Celebrity deaths usually don't bother me.

 

This one does.

 

RIP Champ, you truly were the best.

Any issues with him bailing on his civic duty to fight for our country when he got drafted?

 

Not a single one. The draft was beyond stupid. I wouldn't have gone either.

I have a hard time calling someone a draft dodger and judging them on it when I didnt step up post 9/11 (after I graduated in 2004), when I am sure my country could have used me.

 

And Ali was not a popular figure at that time for refusing to enter the draft and took a ton of criticism them for that and for changing his name. I'm still amazed at the number of people I see on Facebook that still won't call him Muhmmad Ali and are referring to him as Cassius.

 

My Dad was a huge boxing fan, and he and spent many hours watching boxing on Saturday afternoons when it was on TV all the time. He was a big Ali fan. The last time I saw my Dad, a month before he died, we watched the 30 on 30, Muhammad and Larry.

Edited June 4, 201610 yr by rjs4470

"I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him ... who stood up for his beliefs ... who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.

 

"And if all that's too much, then I guess I'd settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was."

 

RIP Muhammad Ali

And Ali was not a popular figure at that time for refusing to enter the draft and took a ton of criticism them for that and for changing his name. I'm still amazed at the number of people I see on Facebook that still won't call him Muhmmad Ali and are referring to him as Cassius.

.

 

Reminds me of the movie Coming to America.

 

No matter what you call him, he was one of the greatest.

Celebrity deaths usually don't bother me.

 

This one does.

 

RIP Champ, you truly were the best.

I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps because his prime time was a time when fans were not constantly inundated with every fragment of his personal life as with celebrities of today. In other words, we never got tired of him.

As I never agreed with his politics or stance on the draft, he did do a lot of goodwill during his time here on earth. There's no denying that. And no denying he was one of the greatest boxers. As I understand it, in his religion when one passes away it can be said "Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Rajoon", "Indeed to God we belong and to him we return."

Edited June 4, 201610 yr by OlDog75

Reminds me of the movie Coming to America.

 

No matter what you call him, he was one of the greatest.

 

"His momma call him Clay, I call him Clay...Cassius Clay"

Decided to unfriend a few today from posts about Ali.

 

Didnt realize I was friends with someone who stands on the street corner spewing hate and damning everyone to hell.

Oral History of Pro Wrestling’s 1995 Excursion into North Korea

Read a story last night about Ali going to North Korea with a few wrestlers (Ric Flair, Antonio Inoki, Steiner brothers) who were brought to North Korea to put on a show. Ali was a big wrestling fan, refereed the main event of Wrestlemania 1 and got his persona for Cassius Clay from Gorgeous George.

 

Anyways they get to North Korea and it's as scary as you can imagine, and Ric and Ali (the two bigger names) were having dinner at a capital building or something, maybe North Korea's version of the White House or whatever. Ali almost got the two in trouble when the officials were telling them that North Korea could destroy the US whenever they wanted to, so Ali is like "no wonder we hate these jerks".

Edited June 5, 201610 yr by Colonels_Wear_Blue
Rule #8

Great athlete.

Any issues with him bailing on his civic duty to fight for our country when he got drafted?

 

'God' rest Cassius Clay !

 

Yes.

 

Not a fan at all but there was no one better and he carried the sport for years.

All the hatred of him due to refusing to join the armed forces at the time can be seen as warranted. As we progress 50 years i can't see where any educated person could disagree with him. He can fight and kill a total stranger but can't get a drink of water at the same PUBLIC water fountain as the guy on the other block? Same with the bathroom etc. my dad still has his draft card but he also didn't sign up. He knew what a dumb cause it was.

 

Hey Cassius we treat you lesser than a dog but can we sacrifice your life for our cause? Hindsight is 20/20. He did 100x more good than bad.

Yes.

 

Not a fan at all but there was no one better and he carried the sport for years.

 

This!

Chuck D Ali video

 

Dodged 21 punches in 10 seconds with his hands by his side.

 

 

Muhammad Ali Dodges 21 Punches In 1