Muhammad Ali

Scottie “The Context” White

Ali name is reciprocated in the company of anyone who is a mainstreamer or purist in the sport of boxing knowing the stature this name is haloed with the brightest moniker as “The Greatest” or to many the G.O.A.T.

His legendary status hosts a ledger of (56-5, 37 KOs), An Olympic Gold medalist in the 1960 games blessing the sweet science with an introduction to the birth of a three-time heavyweight world champion who changed the dynamic of the geniuses in the sport of boxing.  The Ali imprint remains a prominent hallmark of reference posthumously in the generation of fighters today.

A gifted boxing prowess exuded his presence as a crafty, slick boxer with an electric tongue and dance rhythm displaying a unique vociferous bravado entertaining all in attendance, known to holster an instrumental set of hand drawn weapons which peppered off the head and body of his opponents.

Bantering  Ali catchphrases is his anomaly to date as only he could expressed in a melody of greatness echoing,

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit, what his eyes can’t see.

Scrolling even deeper in Ali verbal sparring rolodex archiving this infamous quote:

“Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.
I done wrassled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale.
Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”   

 

A classic pugilist scripture indeed inciting a phenomenal revelation.

Ali has earned his forever place in the pantheon of boxing not from being a predictable human being inside or outside the ring during his tenure in a sport that made him famous but exemplifying the courage to promote a sustainable presence as an activist by refusing to adhere to a military draft for the Vietnam war in his own account “was no war of his own.”  Ali military draft date April 1967 pinned an everlasting impression on the scales of justice and the people who supported his religious stance on his beliefs which Ali was lucid in stating that serving a war was in violation of all of it.  Ali was arrested, as his actions was chargeable as a felony which played out in the US. Department of justice citing a legal terminology of Ali as a “Conscientious Objector” finding him guilty in 1967 rendering him to serve a sentence of five years in prison.   If the parallels have any justification in framing Ali three-times world champion to those three years absent from his devotional boxing prime finally was indexed seeing this superstar revive his boxing career in 1970, revisiting his pugilist monastery in resuming his winning ways defeating boxing compeer Jerry Quarry.  To further bolster the fruits of his underlining courage to advocate for his rights, the US Supreme Court would overturn his conviction in 1971.  A monumental coin of bravery and courage appraised to its highest pugilist value in the annals of boxing history.

Ali would reacclimate to his championship hierarchy in winning the heavyweight title twice more during the 70’s versus historic bouts with “Smoking” Joe Frazier and hard-hitting slugger George Foreman.

 

Enclosing, Ali one of the greatest boxing pugilist to ever grace the canvased arena and piloted his career at an aptitude above that of his peers.  In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for which he remained resilient through it all up to his passing on June 3^rd, 2016.   Ali was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame with fellow constituents such as, Ken Norton, Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, and Archie Moore whom are also hallmarked in the prestigious boxing hall of fame.