Muhammad Ali
Boxing was, and is to this day, too small for Ali. Saying he was the best boxer of all time is running away from the fact. Sure, he boxed, and was the three-time champion of the world. Sure in boxing his left jab was the best one I ever went up against. His ability to take a punch was unmatched in the heavyweight division of his time. When you saw him in the gym or, in his youth in the ring, you'd think because of the speed of hand and feet that he was a lightweight. It was pure magic to see him do that shuffle. The old saying in our sport is “the best fight in the world is no good if no one knows about it;” Ali made every match the best because he'd promote each one like it was a championship match. Because of this, boxing promoters would only dream of doing one of his fights. The guarantees of fans buying his fights made purses swell. So much that it spilled into other sports.


But in boxing there will be others to come along with the speed of hand and feet; and promoter's dreams of sellouts will come as well, as we have seen with Tyson. Other three-time champs have come; we've seen Holyfield. Like I said, that's boxing. Who was the best of all time? Give that to some boxer. Muhammad Ali was, and is, too big for Boxing. He was the greatest man to box; he was the greatest man of my time to act in movies, the greatest man to make a speech, to write a book, the greatest to win an Olympic gold medal, and the greatest to light the Olympic Torch. I say greatest man because there has never been a man so young and so good at what he did, to give up so much. In a day when actors, athletes, politicians, and world leaders were trying to sell soda pop, Ali made a stand. He knew this would make these big soda pop companies turn their backs on him. Even other athletes turned their backs on him, along with world leaders as well. Then we all had to turn around and see what he did and love him for it.


Though Ali never would sell a soda pop, he made the unwanted, the unloved, drink the soda with what we never had before him - dignity. Yes, we's all look in the mirror and because of him say “I know I look good.” We learned to put our foot down and say “no.” We'd clinch our fists, even as I did: wave my flag, and say “I don't care what you say about me, or do to me, I did it because I was compelled, I believe in it.” Ali was a teacher. Today you see athletes taking a stand and even changing their names. Actors sitting down at picket lines speaking out on whatever they choose. Politicians looking good with a gang, on looks only. I say boxing is too small for Muhammad Ali. He changes the very world; no boxer could do that. He used to say, “I am pretty.” Not so, Man you are beautiful. He would say, “I am the king.” Not so Mister, kings come and go. You are what America really stands for, the very word Liberty.

Heimildir teknar af http://www.biggeorge.com/puncher/alitribute.htm

Þett a var það sem George Foreman skrifaði um Ali.

Þetta kemur frá manni sem tapaði fyrir Ali í eftirminnilegum bardaga sem var kallaður Rumble in The Jungle sem haldin var í Zaire. Þessi bardagi er talinn einn af bestu bardögum þess tíma. Ég persónulega held að það sé ekki hægt að lýsa þessum manni betur.

Eða hvað finnst ykkur?

Kveðja DFSaint