There’s no doubt that Muhammad Ali special.
It's rare to get such a wide/positive consensus on anything these days.
Let alone about a particular celebrity and/or sportsperson; and Ali was both.
It's even harder to get such a wide/positive consensus on a boxer.
As we are a fickle bunch of fans, spectators, and supporters.
Yet Ali not only;
A) Almost always received that consensus.
B) But he also (deservingly) held onto it for several decades.
Decades that crossed over and transcended way past the closure of his actual boxing career.
That’s almost unheard of in this sport.
Amazing stuff.
As negatively prophetic and as unbelievable as it may sound, I was pretty sure Ali would pass this year.
For a year or so now (stating last year) I had felt that this big/sad event was near and in a strange - but also visionary and euphoric kind of way I prepared for it by both thinking a lot about Ali, and by also trying to acknowledge why it was that he had that impact on me.
I mean, I never met the guy.
And, no, I don't think he's the best ever heavyweight either (in the top 5 or 10 for sure).
Furthermore, I also know he was not all the flowers and grace (who is?) he was sometimes made out to be.
So (you could say) why bother then; with all the psychological preparation?
For a while I didn't even know why I bothered, and it was a mystery; as I just felt it and as such didn’t question it.
Then I realized that Ali was probably one of the main reasons I;
A) Not only thought boxing was great and stayed with it.
B) But also (and perhaps more interestingly) I realised (maybe for the first time in my life) that Ali himself was most likely the first real/great influence for me as to why it's important to always stand up for what you believe in against the odds and stay true to yourself.
The fact that - against what surely must have been immense pressure from the best part of America and also perhaps even many other countries - Ali stood up for (extremely unpopular) things that he, deep in his heart, knew to be true and just, actually meant more to me and had a far greater impact on my life than his boxing achievements; even though his boxing achievements themselves also served to influence, *teach, and motivate.
*I mean, just from watching Ali, I learned how to throw a sneaky lead right hand (with and without the shoulder and/or hips) whilst walking backwards.
It’s not a bad trick to have in your toolkit.
No matter which way you roll or spin it, Ali was a pretty special guy, celebrity, and sportsman.
Very few boxers experience what it is like to go to the Olympics, and even fewer can say they were awarded a medal there.
Ali was awarded a gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Not many people get to fight the murderers row of opponents that Ali did and still become a successful professional heavyweight boxing champion (multiple times); whilst also being the peoples champion (all the time).
Ali did.
Not many people - regardless of sporting code - get to be the living embodiment of what "champion” means; Ali did.
I read somewhere, years ago, that a survey concluded that when people say or hear the word “champion”, and then get asked to choose a sporting hero that best represents that; most say "Ali".
Ali (I believe) is one of the main reasons tennis players (and other no-combat sporting codes) gesticulate punching movements in the air when they are successful and/or under pressure.
The indoctrination we all gladly received from Ali as he loudly transcended through his careers as a celebrity and fighter, brashly carving out his own brand of “Ali-Social-Zeitgeisism”, is hard (if not impossible) to deny.
His mesmerizing ability to achieve and influence didn’t stop there though . .
Even if it did take a while to come to fruition; not many people get to prove America was wrong with their ideals about war; let alone that and also mandatory enrolment.
Talk about rage against the machine!
Think about it.
I mean . . heck, even president Obama failed just with his (admirable but arguably far easier to achieve) anti-gun stance.
Yet, Ali did all of the above together; whilst also setting in stone his place as an all time great in (and out of) one of the most difficult and treacherous sports.
It really warrants a pause for thought doesn’t it?
Who usually achieves half, let alone all, of this?
When considered in these contexts (and I hope you all agree with me) I believe - provided the comparison could be uncontroversially made and not shot down before it got off the ground and achieved escape velocity - you could make a case for Ali overtaking Elvis Presley.
I know for certain, in my mind, stellar celebrity and performing greats such as the Beatles and Michael Jackson certainly trail in Ali’s wake.
And then you have how humble, playful, wise, kind, selfless, and completely accessible he was in his later years.
During torment and torture that many would have justifiably behaved in the opposite to what Ali did, given the disease that ravaged him.
So many positive things to take from him; and I didn't even know him.
Now, that's amazing.
As far as I am concerned (and
Storm is always concerned about anything to do with boxing) Ali was, and will still continue to be for years to come;
1) A statesman for the importance of independent thinking.
2) A symbol of how socially-transformative success in this sport can be.
3) An example of what self belief combined with progressive ideology can achieve and also how powerful it can become to move others when shaped correctly.
4) A social commentator on visions with unparalleled capacity to formulate solutions and opinions that - particularly when coupled with breathtaking sporting performances that demonstrated Ali’s trademark combination of unwavering self belief and “win at all costs” attitude - evolved into historically significant sociological benchmarks that were so powerful they dominated communal beliefs and ideals to the extent that they;
A) Didn’t just temporarily change cultural thoughts on important subjects in a way where it was all forgotten the next day; as is with most social principles and movement oriented trends that cut against the democratic grain of planned mediocrity.
B) As, what Ali had to say . . also ushered in a new and persistent way for the masses to engage in pensive thought on matters that impacted their daily lives and futures; and in this way Muhammad Ali ultimately defined a new philosophical ideology for society to use in areas it had previously been told by the government-war-machine, not to ever question.
And, also (last but not least; point 5) . . .
5) Ali was quite literally (and in a context that escapes simple copyright considerations) a living trademark whose unique life experiences not only evolved to be representative of what most aspire for - but they also gave rise to many of the inspiring terms and colloquiums that we lesser folks today currently use to describe impossible dreams, sporting stars and also the dangerous and dark spaces they toil in to achieve greatness.
So, yes, Muhammad Ali was (and is) special.
Amazing stuff.
With such an incredible and unparalleled body of work, who can say Muhammad Ali is not - even now - the living embodiment of what it means to be a “Legend”, “Champion”, and “King”.
Rest easy champ, king, and legend, as you and your achievements will remain unsurpassed and echo through eternity for a long time yet.
Storm.
:) :)
Muhammad Ali & The Ever Lasting Legacy Of “New-Age-Ali-Social-Zeitgeisism” - Final Thoughts On A Real Legend, Champion, and King.
