Without Muhammad Ali, there would be no President Obama: We must celebrate the life of The Greatest

[Surya Gayatri]

Out in Brooklyn, Muhammad Ali's biggest, most enduring fan says he won't mark his death - but he will celebrate his life.

There are a billion stories and tributes crackling around the globe just now explaining why Ali was The Greatest.

One of them is that without Ali, there would have been no President Barack Obama of the USA, which is a fact that in one way, can say it all about the epic grandeur of the life of The Champ, who has died, aged 74.
...

For a more intimate but just as telling example of the extra-ordinary nature of Ali's life, which was hilarious and homespun as well as historic, there are the remarkable recollections of one Mike Marley, a larger- than-life boxing figure himself, who was there pretty close to the beginning of the tale back in 1963 and stayed close to it all the way through.

As the torrent of words pours forth detailing Ali's achievements in the ring, on behalf of the cause of civil rights and as one of the planet's most magnetic and electrifying personalities, the recollections Marley has related to me at various times offer a unique, close-up perspective into the character which made so much happen on such a grand scale.
...

“He asked me if I was a white boy or if I was coloured. After I told him the truth, that I was white, he asked me along and I became a part of things. However, when I asked if I could go to one of the pre-fight press conferences he said I couldn’t. I asked him why and he said, ‘Because Liston eats kids.'"

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/other-sports/without-muhammad-ali-no-president-barack-obama-celebrate-life-of-the-greatest-who-captivated-a3263691.html

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A good read about Ali's admirable actions out of the ring.

[Cal33]

1. Ali was willing to risk his profession, risk going to jail for his convictions. He was a man with

guts, and he was quick-witted too.

I remember having seen him once being interviewed on TV. The interviewer asked
short fast questions, and Ali's replies were just as quick and short:

I: What do you think of Marciano?

A: He was too short.

I; And Joe Louis?

A: Too slow.

I: Jack Dempsey?

A: Too light.

I: How about Jack Johnson?

A: Too ugly.

When his fighting days were over at another interview, he was asked about his
Parkinson's disability. Ali replied that he had taken too many punches. The
interviewer remarked that he had seldom been hit in the ring, at least during
his younger days.

Ali replied that he had the idea that he could train his brain not to get knocked
out. So, during his training, he would stand still and ask them to hit him in the
jaw as hard as they could. The interviewer asked how many times did he take
those punches? Ali: Thousands and thousands.

Max Baer had done the same thing in the 1930s. But Baer didn't stay in the
ring as long as Ali did.

Each time a person gets hit hard, there could be a tiny bit of bleeding into the
brain tissues. Multiply that by thousands.......you can imagine the result.
But didn't Ali also have a personal physician, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco? Did Dr.
Pacheco know about this? I guess not. If he did he certainly would have
told Ali to stop it.

Yep, Ali is the greatest boxing champ, ever - and a great man, to boot.!

[Surya Gayatri]

2. As I said elsewhere, it's a sad irony that boxing was both

his ticket to world renown, but also the source of the damage that detroyed his "silver-tongued" wit.

[Cal33]

3. As a young champion, he guessed that he might stay in the ring until about age 50, then

he would retire, an undefeated champion. I think he might have been able to do it, too,
if he hadn't taken all those hard punches during his training periods. They slowed him
down before his time. Ali had an unusually quick and responsive nervous system.

Just look at George Foreman. He returned to boxing after having been retired for more
than 10 years, and became heavyweight champion again at the age of 45.