Ali

One of my earliest heroes from my youth ever since he won the Gold in Rome 1960
"....that's right, I wrassled an alligator....I tussled with a whale...I handcuffed lightnin', throwed thunder in jail.....I'm Bad. Why, just last week I murdered a rock, I injured a stone, hospitalized a brick...I'm so bad I make medicine sick....I'm Bad"
....and he was. The amazing thing is that someone so Bad could do so much Good. Without a doubt the most recognized and revered indivual on the planet.
Rest in Peace, Champ....and thank you for shakin' up the World
...you truly were, and will always be....The Greatest

Here's a somewhat less sanitized view of his life.
Ali called Joe Frazier a gorilla in pre-fight media frenzy....racist and mean spirited by any standards. But Mohamad Ali got a pass.

And Don King was a piece of shit who exploited his client like an ATM machine.
http://nypost.com/2016/06/05/debunki...-muhammad-ali/

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Originally Posted by flabbybody

Here's a somewhat less sanitized view of his life.
Ali called Joe Frazier a gorilla in pre-fight media frenzy....racist and mean spirited by any standards. But Mohamad Ali got a pass.

And Don King was a piece of shit who exploited his client like an ATM machine.
http://nypost.com/2016/06/05/debunki...-muhammad-ali/

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erm...wasn't the greatest black himself? how was that racist? more like mind games than anything else.

R.I.P Champ

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Originally Posted by holzz

erm...wasn't the greatest black himself? how was that racist?

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Isn't the content of what someone says more important than the identity of the speaker? Ali was calling a black man with darker skin than himself a gorilla. At the time I believe Joe Frazier himself thought it was a racist attack and I personally agree.

I think Ali was an extremely brave man. He did not always have great moral judgment, but he was provocative, funny, and extraordinarily tough. I watched his fight against Larry Holmes the other day and for anyone who saw his interviews in the early-80s it was an absolute crime that this fight took place. He fought fights against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick as a sitting duck with no reflexes only extraordinary heart.

I remember his fighting style. Seems he always let the other guy throw all the punches and then the last 30 seconds he would always open up dance and do the Roap A Dope.

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Originally Posted by broncofan

Ali was calling a black man with darker skin than himself a gorilla.

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And for a parallel in boxing, featherweight great Marco Antonio Barrera called fellow great Erik Morales a "dumb Indian". Both men are from Mexico and probably have some shared ancestry. Racist attack? Yes.

Fair warning.....might be just me, but clicking that nypost link caused my browser to freeze up and crash for a about 10 minutes
...as to the post:

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Originally Posted by flabbybody

Ali called Joe Frazier a gorilla in pre-fight media frenzy....racist and mean spirited by any standards. .....

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...he called Liston an ugly bear too, in fact, he bad mouthed just about every opponent he ever faced. Not racist by any stretch
...nasty? sure. bombastic? you bet...he was BAD. But mean spirited?...not in the least...it was all in fun and everyone ( well, almost everyone I guess) knew it. It's called Show Biz and he was a master at it.

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Originally Posted by flabbybody

...And Don King was a piece of shit ...

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...well, ya got that part right....which still doesn't subtract one iota from Ali's stature

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Originally Posted by EZWind

Not racist by any stretch
...nasty? sure. bombastic? you bet...he was BAD. But mean spirited?...

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Calling a black man a gorilla is not racist? If it were a self-deprecating in-joke I would think it's none of anyone's business, but it was targeting another person who was deeply offended by it for decades. There's a difference though between making an isolated racist comment and being a racist. I think Ali was a showman, and sometimes an exhibitionist...I think he just did not realize the hurt he caused Frazier by that comment.

i love Ali..