Classic Forums Opinion on Muhammad Ali as a boxer, and a person.

ali was voted the most famous sportsman ever by the bbc in 2000 i think

 

Not the most 'famous'. 'Sportsman' of the century.

 

yeh your right it was of the century

 

Here you go :-

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Same here.

The nature of having somebody as popular as Ali amongst us is that there will always be the flipside with people discrediting his abilities as a fighter, and also his personality outside of the ring. I think he was the greatest Heavyweight the world has ever seen, and I think the way he handled big crows of people and his fame is something to be admired. I doubt many other people could have dealt with such exposure as Ali.

 

When he was young, he was a dick. As he grew older he became more respectable. As a boxer he's one of the best ever.

 

As a boxer, definitely top ten. As a man, he had his flaws, especially when it came to women, which Jim Brown and Larry Holmes noted.He possibly took on some of the traits of his old man when it came to that.

 

It's brilliant when other men try and talk about Ali's fascination with women as some kind of personality flaw. If we were all loved as much as he was, we'd all **** everything with a skirt.

 

I just finished reading Ferdie Pacheco's book, Muhammad Ali: A View from the Corner and it pretty much reaffirmed my opinion of Ali.

A larger than life personality with tons of personal baggage. Like many of us a product of his environment.

One of the brightest men in the ring.

Kevin

 

****ing teenies by the dozen/hundreds when you're in your 30's is pretty ****ing iffy there, bud.

We're not talking legal girls either. Holmes has commented on this and how he'd "stick his dick in a snake if he could get it to hold still" or something to that effect.

Also, beating your wife in a public bathroom because her skirt's too short doesn't make me gain a ounce of respect for you. Especially when you're, in the same time span, advocating peace and other such things.

That or turning his back on Archie Moore because Moore asked him to sweep the ****ing gym floor. That's how arrogant he was when he was young. Right up until he retired, really. Who doesn't mellow with old age?

I like Ali. Not my favorite, obviously, but it's every bit as important to highlight a mans failings and shortcomings if you want to talk greatness and other accolades.

He did have a thing for younger girls. He did beat at least one of his wives. He did torment Joe Frazier, a legitimately decent man as far as you humanly can, ruining things all the way down the line even for Joe's young kids. He did stab people he was extremely close to in the back, from Moore to his religious and political associates. He really gravitated to different people for a very long time, and took their beliefs as he own, much like Tyson would do decades later.

 

Also, torturing Floyd Patterson and co in the ring is disgusting. Floyd was one of the nicest people the business ever saw, and doing that to him when he's having back spasms in the ring is disgusting.

Can you really pity Ali's condition? I'm not applauding it, but god damn, it's almost poetic how things turned out for Ali.

 

I ask for evidence on most of your points, otherwise Ali will get the benefit of the doubt with me. :good

 

Great, great, great fighter, easily one of the greatest of all time (but not to me. That would be Sam Langford). Extremely quick for a heavyweight, excellent footwork, FAST, sharp jab, and while his power wasn't bone-crunching, it was punishing.

Ali as a person: I agree with his views on a lot of things, I felt he was pretty right in what eh said and did - EXCEPT when it came to Joe Frazier. Frazier helped him when he was exiled, gave him money, etc, etc.. and yet Ali completely disrespects him, tries to reduce him as a man, you name it. I don't blame Frazier whatsoever for being angry, and I'm here to tell you, that if I was Frazier, and I had to live through what happened because of Ali's words, I'd never forgive him, either.

 

ali as a person? WILD and crazy

but one hell of a fighter.

 

Quickest HW with hands and feet combined. Great athleticism. As a boxer tecnically speaking not as good as Louis and certainly not Tunney. As a person, well, that is subjective. He matured into a decent Man in his later years, but his treatment of Joe Frazier was way out of line.