life, too.

Sad that so much of his post-retirement life (i.e., all of it) was spent coping with Parkinsons'.

[Beef Oven!]

I have to say, I did! (Not in the ring, of course!) It was by accident... I was at a 'do' at the Savoy Hotel - at one point I went to the loo in the labyrinthine basement, and proceeded to get hopelessly lost trying to find my way back. I rounded a corner and came upon a couple who were clearly in the same situation - Ali and wife... (I can date it to December 1999 as he was in London to be awarded 'Sports Personality of the Century' on that pre-Christmas BBC programme). MA was still very recognisably himself although already struck with the droop and tremor of Parkinsons. I remember saying brightly 'Are you lost too?' and MA's wife did the talking and the three of us retraced our steps, eventually found a lift, and got back to the main lobby. I was able to shake his (big but sadly limp) hand and clap my other hand on his shoulder and say 'wonderful to meet you sir', to a nod and eye contact from the great man.

How sad he had to spend so very long in such a disabled state - but one of the really great figures and characters from my growing-up years.

RIP big man

Great anecdote. I nearly met him! I was in the US in 1986 with a bunch of friends and we were going to a charity event in LA one Sunday afternoon. I decided not to go and stayed back at the apartment. Friends returned with photos shaking hands with MA, arms around him etc. Being a big boxing fan back then, I was gutted!

MA was is one of my earliest childhood memories of anything. It must have been around 1965 when turning a corner into Homerton High Road with my dad, I saw a huge poster of MA. I asked my dad who it was and he said ‘that’s Cassius Clay, the boxing champion’.

He was the greatest boxer of all time and such a personality. There won’t ever be a boxer as good as him ever again, IMV.

RIP

[EdgeleyRob]

I have to say, I did! (Not in the ring, of course!) It was by accident... I was at a 'do' at the Savoy Hotel - at one point I went to the loo in the labyrinthine basement, and proceeded to get hopelessly lost trying to find my way back. I rounded a corner and came upon a couple who were clearly in the same situation - Ali and wife... (I can date it to December 1999 as he was in London to be awarded 'Sports Personality of the Century' on that pre-Christmas BBC programme). MA was still very recognisably himself although already struck with the droop and tremor of Parkinsons. I remember saying brightly 'Are you lost too?' and MA's wife did the talking and the three of us retraced our steps, eventually found a lift, and got back to the main lobby. I was able to shake his (big but sadly limp) hand and clap my other hand on his shoulder and say 'wonderful to meet you sir', to a nod and eye contact from the great man.

How sad he had to spend so very long in such a disabled state - but one of the really great figures and characters from my growing-up years.

RIP big man

Fantastic

[Petrushka]

I have to say, I did! (Not in the ring, of course!) It was by accident... I was at a 'do' at the Savoy Hotel - at one point I went to the loo in the labyrinthine basement, and proceeded to get hopelessly lost trying to find my way back. I rounded a corner and came upon a couple who were clearly in the same situation - Ali and wife... (I can date it to December 1999 as he was in London to be awarded 'Sports Personality of the Century' on that pre-Christmas BBC programme). MA was still very recognisably himself although already struck with the droop and tremor of Parkinsons. I remember saying brightly 'Are you lost too?' and MA's wife did the talking and the three of us retraced our steps, eventually found a lift, and got back to the main lobby. I was able to shake his (big but sadly limp) hand and clap my other hand on his shoulder and say 'wonderful to meet you sir', to a nod and eye contact from the great man.

How sad he had to spend so very long in such a disabled state - but one of the really great figures and characters from my growing-up years.

RIP big man

What a wonderful story!

I have to say I absolutely detest boxing with a venom but there was no escaping Cassius Clay in my 1960s childhood and another great name will have 2016 engraved on their tombstone.

I'll remember him for these more than the boxing:


Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.

I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.

I know where I'm going and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want.

The man who has no imagination has no wings.

It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe.

Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer.

It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.

This is my favourite:

"Frazier's got two chances. Slim, and none. And slim just left town"

[BBMmk2]

Thanks for that encounter with that great man, Cali! Much appreciated. I am now, well, for the past few years, been against boxing but I appreciate what a great man MA was. RIP

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have to say I absolutely detest boxing with a venom but there was no escaping Cassius Clay in my 1960s childhood and another great name will have 2016 engraved on their tombstone.

Moi aussi.

[Anastasius]

Yebbut? Why change the TV schedules?