RIP to the greatest…. May you and Frazier have one more memorable bout from upstairs!
Muhammed Ali passes away at age 74….
- Thread starter AngryOtter42
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RIP ---- incredible life. One of the greatest boxers ever, yet boxing is (mean this with all due respect) the least part of his legacy. The Greatest.
Fix spelling in Thread title before someone gets after you for that. I'll delete this once you fix it.
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RIP Champ. I named my second son Clay after Ali. We routinely visit his training camp in Deer Lake which is now owned by a Karate instructor he worked with. It used to be visitor friendly but not so much these days. I think I will drive up there tomorrow.
He was truly a great one.
He was truly a great one.
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Take that gorilla. Frazier was not amused. Loved when Ali clowned around with the Beatles. Guy was a ton of fun, great champion.
I would have paid good money to see Ali go a few rounds with ken frazier. Hmm...The Thrilla in Port Matilda.
I saw him a few times in a night spot outside Pottsville when he was training in Deer Lake. It was quite a show when he came in with his entourage. I got his autograph on a napkin one night. Gave it to the girl I was with that night which was dumb.
Skipped school and went to Deer Lake to see Ali train in 1973. Great experience. Not many people there and you could talk to him! A special day a long time ago.
That was so cool Nellie, thank you. Never heard the song.
Tom
"Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee"...
an amazing time in my life. I was in high school during his fight with Sonny Liston, bet $5 on Cassius Clay..,..The Louisville Lip.
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JUNE 4 2016 8:41 AM
The Best Stories Ever Written About Muhammad Ali
http://www.slate.com/articles/sport..._stories_ever_written_about_muhammad_ali.html
The Best Stories Ever Written About Muhammad Ali
http://www.slate.com/articles/sport..._stories_ever_written_about_muhammad_ali.html
He used to spend a lot of evenings at the Abe Lincoln in Reading as well. The rumor always wa there were so many young boys and men in Reading that looked like him because he had so many lovers and he would meet them and carry on his affairs at the hotel upstairs from the bar.
While I am not a boxing fan period, we will never see an era with the likes of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Quarry and probably another half dozen or so I can't remember. As I said I don't like boxing but when you're in your teens and early 20's and your a ravenous reader of the sports pages, you pick things up.
That was about the same time that a buddy of mine was an assistant pro at Schuykill County CC. He went over to Deer Lake, met Ali and said it was a great time. Ali was very welcoming and engaging to his visiting fans.
I listened to the first Liston fight on a crystal radio I had put together, an uncommon feat for someone as stupid as me. Kids at my grade school were all saying that Liston was gonna clobber Clay; that Liston had fists the size of oil cans and Cassius would be chewing on them until he was knocked out. Did not happen. Liston was totally outclassed.
Crystal radio and oil cans, a couple of references for the old buzzards here.
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Just read his self-penned euology...very much him:
"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, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man 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."
"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, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man 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."
You haven't? I was dating an upperclassman (who became a D1 AD) and we were all going around in the hallways at school singing this when it was released in the US. Glad to be able to share it.
I'll never forget the Howard Cosell (Mr. Verbosity) interviews.
Greatest.
Of.
All.
Time.
I'm one of those dinosaurs that still likes the fights, crooked and outrageous as the game might be. Like others here, I saw Ali at his training camp in Deer Lake when I was a kid. His passing really strikes a nerve - none of us are getting any younger.
For the young guys on here, go to You Tube and watch an Ali fight. In his prime, he was unbeatable. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
RIP, Champ.
Of.
All.
Time.
I'm one of those dinosaurs that still likes the fights, crooked and outrageous as the game might be. Like others here, I saw Ali at his training camp in Deer Lake when I was a kid. His passing really strikes a nerve - none of us are getting any younger.
For the young guys on here, go to You Tube and watch an Ali fight. In his prime, he was unbeatable. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
RIP, Champ.
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Two of the biggest upsets of all time were his wins over Liston (the first one) and Foreman. He was actually bigger than Liston, though probably a lot of people didn't realize it at the time. Liston had a killer rep, since he had destroyed Floyd Patterson to win the title, and destroyed him a second time in their rematch. Ali made him look very slow and just wore him out.
He beat the much more formidable Foreman on guts and guile. There was probably not another fighter ever who could have done what Ali did in that fight.
He beat the much more formidable Foreman on guts and guile. There was probably not another fighter ever who could have done what Ali did in that fight.
Just got st got back from a visit to his Deer Lake camp. Spent many a day there as a kid in the 70s and it had a special chill today. If you're anywhere near it I suggest a visit. Owner was there today and vey gracious. Was just eerie being inside the gym again. Rest in peace Champ. Nobody did it better both in and outside the ring.
Rumble in the Jungle was the most memorable for me. Ali was past his prime, Foreman looked superhuman destroying Frazier and anybody else who dared to get in the ring with him. I remember the conventional wisdom was that Ali would have to dance around the whole fight and hopefully outpoint him. Ali did move for some rounds, but then began to cover up and let Foreman hit him with all he had. It seemed a crazy strategy, because of Foreman's extreme power.
Ali got into George's head, and then George punched himself out. The knockout punch looked like almost nothing - many of Ali's looked that way - probably because of his tremendous handspeed.
Ali got into George's head, and then George punched himself out. The knockout punch looked like almost nothing - many of Ali's looked that way - probably because of his tremendous handspeed.
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