What Muhammad Ali Meant to Us
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By Brian “The Beret” Young
Welcome back fight fans. As we continue to honor black history month I felt a piece had to be written about a man who was not only a key figure in civil rights, but also at one time the most well-known man on the planet. He is now simply remembered as “The Greatest”. He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, but it was as Muhammad Ali that he not only changed our sport, but the world at large.
Ali had an impact on so many people, both positive and negative, and I want to let others tell us what he meant to them, in their own words. Some will be people who knew him, some who never even met the man, some famous, some not famous, but all of their lives were affected by Ali in one way or another. I also want to thank everyone who responded, this article isn’t technically by “The Beret” but by those who were so generous with their time and willing to share their thoughts for us.
Now allow me to present to you, my boxing family, “What Ali Meant to Us”:
Referee of 100’s of world title fights- Tony Weeks: “It’s very simple, Ali showed me how to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, they can’t hit what their eyes can’t see. It was Ali who stimulated my interest in watching boxing and stimulated my interest in being proud of being me, which led to who I am today.”
Lifelong Ali fan- RG: “Hope. Plain and simple, to me Ali represented hope”
Three weight class World Champion- James “Lights Out” Toney: “Ali was a great sportsman, he put boxing back on the map with his charisma, and everyone wanted to be like him. The reason why is Ali wanted to be like Sugar Ray Robinson, no doubt the greatest fighter of all time. Ali was the greatest Heavyweight of all time, no doubt about that.
And to me, how genuine he was, how personable he was with his fans, I mean, I wanted to be just like him, you know? He would fight anyone anywhere. Ali was never scared to fight nobody; they may have said he was but he wasn’t. And like me, he fought everyone in their prime, not past their prime. Yeah I wanted to be just like Ali”.
Actor- David Lundy: “I had a moment when I realized how much Ali really meant to me. He had always been my favorite fighter anyway. It was 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics and they surprised everyone by having Ali come out to light the torch, I just started weeping. I’m tearing up now just thinking about it.
Part of it was, this beautiful man, this strong man from my whole childhood and into my teen years, then seeing him so frail, so shaky, seeing how difficult it was for him just to move. That was part of what struck me. Anyway, that was the moment I realized how much he truly meant to me.
Lifelong Ali fan- Phil Dabney: “Ali to me? The personification of charismatic COURAGE; brass arrogance at a time when “we” were deemed dehumanized. Ali was a voice (a loud voice), an activist voice; an electrifying talent destined to write his own story”
Lifelong boxing fan- Bromfield Johnson III: “Ali was a great man of pride and integrity which meant volumes to the black community. He made us realize that we were pretty and could do anything we put our minds to!”
Referee of 100’s of world title fights- Kenny Bayless: “I grew up in California watching Muhammad Ali on ABC Wild World of Sports. When I moved to Las Vegas I saw Ali fight live for the first time. I wanted to and I became a part of the sport of boxing. And I thank Ali to this day”
Vietnam veteran and father of “The Beret”- Barry Young: “As a veteran I was disappointed by his conscientious objection, he could have gone in the service in special services and gone around fighting exhibitions, but I know now it was because he really believed, even going so far as to change his name when he was the Heavyweight Champ of the World. Even then what he meant to me was, he had such a great personality and great speed and, well he was “The Greatest” That’s it.”
Host of the T2Q Podcast- Quincy Shelton: “Ali represented so much to me as a black youth. I was in my elementary years in the mid 70’s when I had my first memory of him. He instilled so much pride in my dad and his brothers. I remember how they would watch the fights on a Saturday afternoon and pull for him. What he represented to us was a winner. Something black people weren’t quite used to at the time.
Fresh of the Civil Rights movement, black people weren’t accustomed to winning, as crazy as it sounds. My father and uncles always expected the short end of the stick because they’d felt cheated their entire lives to that point. To see Ali win, but also beating white men in the process was unbelievable! Sure, we had Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson, but Ali was different.
He wasn’t passive, but completely the opposite. He spoke his mind with no fear of retaliation. His courage inside and outside of the ring gave me pride that is still with me 40 years later. A feeling that I do belong at the table with the rest of society. A feeling that I don’t have to live as a second class citizen. A feeling that I too can be “The Greatest” at whatever it is that I choose to do.”
Showtime commentator and Boxing Hall of Famer- Steve Farhood: “I saw Ali as the protagonist in the great American novel. As all protagonists, he changed—almost all for the better. I covered him for the last two fights of his career, and since I was all of 21 or 22, I wasn’t very smart, but I was smart enough to instantly cherish those moments”
Lifelong boxing fan- Farrell Murray: “The sense of pride Muhammad Ali gave me wasn’t in the ring. It was always more exciting to see and hear his legendary interviews with Howard Cosell. The intelligence and verbal bravado that Ali used to spar with Cosell was just as exciting as the fight to me. Muhammad Ali instilled in me a sense of pride. That black people could stand up for their core beliefs, demand respect and not have to blindly accept injustices silently. Ali stood up tall for black people, his religious beliefs and ALL oppressed people around the world, unapologetically!”
Former undisputed Heavyweight Champion- Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe: “Ali was like my dad that I didn’t have. I wanted to be just like him in every way”
Boxing historian and author of Muhammad Ali: By the Numbers- Lee Groves: “Although Roberto Duran was the fighter who ignited my interest in boxing with his second fight with Esteban DeJesus, it was Ali that served as the overarching figure of the era. Back then, I only knew about the Ali I saw. Funny, charismatic, entertaining, gifted and successful. You saw him in commercials, on talk shows, celebrity roasts and even cartoon series.
He was everywhere and it was the combination of his persona and his ring success that drove his celebrity. It wasn’t until later that I learned about his social significance and grasped what he gave up in the name of principal. That sacrifice transformed him from sporting figure to a significant, multifaceted global icon.
As time went on he became an almost universally beloved figure, and while his Parkinson’s eventually silenced him, the dignity he displayed while publicly battling it provided yet another dimension to his character. As a boxing fan, he is worthy of being on the “Mount Rushmore”, and I don’t think anything could ever dislodge him”
Hall of Fame boxing book author (Latino Boxing in Southern California and Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles, Arcadia Publishing), East L.A. music historian, USC graduate, and bank vice-president. – Gene Aguilera: “I was bitten by the boxing bug at the ripe old age of 10. I got hooked big time in 1964 by all the hysteria preceding the heavyweight championship of the world between titleholder Sonny Liston Vs challenger Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) in Miami Beach. I read the sports page religiously and watched the TV news daily; hanging on to each and every word hyping their big upcoming fight.
Living in East L.A., I soon turned my attention to the great Mexican American and Latino fighters that came into town to do battle at the Olympic Auditorium located on 18th & Grand in downtown Los Angeles. It became a life-long obsession with the great sport we know as boxing.
No one had ever seen a heavyweight like Ali. He moved and fought like a welterweight. Not only was he lightning fast in the ring, he bounced around and slipped punches like no one had before. And he fought the best of his division. Not only was Ali the most famous athlete of this or any other era; he was a cultural icon and civil rights activist. He strongly opposed the Vietnam War and protested the draft, famously stating “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.” This belief cost him three years out of the ring (1967-1970) while in the prime of his boxing life.
I was blessed to have met Muhammad Ali three times and treasure the pictures I took with him at the Main St. Gym, the Forum, and the Pittsburgh Airport while on the way to the International Boxing Hall of Fame festivities in Canastota, New York with Mexican bantamweight legend Ruben Olivares. Never disappointing, Ali was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
Yes, I even bought Cassius Clay’s novelty album (on Columbia Records) and it stands there proudly in my record collection next to the Beatles, Stones, Dylan and the rest. Thank you Muhammad Ali for introducing me to boxing. And yes, you were the greatest.”
I would love to hear what Muhammad Ali meant to you, our readers, send in your thoughts on Ali and what he meant for you and if we get enough responses we will do a Part II (remember to add your name if you want to be quoted in an article).
Remember to submit your questions/comments to me via the form box below by selecting Brian “The Beret” Young and follow me on Twitter @BoxingGuyBrian
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