Remembering Muhammad Ali A Year After His Passing Through His Triumphs, Ugly Moments & Assessing If He Was Really Overrated?

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My views on Muhammad Ali are mixed. On the one hand, I loved what he did for the sport of boxing. How he stood up to the white racist establishment inspires me. How he fought all contenders puts him in a class all to his own. His ability to take punishment and be the best towards the end of fights is unique and cherished.

At the same time, I think Ali is vastly overrated. For one, this idea that he could not be touched prior to his exile is a myth right along with the Loch Ness Monster and The Easter Bunny. If you watched fights such as Billy Daniels, Doug Jones, Henry Cooper, George Chuvalo (if you count body shots) Karl Mildenberger and Zora Folley, he got hit plenty. In the first fight with Sonny Liston, he was not dominating the ‘Big Ugly Bear.’ The fight was very close, in fact, Sonny was probably slightly ahead. The fact that Liston ended the fight on his stool is still shrouded in mystery the rematch just added to the controversy of those Liston fights.

To add to his five losses, I can argue that Ali should have also lost to Doug Jones, Joe Frazier in their second fight, Jimmy Young and Ken Norton in Yankee Stadium (I felt Ali won the second fight against Ken). Muhammad was losing to Ron Lyle before a very questionable stoppage. On the death of his anniversary, I do not intend to diminish his greatness, but the cold-hard truth is Ali was never a dominate fighter. It was always a struggle for the man from Kentucky. Starting when he had his bicycle stolen from undesirables.

Again, I do not want to mistake this for a critique, it is just reality; a reality which I think adds to the legend and does not take away from it. Because, despite all the setbacks, Ali never quit. While I thought he lost to Jones, he had a great 10th round, he secured the rematch against Norton with a great 12th round, his attempt to knockout Leon Spinks in their first fight still provides me with goosebumps.

In the Thrilla In Manilla, after around round three, I thought Smokin’ Joe ran off a string of consecutive rounds of pure destruction. Destruction that almost made Ali quit. If you listen to the stories, he all, but gave up and was saved by Angelo Dundee. One story I heard was that even Dundee was about to give in, only to find out Eddie Futch beat him to it. How true these stories actually are is anyone’s guess, but it is great story telling nonetheless.

My other major problem with Ali was his treatment of Smokin Joe Frazier; especially since Joe bent over backwards to help Ali during his exile. To call that man an Uncle Tom, and much more, is unforgivable. I never did believe that Joe actually forgave Ali either. Ali was someone who knew how much those words hurt, how much of a crippling dynamic racism was. He humiliated one of the most hardworking individuals to ever lace up the gloves and he appeared to enjoy it immensely. He should not get a pass for that. There was no reason for it, other than to be mean. Frazier did not insist on calling him Clay. Ali was a guy who could stop traffic in Mid-Manhattan during rush hour just by walking down the block, so do not tell me about selling tickets either. Nobody is perfect, I get it, however Ali was in a position to be more of a decent human being to Joe Frazier.

I evoke this criticism with a heavy heart. I know the sport would not be better off without Ali, and Ali was the reason that I became a fan of boxing. On February 15th, 1978, in one of the few times my family all got together in harmony. I watched Muhammad Ali take on Leon Spinks.
I knew of Ali before watching this fight, my Uncle would imitate Ali while smacking me around in my basement and my father made it clear how he despised Ali, but this was the first time I would watch this very famous pugilist on TV. We were all rooting for Leon; my dad, a Vietnam veteran and a marine, rooted for Leon like he was his son. When Leon was announced the winner, I rarely seen my dad so happy. I have loved boxing ever since.

For better or for worse, Muhammad Ali will always be credited as my introduction to boxing. For better or for worse, Muhammad Ali will always be the most important man to ever wear boxing gloves. I wonder what boxing would be like today had Ali never had his bicycle stolen from him (a more likely circumstance than him never being born)? A question that is impossible to answer, but I can foresee many people trying to. As we celebrate this man’s life on the anniversary of his death, we should look at it through a realistic lens; while he was never perfect outside or inside the ring, he was as impactful and influential as an athlete could ever be, regardless of how you feel about him (and not just in sports).

As a fighter, my favorite performances from Ali include his dominating performance against the formidable Ernie Terrell, his stoppage of Oscar Bonavena and his decision win over Earnie Shavers; a fight that I thought Ali won fairly easily after being hurt early in the fight. Again, these are just my opinions. Boxing is the ultimate Rorschach Test, and Muhammad Ali is the ultimate example of that dynamic. Even his death, the life of Muhammad Ali stops whatever else may be going on in our lives.

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