Muhammad Ali passes. 6/03/2016.
 

30 of Muhammad Ali's best quotes

A great boxer and a good poet of sorts.


Just thinking about the connections between Muhammad Ali and my parents' old bridge partner and my sometimes help with my 224 613 Project Mills Lane--
Referee Mills Lane: Still Fighting At Age 78

New York Times article on the late Muhammad Ali.
 

Hope this link works-- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/sp...?smid=fb-share

Muhammad Ali: Boxing legend and 'The Greatest' to a world of fans - CNN.com

Anyone have some other good links on Muhammad Ali?

Today we reflect on the legacy of... - National Museum of American History | Facebook

Hope you can see this. Pretty cool.

Sad to see him pass. He was very gifted, both intellectually and physically. He just stayed in the ring too long. RIP.

A good man who some, considered controversial!

A great fighter!

I was always sad to see him in later years, just a shell of himself. I like to remember him, when he was vibrant.

RIP - Muhammed

Keith Olbermann is one of our more gifted sports essayists. Like most of his work it is a bit about Keith, but he ties it all together with a wordsmith's bow, how Ali impacted Keith and how Ali impacted the world. Well worth a couple minutes to read.

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World — The Ringer

Thanks for that link, blueash.

I hope people will keep posting good ones in tribute of The Greatest.

Legacy
 

A big part of his legacy that isn't politically correct to talk about is how he took advantage of everything this country had to offer but was AWOL when his country asked him to serve in the military, I'm sure he wasn't a coward but it would have cost him a lot of lost revenue if he couldn't prize fight.
Think about the lost World
War II years for real heroes like Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, etc. They answered the call. Not like this egotistical bigmouth. Another thing, he wasn't the greatest, just the loudest.

My mother told me not to speak ill of the dead so I'll hold my tongue, but it is hard to do. He was an excellent boxer though.
A friend of mine who is now also dead, Tony Alongi was one of his sparring partners and I heard got fired for knocking Clay down in the ring while sparring. Tony went on to fighting Jerry Quarry 3 times with the results of several ties. Remembering Tony Alongi - Boxing.com

I'm met him in the 90s. His issues with Parkinson's was very evident at that time. So sad.

Not a fan.
 

And, closer in time, Elvis, interrupted his career to serve.

You will find a lot of people who wore the green uniform who aren't too enthralled by the man who refused induction into the military.

You seem to forget that he won an Olympic gold medal for this country. And his beliefs about our involvement in Vietnam are a world apart from what WWII was all about. What you considered bombastic was just entertainment. And he did entertain us.

African-Americans In Combat | History Detectives | PBS

Vietnam was very different from WWII that's true. Also in the ways that African-Americans fought in it.

A friend of mine whom I served with won golden gloves ( heavy weight) in Kentucky twice. He sparred with Clay back then in the Portland section of Louisville. Dennis told me that Clay's brother was a better boxer from a technical standpoint but Clay had the killer instinct.

Clay did what a lot of us thought about doing during Vietnam. Elvis was a different era. I got drafted by the USMC in 1969 fresh out of college. I hated that so called war..but I went..2 tours actually..

Exactly!!

Bill O'Reilly gave a poignant oral history of Clay/Ali last night. I learned Malcolm X took advantage of Clay and his earnings when he was young and naive and counseled him to evade the draft.

I'll not speak ill of the departed.

Muhammad Ali passes. 6/03/2016.
 

Why not ? I'm sure he wouldn't care if he were still alive.

I feel a book coming.......

My wife & I met Ali and his family while we were vacationing on St Thomas in 1991. Short and pleasant conversation and then they sat at a table next to us for dinner that evening. Sad to see him struggle so to eat but through it all the number of folks who came over asking for autographs or pictures were all rewarded. He turned nobody down and even made like he was punching some young boy while posing for a picture.

RIP Muhammad Ali, you were a great boxer and very pretty.

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exactly what did he take advantage of? He was a poor kid who had a talent and used it to make himself better. and to compare WW2 to Viet Nam? He didn't serve because of religious beliefs and it cost him fans and lots of money but unlike others he stuck to his beliefs. He was a true champion.

Totally agree. Ali didn't run to Canada. He went to prison for three years, while in his prime. Do you really think he would have been sent to Nam? He would have been used for recruiting. he truly stuck to his beliefs. A lot more honor in his actions than those who ran to Canada or got deferments.

To me, he was a hero. A great champion in the ring. A man of conviction outside of it. One who has showed great courage in his battle with Parkinson's.

RIP Muhammad Ali. Thanks for sharing your life and talents with us.

Ali went to prison for three years? Did not know that.

Although convicted of draft evasion he successfully appealed the conviction. He never went to prison, never even spent a night in jail for refusing induction into the military.

He was barred from boxing for three years.

To be honest I thought that was the case. In 1964 Cassius Clay jr. joined the Black Muslims and changed his name from (in his words) his slave name. He claimed to the draft board he was a minister but they saw through that and classified him 1-A.

Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction - Apr 28, 1967 - HISTORY.com

I do agree that Muhammad Ali probably would have been made a public relations mouthpiece for the war and not seen any combat.

Maybe, how knows? Ted Williams was a star baseball player and served three years during WWII and was called back to active duty during the Korea war/police action. He flew in 39 combat missions. He didn't want to go either, nor did most that were drafted.

Muhammad Ali passes. 6/03/2016.
 

WWII was a war where every able bodied man & woman was needed to destroy the axis. Vietnam was no threat to our national security. Thus, Ali definitely would have been used for a PR campaign to never see combat.
Honestly, if I were a black man of draft age in the sixties I wouldn't serve either. Knowing myself, I would have shed my slave name as well. He was a product of the time. A time when inequality was considered fairness by the majority.

My mistake. I honestly thought he had gone to prison. Regardless, he lost millions by refusing the draft. His title was taken from him and he was banned from boxing for three years. he really did stand behind his convictions.

Billy Crystal at Ali's funeral service injected some humor into his eulogy. Quite a who's who among speakers, eulogists, and pall bearers. What a legacy.

Billy Crystal Evokes Laughter at Ali Funeral - YouTube