Muhammad Ali has passed away | Syracusefan.com

Muhammad Ali has passed away

This is the worst news this year as far as I'm concerned. He garnered more love and admiration worldwide than any other sports figure...not to mention the most exciting boxer I have ever seen. R.I.P. Muhammad. You truly were "the Greatest" .
 
kinda surprised death could get a glove on him

RIP Chanp

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The phrase"One of a kind" is overused but apt in Mr Ali's case. I remember the general excitement of the Ali-Frazier battles, if not all the details. And of course "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". But not the Olympics, or his conversion to Islam, or the refusal to sign up for the draft (?) - so many controversies, yet the man remained beloved, perhaps because he was righteous. I was going to add dignified but thought better of it! Because, not always! He could taunt his opponent like the best insult comics!

I could go on, but I'll end with a heartfelt RIP to a great American and man, and a wish for peace for his family and all who love him.

Here are some obituaries. The last one has a video compilation as well.

Muhammad Ali, boxing legend and global icon, dead at 74


Muhammad Ali, Titan of Boxing and the 20th Century, Dies at 74

Muhammad Ali dies at 74
 
My son and I were at Canastota the year he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. Remembering our time there and having watched as many of his fights as I could, bring a lump to my throat hearing of his passing.

Remembering him bringing out the torch at the Atlanta Olympics made me speechless and brought tears to my eyes.

In sports today, the word greatest is far overused. Ali was truly The Greatest.
 
Ali was truly the people's champion. I ran into him twice on the streets of NYC in the early 1970's. Within minutes if stepping out of his limo he was surrounded by dozebs of fans. He joked with everyone and made a fuss over all the kids in the crowd. Signed autographs for anyone who wanted one. I was surprised how big he was.

I thing it was one of the SCOTUS better moments when they unanimously exonerated him.

RIP champ, you are The Greatest.
 
Crusty said:
Ali was truly the people's champion. I ran into him twice on the streets of NYC in the early 1970's. Within minutes if stepping out of his limo he was surrounded by dozebs of fans. He joked with everyone and made a fuss over all the kids in the crowd. Signed autographs for anyone who wanted one. I was surprised how big he was.

I thing it was one of the SCOTUS better moments when they unanimously exonerated him.

RIP champ, you are The Greatest.
Expand...

Spot-on post. I "interviewed" Ali twice in Cleveland in the '70s -- you didn't interview him, he was just on auto-pilot -- and he was majestic, magical, magnificent. He was always "on," which made it all the sadder to, ironically, see him struggle to muster as much as a whisper for about the last half of his life.

I'm 67, have no regrets in life, none, if I had a mulligan, though, I’d have had someone snap a pic of me "interviewing" Ali in the locker room at the Cleveland Arena following a charity show that, I'm pretty sure, was Don King’s first production after he came home from "college."

As to his size, I was surprised how tall and muscular he was up close. Great experience -- and great memory -- sitting at press row and watching the tassels on his shoes flutter when he went into the Ali Shuffle 10 feet away from my pre-spectacled eyes.

Saw Ali speak in my college gym, too, during his forced exile from boxing. He was great. You're so right, Crusty, the SCOTUS did its job well when it unanimously riled Ali had been done wrong. So, so wrong. I remember the personal joy when that ruling came down and I set out on Akron's main downtown drag to interview people for the daily rag. He was so much more than a boxer. I'm glad social media and hate radio didn't exist when he was in his prime.

He was, no question, The Greatest. My heart starts beating faster thinking back to maybe my greatest sports thrill ever, watching Ali, on closed-circuit at the Akron Armory, pull out the rope-a-dope and do the unthinkable -- topple big, bad, ol' George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle. I was standing on a chair, screaming, rejoicing, hugging strangers like it was V-J Day in Times Square. I was hoarse for two days.

The only thing I regret and troubles me is how Ali abandoned his close friend and adviser Malcolm, who had Ali's best interests in mind unlike Herbert Muhammad and all those phony hangers-on. Ali felt forced to pick sides, sad, he knew what Malcolm's ultimate fate would be when he abandoned him.

I guess nobody, even Ali, is perfect.
 
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Fireball Jr. said:
Spot-on post. I "interviewed" Ali twice in Cleveland in the '70s -- you didn't interview him, he was just on auto-pilot -- and he was majestic, magical, magnificent. He was always "on," which made it all the sadder to, ironically, see him struggle to muster as much as a whisper for about the last half of his life.

I'm 67, have no regrets in life, none, if I had a mulligan, though, I’d have had someone snap a pic of me "interviewing" Ali in the locker room at the Cleveland Arena following a charity show that, I'm pretty sure, was Don King’s first production after he came home from "college."

As to his size, I was surprised how tall and muscular he was up close. Great experience -- and great memory -- sitting at press row and watching the tassels on his shoes flutter when he went into the Ali Shuffle 10 feet away from my pre-spectacled eyes.

Saw Ali speak in my college gym, too, during his forced exile from boxing. He was great. You're so right, Crusty, the SCOTUS did its job well when it unanimously riled Ali had been done wrong. So, so wrong. I remember the personal joy when that ruling came down and I set out on Akron's main downtown drag to interview people for the daily rag. He was so much more than a boxer. I'm glad social media and hate radio didn't exist when he was in his prime.

He was, no question, The Greatest. My heart starts beating faster thinking back to maybe my greatest sports thrill ever, watching Ali, on closed-circuit at the Akron Armory, pull out the rope-a-dope and do the unthinkable -- topple big, bad, ol' George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle. I was standing on a chair, screaming, rejoicing, hugging strangers like it was V-J Day in Times Square. I was hoarse for two days.

The only thing I regret and troubles me is how Ali abandoned his close friend and adviser Malcolm, who had Ali's best interests in mind unlike Herbert Muhammad and all those phony hangers-on. Ali felt forced to pick sides, sad, he knew what Malcolm's ultimate fate would be when he abandoned him.

I guess nobody, even Ali, is perfect.
Expand...
You are lucky indeed if you have no regrets in life. I have many, mostly things I did not do or try, but I don't dwell on them or beat myself up for them. I just try to remember enough that I don't repeat the pattern when I get similar opportunities in the future.
 
Fireball Jr. said:
Spot-on post. I "interviewed" Ali twice in Cleveland in the '70s -- you didn't interview him, he was just on auto-pilot -- and he was majestic, magical, magnificent. He was always "on," which made it all the sadder to, ironically, see him struggle to muster as much as a whisper for about the last half of his life.

I'm 67, have no regrets in life, none, if I had a mulligan, though, I’d have had someone snap a pic of me "interviewing" Ali in the locker room at the Cleveland Arena following a charity show that, I'm pretty sure, was Don King’s first production after he came home from "college."

As to his size, I was surprised how tall and muscular he was up close. Great experience -- and great memory -- sitting at press row and watching the tassels on his shoes flutter when he went into the Ali Shuffle 10 feet away from my pre-spectacled eyes.

Saw Ali speak in my college gym, too, during his forced exile from boxing. He was great. You're so right, Crusty, the SCOTUS did its job well when it unanimously riled Ali had been done wrong. So, so wrong. I remember the personal joy when that ruling came down and I set out on Akron's main downtown drag to interview people for the daily rag. He was so much more than a boxer. I'm glad social media and hate radio didn't exist when he was in his prime.

He was, no question, The Greatest. My heart starts beating faster thinking back to maybe my greatest sports thrill ever, watching Ali, on closed-circuit at the Akron Armory, pull out the rope-a-dope and do the unthinkable -- topple big, bad, ol' George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle. I was standing on a chair, screaming, rejoicing, hugging strangers like it was V-J Day in Times Square. I was hoarse for two days.

The only thing I regret and troubles me is how Ali abandoned his close friend and adviser Malcolm, who had Ali's best interests in mind unlike Herbert Muhammad and all those phony hangers-on. Ali felt forced to pick sides, sad, he knew what Malcolm's ultimate fate would be when he abandoned him.

I guess nobody, even Ali, is perfect.
Expand...
I watched the "Rumble in the Jungle" on closed circuit TV at Madison Square Garden. The whole place was rooting for Ali, which was sort of amazing given that Foreman was a popular Olympic Gold Medalist as well. The place was fairly quiet until everyone started to realize that Ali was allowing Fireman to punch himself out and people started to talk about it. In the beginning it was a bit of whistling by the graveyard and then, all of a sudden, Ali started to take charge. When he knocked Foreman out the place went crazy. Total strangers hugging and doing high fives. There were no races nor genders at that moment. I have never witnessed anything like it before or since.

I also saw him fight Floyd Patterson in 1972 at the Garden. Patterson refused to refer to him as Muhammad Ali. Every time Ali landed a punch, you could hear him say, "What's my name?"

The last time I saw him fight was against Ken Norton in Yankee Stadium in 1976. It was the rubber match between the two. Norton won the first by split decision and Ali the second, also by split decision. Ali won the 15-rounder by unanimous (yet controversial) decision. They placed the ring near the right field foul line well past the infield - a real old fashion event. We had seats on the field side and you could walk onto the out field.

During rounds I walked to center field and looked back toward home plate. It was a thrill standing there thinking if all the greats that stood there in the past. Quite a night.

Thanks for the memories Champ.
 
Another icon gone.
One of the greatest figures and Americans of the 20th Century.
Stood up for and was willing to die for his beliefs. The very reason this nation exists is when you have those who are brave enough to challenge the status quo.
Were Paul Revere, George Washington, or the Founding Fathers "cowards, traitors, and draft dodgers"? Well, yeah...if you happened to be British and unwilling to question King George. Yet w/out them, we wouldn't be here today.
Was Mandela a "terrorist", Ghandi an "agitator", MLK a "troublemaker"? With men like Ali, you can agree or disagree with their stances or causes, but you can not deny their courage. RIP and Godspeed to "The Greatest of All Times".
 
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