Muhammad Ali

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Shabu
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Muhammad Ali

Post by Shabu »

The Greatest would have been 80 today.

I know there's a boxing thread but Ali was so much more than just a boxer.

He was the most famous man on the planet for a period of time & affected so many people around the world.

Were your earliest memories of Ali positive or negative and has your opinion of the man changed over time?
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Puff Daddy »

Tbh. I thought he would've been older than that. 80 is no age you even get 80 year olds running marathons these days
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Georgee Paris »

My father in law was at the Liston fight and still claims to this day that he saw guys with guns making sure he (Liston) didn’t get up.
Great fighter, lovely style - can’t imagine anyone now a days taking on Frazier, Foreman or Norton. Float like a butterfly sting like a bee..
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by The Old Man of Storr »

I can still remember watching the Henry Cooper / Ali fight way back in 1963 when I'd have been 7 years old - of course he was known as Cassius Clay back then and we were all backing ' Our 'Enry ' - Ali came across as arrogant to a young Tomos but of course it was just an act and by the time I was in my teens I was a huge fan - In 1971 his ban was over for refusing to fight in Vietnam , I was 15 and Ali was being lined up for his first fight against Joe Frazier which he lost - three years later in 1974 Ali fought Frazier for the second time and I was still at School , by then he'd fought Quarry , Patterson , Foster and Norton who broke his jaw - Frazier , in my opinion had little style , he charged in head down swinging while Ali , The Greatest danced away from him - this time Ali was victorious - up next was George Foreman , The Rumble In The Jungle .when Ali famously adopted The Rope A Dope tactics - his third match against Frazier really should have been his last , a brutal encounter which Ali eventually won in the 15th - if he'd called time then it would have been a wonderful end to a brilliant career .

What a character though , The Greatest Boxer who ever lived .
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Shabu »

Georgee Paris wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:48 am My father in law was at the Liston fight and still claims to this day that he saw guys with guns making sure he (Liston) didn’t get up.
Great fighter, lovely style - can’t imagine anyone now a days taking on Frazier, Foreman or Norton. Float like a butterfly sting like a bee..
How did he get to be there? There were only 2,300 in attendance. It was held in a tiny hockey arena north of Boston. I bet him even being there is a story in itself.

Liston was heavily involved in the mafia so I'm not sure they would have needed to wave guns at ringside. He knew all about what they could do.

Meanwhile Ali had joined the black muslims the year before so there were, and still are, rumours that they had intimidated Liston. Malcolm X, one of their highest profile members, had allegedly been murdered by them just a couple of months before, after a falling out.

I'd love to hear more of his story. He's in a fairly unique position.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Georgee Paris »

He was a bit of a dude - ex boxer himself and racing driver. I’ll find out what I can and will let you know.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by brothernero »

There was a time when he used to get some of his medication shipped over from the UK. (He may well still do)

I was the person who used to pack it up nicely, label it and then send it out to him.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by ageing hammer »

brothernero wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:37 pm There was a time when he used to get some of his medication shipped over from the UK. (He may well still do)

I was the person who used to pack it up nicely, label it and then send it out to him.
You do know he died right
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by brothernero »

Yes, but I just forgot as I was typing the post. Was going to edit but kept getting the invalid form message.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by mushy »

brothernero wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:54 pm Yes, but I just forgot as I was typing the post. Was going to edit but kept getting the invalid form message.
Fingers crossed it wasn't the medication you were sending that finished him off eh?
🙂
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by brothernero »

😲😬
el pato
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by el pato »

I saw Ali fight in a exhibition at the Albert Hall prior to his comeback fights. He boxed John L Gardener and Joe Awomi? and boxed their ears off, all the time putting on a show. For all his skill, he took so much punishment in some of his fights that it all caught up with him at the end of his career, the Larry Holmes fight was just sad to watch.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Georgee Paris »

Shabu wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:19 pm How did he get to be there?
I'd love to hear more of his story. He's in a fairly unique position.
He was living and training in Jamaica at the time and went with his trainer (a legendary Jamaican boxer/trainer) called TK Wint.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by The Old Man of Storr »

Georgee Paris wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:57 am He was living and training in Jamaica at the time and went with his trainer (a legendary Jamaican boxer/trainer) called TK Wint.

Found this article on TK Wint on Youtube , Georgee , thought you might find it interesting -


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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Georgee Paris »

:newthumb: Just forwarded to my father in law. He said he was the greatest teacher he’d ever had in his life at anything. I get the impression he was a great man and I suppose not surprising that lead them to see arguably the greatest boxer of all time.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by The Old Man of Storr »

Georgee Paris wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:11 am :newthumb: Just forwarded to my father in law. He said he was the greatest teacher he’d ever had in his life at anything. I get the impression he was a great man and I suppose not surprising that lead them to see arguably the greatest boxer of all time.

My pleasure . :newthumb:
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by Shabu »

Georgee Paris wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:57 am He was living and training in Jamaica at the time and went with his trainer (a legendary Jamaican boxer/trainer) called TK Wint.
That's excellent. He should write a book. There's loads of people interested in this kind of thing
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by taust68 »

el pato wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:22 pm I saw Ali fight in a exhibition at the Albert Hall prior to his comeback fights. He boxed John L Gardener and Joe Awomi? and boxed their ears off, all the time putting on a show. For all his skill, he took so much punishment in some of his fights that it all caught up with him at the end of his career, the Larry Holmes fight was just sad to watch.
Just getting a bit of the subject here, is that the same Gardener who fought that crazy bloke paul sykes from up north somewhere
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by el pato »

That's the one, I misspelt his name , it's John L Gardner. That Paul Sykes was a right "character ". There's a programme on YouTube, it's a must watch, weird, it had me in stitches at some points, but also feeling, what a sad wasted life.
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Re: Muhammad Ali

Post by taust68 »

I think i watched a documentary about him years ago, hard as nails but a complete bully it seemed to me
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