Rewriting a Wrong. Should the vacant 1966 FOTY award go to Ali.

[url]The Ring[/url] was founded in 1922 and has presented the Fighter of the Year award since 1928. [url]Nat Fleischer[/url], the magazine's founder, said the award would go to the boxer who had earned the esteem of the sports public by his conduct and fighting qualities. Originally, the four points which a boxer had to meet to receive the award were:

1. He must be foremost in his contribution to the skill and the science of boxing and he need not be a champion.
2. The recipient must combine with his high place in the ranking of fighters a similar position as a sportsman.
3. He must associate with the abilities as a fighter good public relations and a reputation for clean and moral living.
4. The boxer receiving the award must be recognized as an example to the growing American youth.

The Ring has twice chosen not to present the award because of their choice's out-of-the-ring activities. The publication said [url]Primo Carnera[/url] should have received the award for 1933, but they chose not to give it to him because of his ties to organized crime. In 1966, the magazine said [url]Muhammad Ali[/url] should have been the recipient, but he didn't get it because of his membership in the Nation of Islam and his objection to the U.S. military draft.
The recipient of the award use to receive a gold and silver medal. Later awards included a [url]belt[/url] and a [url]plaque[/url].


[url]http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Ring_Magazine_Fighter_of_the_Year[/url]

 

It seems the "Fighter of the Year" Award wasn't just about performance in the boxing ring.

It was about conduct outside the ring too.

 

If conduct outside the ring counted, then Monzon and Tyson should never have gotten their FOTY awards.

 

Different eras.

The old editor Nat Flesicher died in 1972.
Also, I'm not sure Carlos Monzon's 'bad conduct' was well known in the US at that time.

 

No. Of course not.

They felt they were being "noble" and taking a "moral" stand when they didn't give it to him.

At that time, the U.S. required citizens to register for the selective service and take part in the draft, and Ali's birth date got called. He broke the law when he refused induction.

There are a lot of countries today that still insist on mandatory military service.

If the U.S. decides to reinstate the draft, it'll be the law again.

You can't keep going back and retroactively handing out awards based on which laws change in your country.

What happened happened. It was part of history. Leave it be.

 

Hilarious that Mayweather only won the award back in 07.