The Reluctant Mystic: sports

When my brother and I were children we met Muhammad Ali in NYC.

By the time we met him, he was long retired, having already suffered so much brain damage and Parkinson’s. But despite his massive size and slowness in both movement and wit by then, he was still a soft and gentle soul within the playful showman who liked to ham it up.

A brief biography: Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky. He won two national Golden Gloves and then the light heavyweight boxing Olympic Gold Medal. Shortly thereafter he converted to Islam and changed his name. At the age of 22 he won the world heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston in a major upset.

He was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War due to his religion and refused to serve when he was drafted. He willingly gave up his world title and fighting license, and served 5 years in prison for his beliefs. The conviction was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court, but the world never got to see the best of Ali in the prime of his youth.

Most fighters would have given up, having their skills atrophied so long. Not for the Greatest of All Time. Some allies helped him earn his fighting license back, and in short time he was able to contend for the title again. Billed the "Fight of the Century" against Joe Frazier, some saw it as a heavily racial contest. Ali lost the bout by unanimous judge decision. He met Frazier two more times in his career and won both.

Four years later Ali was able to challenge the champion of bachelor hamburger grills, George Foreman. He named this fight "Rumble in the Jungle," as it took place in Zaire. Ali employed his "rope-a-dope" technique, allowing Foreman to expend all of his energy attacking him while Ali conserved his energy crouched in the corner. At the opportune time, Ali unleashed a massive holy fury that knocked the fucking shit outta Foreman, spilling raw hamburger out of the ring. Pace yourself, bro. Ali won the title for the second time in the most televised event in the world to date at that time.

One of the next fights included the one which inspired Rocky! It was against Chuck Wepner, who nearly won.

In 1975 Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier for the third and final time in Manilla, Philippines. Dubbed the "Thrilla in Manilla," temperatures reached over 100F degrees! Ali won the fight, giving him a total match-up lead of 2-1 over the years. He was clearly spent after the bout, and said he considered retiring.

Ali's career suffered some blows after that. There were some split decisions, stadium crowds that booed him after his conversion to Sunni Islam, and a doctor who quit when Ali refused his advice to retire.

Ali lost his title to up-and-comer Leon Spinks, who only had seven professional fights. However, Ali challenged Spinks to a rematch and won the title back seven months later, the first and only fighter to ever hold the world championship three times.

He went on to fight a few more times against the pleas of many. It is estimated he absorbed about 200,000 blows over his career.

Muhammad Ali was known for his bombastic, rhyming taunts, to include his favorite self-reference, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". He still remains the Greatest of All Time, the only boxer to have ever won the world heavyweight championship three times. He won 56 of his 61 total fights, 37 by knock out.

He was married four times, and had seven daughters and two sons. His daughter Laila was a professional boxer from 1999 to 2007. He was also a major philanthropist, humanitarian, and involved in politics.