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Muhammad Ali -- A great boxer Post a memory
JWP
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Muhammad Ali was a real force in the boxing world when I was growing up. Please share a thought or a memory you might have.
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
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A beautiful boxer to watch, the definition of textbook boxing, the footwork, the jab, watching him in the ring is like poetry in motion. He had a lot of pressure on him throughout his career, people followed him around like Elvis and yet he always had time for them, a true people's champion. I've watched a few documentaries about him and once you get to know his personality, he was just a normal guy like anyone else, he loved to joke around and he wasn't stuck up or anything like some people are when they become famous. A few of my favorite photos of him.
These two were pretty much linked together.
Ali was a charismatic personality first and foremost. From beginning to end. His rise coincided with the decline of the popularity of boxing in America. The fix was in......Joe Frazier did not take the bait......he saved the sport......for whatever that's worth.....
Typical Ali fight card.......always a stiff!
No photos, only memories of the first fight against Sonny Liston which I listened to on the radio. Liston was the heavy favorite, but Ali beat him after five rounds when Liston refused to answer the bell.
Few people remember it but Ali claimed to be partially blinded by something Liston put on his gloves in the third or fourth round. Ali cut Liston badly around the eyes.
The second Ali - Liston fight was said to be fixed when Liston was downed by a “phantom punch.” Bill O’Reilly claimed it was fixed in his book about the mob.