Monday Musing: The Greatest of All Time

I HAVE WRESTLED WITH AN ALLIGATOR, I HAVE TUSSLED WITH A WHALE

If I could meet one person in the world, it would without question be Muhammad Ali, and I would probably collapse in a pool of blubbering tears at his feet, such is my worshipful admiration of the man. The first time I remember hearing about Ali is when I was ten. The "Rumble in the Jungle" fight against the reigning heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman, was coming up, and the whole third world rallied behind Ali. He was our champion, our symbol of hope. A few years ago I wrote about that fight at 3QD, and this is what I had to say:

Mohammad Ali's most famous fight of all, the Rumble-in-the-Jungle against George Foreman in 1974 in Zaire, is the athletic world's most powerful instantiation of the David versus Goliath story. It speaks to our dream of the triumph of cunning and skill over brute strength. And this is what Ali's life has been about, inside and outside of the ring. He is not a big boxer, as heavyweights go, but he more than makes up in speed and nimbleness what he lacks in size. Ali's hold on our psyches is such that I can remember my mother, who knew and cared nothing about sports, not only getting up in the middle of the night to watch the Rumble-in-the-Jungle live via-satellite, but very earnestly saying a prayer for Muhammad Ali to win. If you have not seen the documentary When We Were Kings, please do yourself a favor: buy the DVD and watch it every Sunday as I used to do until I practically had it memorized. [I just bought it again, here in the Sudtirol, and have been showing it to people on Sundays!] Norman Mailer and George Plimpton were at the fight covering it as journalists, and comment on the fight looking back. There is music by James Brown and B.B. King, and there is the fight itself, along with delightful footage of Ali from before and after the fight, including his reciting some of his poetry, such as this bit to describe what he has been doing to train for the fight:

I have wrestled with an alligator,
I have tussled with a whale,
I have handcuffed lighting,
Thrown thunder in jail.
Yesterday, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
I'm so mean I make medicine sick!

The movie, and Ali's story, is so moving that several of the people I have shown the film to have wept at the end, out of sheer joy and admiration for the man. At the time, Ali was a bit of a has-been fighter in his 30s while George Foreman was the new, young, invincible, 22-year-old heavyweight champion of the world. Foreman was built like a bull with the personality of a pitbull. He was taller, heavier, and had much greater reach than Ali. He was nothing like the amiable teddy bear of a guy-next-door we know so well now from commercials for his electric grill and Midas mufflers. And the sheer force of his punches had already become mythic. The bookmakers gave him 7-to-1 odds againts Ali. Ali didn't care. Muhammad Ali crushed him in an 8th round knockout in a blindingly fast flurry of punches (see picture), having tired him out earlier in the fight by inventing what we now know as the rope-a-dope trick (leaning back against the ropes in a defensive stance and letting your opponent pound you until he or she gets exhausted). Ali became world champ for the third time that day.

But Ali is such a colossus that his herculean boxing accomplishments can only explain a small part of his appeal. I cannot think of another human being as physically beautiful, as talented, as intelligent, as charming, as articulate, as funny, vivacious, and brave, and as morally principled, as Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali has been the greatest international symbol of standing up to overwhelming might that the sports world has ever produced. He is the modern-day David that took on the Goliaths of racism, the U.S. government, even the Nation of Islam--after he broke with it. He gave hope and strength to those who opposed the Vietnam war and American imperialism, not only within America, but everywhere. He refused to run away to Canada to avoid the draft and faced the prospect of jail instead. He was stripped of his title and was not allowed to box for years. He suffered and sacrificed for his beliefs, and he never gave in. Ali is the only sports figure ever with Nelson Mandela-like dignity. As George Plimpton puts it toward the end of When We Were Kings: "What a fighter. And what a man."

I AM THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. I SAID THAT EVEN BEFORE I KNEW I WAS.

Do yourself a favor: watch 'em all!

I SHOOK UP THE WORLD.

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE. MUHAMMAD, MUHAMMAD ALI.

"What a fighter. And what a man." Indeed.

This post is dedicated to my sister Azra, one of the most passionate defenders of African-American rights that I know; my brother Tasnim, whose stubborn integrity, among other things, reminds me of Ali; and also to my friend Husain Naqvi, a fellow Ali admirer.

All my previous Monday Musings can be seen here.

Have a good week!

Comments

[Jim]

What an excellent testimonial to the man. I share your admiration.

My father was a boxing fan with whom I watched televised fights in the early 1950's on a small-screen B&W TV. He was a hard-working but poor man and poorly educated, and was not exactly racially enlightened. Then Cassius Clay came on the scene.

After initial resistance to the young fighter's in-your-face brashness, my dad eventually came to admire Ali for all the qualities you enumerate.

Not many make their way through life with their integrity and courage intact as Ali did.

Thanks for reposting, I missed it the first time.

[Azra Raza]

Abbas, this is an outstanding piece on an outstanding individual. How true when you say: "I cannot think of another human being as physically beautiful, as talented, as intelligent, as charming, as articulate, as funny, vivacious, and brave, and as morally principled, as Muhammad Ali". Most of us cannot even claim to have 1-2 of the nine qualities/virtues you have assigned to Ali, (and even these can be easily expanded to at least twice as many) so when a man like Ali comes around, who comes around but once a century or less, it is but fitting and proper to dissolve in front of him in abject admiration. I am a particular admirer of his extreme self confidence! Here is one aphorism: “If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize”

Harvey loved Ali with a great passion as well, and one thing that touched him most about Ali was his exceptional kindness towards children. And his commitment to public service and the people: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth”.

Every time I read “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison and come to the boxing scene, I remember this line by Ali: “Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up.”

Here is one of Bhaisab's and my favorite Ali witticisms: Maureen Dowd, the New York Times reporter, who is supposedly very pretty in person, went to interview Ali. She handed him her NY Times visiting card. He is said to have looked at the card, looked at her, looked at the card, looked at her a few times and then remark, "So you are telling me that you are smarter than you look?"

Thank you also for writing this lovely reminder of one of the greatest humans for Black History Month. How many people can say the following and be telling the truth?
“When you are as great as I am it is hard to be humble. “

Here is what he had to say about race: “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.”
Brilliant writing and truly an inspiring column.......Shabash!
Aps.

[John]

In 1973 I was working at the Peace Corps in DC, and around noon one day there was a buzz - Ali is coming. He came down the middle of G street leading, alone with at least 150 people behind him and stopped for a glass of water at a coffee shop in our building. By luck I was next to him at the counter. All the women wanted a kiss, but he only hugged the heavy older black women, picked them up, whispered in their ears - they blushed, giggled, and he was gone. He was the most beautiful human being I have ever seen.

[Abbas Raza]

Jim,

Thanks for your appreciation.

Aps,

Thanks for all the additional brilliant quotes.

John,

Thanks for the charming anecdote.

[Dave Ranning]

I too had a Muhammad Ali encounter--
I was picking up the old VW from the repair shop in Santa Barbara (the 70's), when this Rolls Royce pulls in, and out steps Muhammad Ali, and needs to use the rest room. After exiting, he wanted some conversation (apparently his wife was at a horse show at Earl Warren Show-grounds- this is Santa Barbara after all), and being bored with the event, was out for a ride.
We discussed the Jerry Quary fight coming up, his political commitments and the state of the world.
He was gracious and open--
He gave everyone a autograph before departing, which I had with me for years, but has disappeared after numerous moves.
We need more roll models like Muhammad Ali.

[Abbas Raza]

Dave,

I like that you call him a "roll" model. As in, "that's how he rolls in his brand new Rolls!"

[zee]

hey- i'm your boxing neice!!!! i love ali. i loved the piece the first time and just as much this time. so uplifting.
cool to be able to admire someone in an unexpectedly admirable avenue.

[jason]

That image of George W. Bush tying that Medal of "Freedom" around Ali's neck says a lot. He is sadly still being used.