First time poster and not really interested in boxing, sorry about that, but I have a question.... For longer than I can recall I have had this story in my mind... it is about Ali being asked what he would be if he wasn't a boxer. His reply was that he would have been a binman, but he would have been the greatest binman of all time. I've told this story multiple times to my daughters ever since to encourage them that no matter what they do they should just strive to be the best at it. Now I just get rolled eyes and oh not the 'Ali story' again. The problem is I cannot find any mention of this quote anywhere so it obviously didn't have as a profound effect on anyone else as it did on me. Am I imagining it? Did it happen? I think it may have been during Alis visit to Brixton? That had a lot of UK media coverage so I'm thinking it was then but I can't find anything referring to it. Thanks
I've found a couple of variations of the quote, and yes it's attributed to Ali - but as to when or where, can't seem to find it. "You could be the world's best garbage man, the world's best model; it don't matter what you do if you're the best." "I would have been the world’s greatest at whatever I did. If I were a garbage man, I’d be the world’s greatest garbage man! I’d pick up more garbage and faster than anyone has ever seen. To tell you the truth, I would have been the greatest at whatever I’d done!"
It sounds like something Ali would have said and he didn`t get much in the way of an education, he couldn`t read so it makes sense.
Thxs for the replies... still not sure if I imagined it but even if I did it's still a pretty cool ethic Cheers
