Muhammad Ali (1942-2016): The Last Champion

English: Bust portrait of Muhammad Ali, World Journal Tribune photo by Ira Rosenberg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Muhammad Ali liked to tell anyone who would listen that he floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee, and was the Greatest of All Time in the boxing ring.  More often than not, he backed it up by winning the heavyweight boxing championship three different times (1964, 1974 and 1978).  He was also one of the most polarizing figures of his era, whose beliefs nearly cost him his career and his freedom.

Almost everyone knows the story of how Ali, born Cassius Clay, rocked the boxing world in much the same way The Beatles rocked the music world:  Gold medalist at the 1960 Olympics in Rome as a light heavyweight.  Taking the world heavyweight title from Sonny Liston at age 22 in 1964.  Announcing shortly after the fight that he was converting to Islam and changing his name.  Verbal jibes and predictions with opponents and reporters, especially with Howard Cosell, the ABC sportscaster who covered many of Ali's fights.

That all came to a halt in 1967 when, at the height of the Vietnam War, Ali refused to be inducted into the Army because of his Muslim beliefs.  For the next three and a half years until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor, Ali was banned from boxing, his titles were taken away, and faced the possibility of going to prison on draft evasion charges.  Through his actions as a conscientious objector, Ali helped show the folly of America's involvement in Vietnam and every other war since.

After his exile ended in 1970 and The Powers That Be let him box again, Ali regained the heavyweight title in a series of memorable bouts with Joe Frazier and George Foreman.  They fought in such places as New York's Madison Square Garden, the Philippines and Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo).  Once again, Ali took his brand around the world, entertaining the locals and more verbal jousting with Cosell.

But those fights took a toll.  Ali was no longer the boxer he was before his enforced layoff, but he did fool enough people to regain and defend his title again and again.  Until he no longer could.  After retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali claimed he took 29,000 punches during his career.  If that's so, then it's what led to his diagnosis of Parkinsons and his long twilight.  He died Friday in a Phoenix hospital at age 74.

The Greatest of All Time?  There's always going to be debates about that from his fans and detractors.  But if there was ever a man who had such an impact in and out of the ring--and considering what we have now as far as role models go--Muhammad Ali could very well be The Last Champion.