What do you feel about Ali?

Many whites, comfortable with their place of privilege, still to this day are bothered by a black man with strong opinions and a firm belief in himself. My first real disagreement with my father was occasioned by first Ali/Frazier fight. Father was a Frazier man. His generation expected a certain level of subservience and "yes, sir" from people of color. Not me. I was an Ali man (boy, at the time).

Ali was right to refuse induction into the Army to be trained to kill and to go fight in Vietnam. He placed his moral convictions above the prime fighting years of his career. This was a very valuable lesson for me, a boy caught up in stories of athleticism of championship caliber.

Ali could be brash, usually when promoting a fight. This never bothered me. He was a very smart man who knew how to captivate an audience. I had the good fortune to meet Ali in the early 90s. The line of people there to meet the Champ was so long that the predetermined time for his departure came and went. Ali stayed until everyone there had a chance to meet him. Two of his daughters were there with him, beaming at the love and appreciation expressed for their father. It was a memorable experience. Never before or since have I stood in line to meet a famous person.

My admiration for Ali, as man and fighter, is great. Feet of clay? Certainly. But his importance extends far beyond any boxing ring. He helped me put athletic achievement in perspective and made me think hard about far more complex issues than I bargained for as a young fight fan. May he rest in peace.

I hate Mayweather because of his personality but I love Ali because of his. Ali was too entertaining. I think no sportsman came close to him in terms of that. Sporstmen are too careful about what they say. They try to avoid political and social issues. Ali didn't give a *beep*!




If I don't reply, you're most likely on my ignore list

Arrogant asshole. The things he said about Joe Louis were inexcusable. He was a racist when he was younger, which isn't surprising given that he was a member of The Nation of Islam. That being said, I do believe he was genuinely sorry later in life. That might not have happened if his health wasn't poor, but I do believe that he changed for the better.

I think he was just a great Athlete who knew how to use smack talk to gain publicity. Boxing can bury a good fighter if there isn't notoriety. Ali did it and backed it up with serious skill.

i think he was a cool guy