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Post by BuryMeInBurgundyAndGold on Jun 4, 2016 0:14:06 GMT -5
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Post by BuryMeInBurgundyAndGold on Jun 4, 2016 0:17:41 GMT -5
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PCinOz
CPND Regular
Resident Capologist & Sith Lord
Posts: 67,574
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Post by PCinOz on Jun 4, 2016 4:45:05 GMT -5
One of my inspirational sports heroes when growing up.
God has taken his champion home.
RIP Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali
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Monkster
Administrator
The Senior Warden
Posts: 67,106
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Post by Monkster on Jun 4, 2016 6:42:04 GMT -5
I saw him once close up. He was physically the most beautiful thing I ever saw before or since. Just gorgeous. I remember thinking if this guy hit me in the jaw with a full punch it would kill me, he had that much the look of latent power. Seeing him descend into the hell of Parkinsons Disease was excrutiating, and as all PD victims and their loved one are family through shared torture, good bye, Brother.
He was a trailblazer who will never be forgotten. RIP, Ali, condolences to his family.
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Post by rskin72 on Jun 4, 2016 7:33:14 GMT -5
The greatest boxer I ever saw in the ring. A heavyweight that could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
Loved the press conferences also...especially with cosell. They both played off each other perfectly.
Didn't agree with all of his points of view...but that certainly did not diminish my enjoyment watching him in his sport, at his prime.
Who can forget the thrilla Manila...or any of the 3 classic fights vs Frazier. Or the knockout of foreman. Rope a dope as a strategy. Classics.
RIP....
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Post by hawgwash on Jun 4, 2016 9:14:52 GMT -5
Truly he was a real knockout for men in one way and women in another . Inspirational .
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Biggest
CPND Regular
Jon Brandes Fan
Posts: 19,226
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Post by Biggest on Jun 4, 2016 10:16:22 GMT -5
Cassius - the 'Louisville Lip.' As 'The Greatest' was from my mom and dad's home town in Kentucky, I knew about him early on - really before I became the crazed sports' fan I remain to this day. My two greatest memories of him in the ring: - March 8, 1971: I actually was rooting for 'Smoking Joe' Frazier that unforgettable night in 'The Garden.' I was 9 years old, and in the school grounds that week leading up to the fight, all the boys were talking about was this massive Madison Square Garden confrontation. Everyone that was anyone was there - Sinatra, Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and Clyde Frazier in the BADDEST & COOLEST Mack Daddy ensemble ever assembled! Being the son of a recently retired U.S. Army Colonel who had served during WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam Wars, I had temporarily turned on Ali and wanted to see Frazier win. And he did. - The Fight in Zaire versus the Unbeatable George Foreman: A few years later, I had grown to admire and respect Ali's talents and his decision to object to the Vietnam War. I literally feared for his life in the ring versus Foreman. Then came the fight itself, the 'rope-a-dope' and the fierce will and strength he had to take that beating to the body from Foreman. When he had worn him out and finished the fight whuppin Big George's arse, I was dumbfounded - and in awe of the Louisville Lip once more. Those are just my two 'fight game' memories of Ali. I seem to recall another time where he was enlisted to prevent a 'jumper' from jumping and committing suicide, and he - as I recall - talked the person out of that life ending decision. I remember him losing out to Larry Holmes and Father Time in his late 30s, immensely saddened (as I would feel much the same more than a decade later when Terry Norris brutally stole Sugar Ray Leonard's 'dignity' in the ring at the end for him). And I remember Ali holding that Olympic Torch, ever so precariously - his wobbly arm and body riddled by Parkinsons Disease, an awful illness that ravaged my Grandfather at the end of his life. But Ali 'fought it off' and the Torch remained high and would not fall. Thank you Cassius for all of those memories. They enriched my life experience. RIP! One of my inspirational sports heroes when growing up. God has taken his champion home. RIP Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali |
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Post by TennesseeCarl on Jun 4, 2016 13:12:15 GMT -5
I remember listening to Cassius Clay's fight against Liston on radio - it wasn't a broadcast of the fight, but they were giving updates as quickly as they could without being sued. Sonny Liston was sort of like Mike Tyson - a terrible, glowering menace who couldn't be hurt, let alone beat. I was 12 years old at the time and I had done some Boy's Club boxing - I was a big fan. The news that Liston would not answer the bell in the 7th was electric. You've got to remember the times...these were the early 1960s. We (White America) didn't know any black people personally. There were a few performers and sports figures, but they mostly kept their heads down. Not Cassius Clay. He was brash, young, good looking and full of himself. And he let you in.
Most of the time that was fun. He loved the media and used it better than anyone for self promotion (he later said he learned from watching Gorgeous George, a wrestler of the time). He and Howard Cosell played off each other. But it wasn't always fun - right after the first Liston fight, he announced he had jointed the Black Muslim movement of Elijah Muhammad. Even changed his name. We'd never seen anything like that.
But Muhammad Ali was so compelling a personality, over time we could even accept his rejection of, well, most everything we (White America) valued. He was hated for it...and loved. At one time, I remember reading that he was the single most recognizable human on the planet (more folks knew him than the Pope).
If you are a boxing fan, he was a masterpiece in action. Size, speed, ring savvy, hand speed, movement, power in either hand...he had it all. He was a great promoter, giving his opponent nicknames and building them up as foes. And he had the good fortune to come up in an era with some great heavyweights.
Ali was more than just an athlete, though. His personality was so dominant that he became an emblem of an era in America...a transitional era. In the end, he had to endure the ravages of Parkinson's Disease and we didn't get to see him often. I mourn his passing. And I'll bet a lot of folks who loathed him during the 1970s have set aside that hate and are mourning as well. At least I hope so.
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tlusby
CPND Regular
Posts: 4,150
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Post by tlusby on Jun 4, 2016 13:27:26 GMT -5
Absolute stud and was my idle...I made my first bet on him against Smoking Joe Frazier and lost $.50. I was torn apart that he lost! Boxing was great back then as well as the middle weights with Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, etc.
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meddle
CPND Regular
Posts: 4,764
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Post by meddle on Jun 4, 2016 13:28:22 GMT -5
Ali's willingness to fight for what he believed and his immense, immeasurable ability as a fighter have meant so much to me in my life. His legacy is untouchable and we will never see another boxer quite like him again -- one who transcends boxing, one who is a both a cultural phenomenon and an unstoppable force in the ring.
His fight against Foreman was probably the pinnacle of his career -- he outwitted Foreman and despite the "rope-a-dope" strategy that allowed Foreman to hit him repeatedly, Ali was in charge of that fight from the opening bell, all the way through to the beautiful combination of punches that floored Foreman in the 7th round. The fights against Joe Frazier, whose tenacity and toughness I also have tremendous respect for, were brutal and beautiful at the same time. My stomach still turns when I think of the Thrilla in Manila and the sheer brutality of that fight.
A real hero in my life, I will miss Ali dearly, as will everyone else whose life he touched.
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Post by skinsmaniac on Jun 4, 2016 17:37:50 GMT -5
Way OT that would get moved if I posted it
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Post by skins1970 on Jun 5, 2016 10:34:47 GMT -5
Simply the greatest of all time!
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newshog
Administrator
Infopork
Posts: 21,404
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Post by newshog on Jun 11, 2016 8:13:55 GMT -5
I saw him once close up. He was physically the most beautiful thing I ever saw before or since. Just gorgeous. I remember thinking if this guy hit me in the jaw with a full punch it would kill me, he had that much the look of latent power. Seeing him descend into the hell of Parkinsons Disease was excrutiating, and as all PD victims and their loved one are family through shared torture, good bye, Brother. He was a trailblazer who will never be forgotten. RIP, Ali, condolences to his family. Loved watching all the videos of young Ali that folks have linked to in connection with his tragic death. What a pure dynamo. The thing I'd basically forgotten about was how well he could see punches coming and just lean or tilt his head juuuuust enough out of the way as they flicked past. Amazing vision. |
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