Muhammad Ali on life support

...one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.

 

I totally agree, during a very volatile time in our history, he help galvanize calm. I always took great pleasure in his friendship with Howard Cosell.

 

Actually, he kinda inadvertently threw wood on the fire of those times and touched a nerve both amoung the old guard and the younger generation. Sooner or later this was going to be addressed....it was his turn, and he made a stand.
Great great boxer and in his later years became a good will ambassador. Gotta give him credit for risking his career and facing any repercussions by sticking to his principals and defying the draft which was probably the biggest issue surrounding the Vietnam War as it began to drag on... Most of the anti-war protesters simply didn't believe Vietnam was important enough for them to get drafted against their wills and thrown into the jungle.


Had a sense of humor......
...after all these years when you think about it, he was a phenomenon because he was saying things and bragging like no other high profile athlete ever did- he was known for his "speaking" as much as his boxing skills....you knew he was intelligent but......even when he was being serious you felt as if he was a comedian.
He would insult guys like Joe Frazier by calling them stupid and ugly but actually he sounded like some kind of backwoods/hillbilly who thought reciting simple little poems made him smarter.

 

...he's gone.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-boxing-ali-condition-idUSKCN0YQ00M

 

What a TREMENDOUS loss. R.I.P. champ.