Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Sad news, Muhammad Ali

So many true things said already.

RIP

A very sad loss.
I am reminded of two stories about Ali.
1) A few days after he lit the cauldron at the opening of the 1996 Olympics he visited the Olympic village. Once word got around that he was there the building he was in was filled by the stampede as the greatest athletes of the day all rushed to meet him - even amongst his peers he was revered.

2) There used to be a book shop, called SportPages, specialising in sport books in Charing Cross Road, London.
Ali came there to do a book signing a few years back when he was in poor health.
The queue of people went far beyond Leicester Square. The signing went on until well after dark, many hours longer than planned, as Ali insisted on staying until the last person had been seen and he spent a minute or two with each and every customer having a conversation and connecting with them. The staff said in the whole history of the shop they had great sports people sign books on a regular basis but never did the experience anything like Ali's popularity or his insistence on making everyone feel special.

A true legend has left us.

One of the best documentaries ever.

When I was at prep school I was a very keen boxer. The matron (a former Bletchley Park wren) was a massive boxing fan, and I remember her getting permission from the headmaster for her to let the members of the boxing club watch the BBC's delayed transmission of the Rumble in the Jungle on the TV in her sitting room.

I admired Ali so much, as a man and above all as a boxer. It was only later, when I read up about the whole background to the Thrilla in Manila fight against Joe Frazier that his reputation became a bit tarnished for me. Frazier did a huge amount for Ali while he was out in the wilderness, which Ali repaid in the run-up to the fight by making some appallingly racist insults about Frazier, and treating him in a pretty disgraceful way.

Notwithstanding all that, I still have great admiration for him as a boxer; seldom if ever have we seen such thrilling heavyweight. I also have great respect for the way he was prepared to sacrifice his entire career and go to jail to stand up for what he believed in, by refusing the draft for Vietnam. His remark "I don't have no problem with the VietCong; ain't no VietCong ever called me Nigger" encapsulated the whole issue quite brilliantly.

One thing's for sure; there'll never be another like him.

R.I.P.

A quite brilliant documentary about unquestionably the greatest heavyweight of all time. And to think we never saw him in his prime. Even the best sportspersons are lucky to have a film made about their career, yet Ali has one made about one of his fights! There's been some great programmes broadcast since his passing and this is well worth listening to;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03x8x1c?ns_mchannel=social&

Eleanor Oldroyd, Mike Costello and Steve Bunce on Radio 5 live: Muhammad Ali a tribute.
R.I.P