June 1, 2003

Muhammad Ali a name associated with greatness. Why is that? I guess because all the time he was fighting, he was always spouting out how he was “the greatest”. Maybe he said enough that we started believing what he was saying.

Even if Ali never said a word about his greatness and just let his performances speak for it self, we would have came to that conclusion.

What is greatness: Lets stop and define what greatness is in a prize fighter. The ability to win, when the odds are against you. Ali on numerous occasions won when he seemingly didn’t have a chance. Let’s look at when he defeated Sonny Liston in 1964, at 22 years old, to win the Heavyweight Championship the 1st time. He went in to the fight as an 8 to 1 underdog against a champion perceived as invinciable. Again in 1974, a 32 year Ali, after being exiled from boxing during his prime years and then defeated by Joe Frazier, and facing George Foreman a man would had just crushed Frazier. There was no way he could win that one. He went on to win the title a second time, and then a third time after beating Leon Spinks in a return match at the age of 38.

Is Ali truly the greatest?

Ability to captivate the public: There has been no other athlete that has been able to captivate the public lie Ali. No only was Ali the biggest draw in boxing, he was the biggest name in sports. Ali was larger than boxing. Only a few athletes are larger than the game, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are the only other ones that come to mind, Ali is the only one that image was not manufactured by the media. Ali is probably the most recognizable figure in the world.

Being able to overcome: Being pushed all the way to the limit and being able to prevail, as was the case in the “Thrilla in Manilla”, the 3rd fight against Frazier. This was a war. Ali was later quoted as saying that “this is the closest thing to death “. He managed to overcome great obstacles in his career and life, even his latest struggles with Parkinson’s disease that has impaired his motor skills. He hasn’t let that stop him from making public appearances and being a humanitarian.

Not only was Ali and great fighter, he is a great man.