Saturday, June 4, 2016

Muhammed Ali (1942-2016)

The fondest memory I have of Muhammed Ali was the "Thrilla in Manila"fight in the 70s. Everything else pales before and after. Ali's pictures were all over the newspapers and I particularly saw one where he was standing on a weighing scale and his penis was showing underneath his shorts.  I was initially shocked. But looking alongside the other photos, there was nothing extraordinary about it. It was the most natural thing like all the rest, very matter-of-factly, no malice - I liked that!

On the day of the big fight, my brother, Jesse, went to work at about 4 in the morning and finished everything he could before 9 so he could see the fight live! It was really a "Thrilla"!! Needless to say, Muhammed Ali won. Of course, as he always self-proclaimed, "I am the greatest!!!"
In the beginning, I thought he was all ego until I realized, it was all about self-confidence. Beyond self-confidence - It's knowing yourself.

And who can forget his most famous quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." - Love it!


Today, just now, it was announced all over the news, Muhammed Ali, the greatest American boxer, passed away.

Muhammed Ali is simply beyond words for me. I'll let the news talk -


Rest in peace, Muhammed Ali. Your memory lives on...