By Samuel Roy Junior: The name, the mere mention of the name, Muhammad Ali. In many people’s minds, especially those of the boxing fanatics among us, it’s hard to run short of superlatives to describe the man that for many years, both during and after his time in the ring, personified boxing. The sight and sound of the self-dubbed (and rightly so) ‘greatest of all time’, evoked many emotions from those that were lucky enough to witness him via either sense.
To so many people, a loss of this magnitude is still a little hard to stomach. As we all mourn the loss of the great Muhammad Ali, it’s not difficult to bring up at least one fight, poem, milestone or anything else he was connected with.
One of the greatest people, not just as a boxer, to ever walk the earth, Ali brought an outspoken and brash character, who defied the odds and instantaneously became a people’s favorite. He ran by two names during his life, beginning with Cassius Clay as we all know, but it’s the transition into his more recognizable name, the name backed with the juxtaposition of both defiance and search of peace, of Muhammad Ali, that made him more than just a boxer. His refusal to fight in the Vietnam war, was what made him appreciated so much more by those that knew how corrupt and unnecessary war in general was and still is, and to come back from incarceration to defy odds yet again in the latter stage of his career, just amazed people further, even to this day.
So as we all mourn the loss of The Greatest and still revel in amazement of his willingness to face all-comers, even on the back-end of his career, the question poses to ask: will we ever see boxing return to that level in terms of the best facing the best? It seems a distant memory now, as even the much anticipated Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Manny Pacquiao bout was an anticlimax of epic proportions, even if it was due to Pacquiao’s embarrassing excuse of a shoulder injury being the cause of an extremely one sided loss to Mayweather. As much as others hate to admit it because of his persona in building up to a fight, it was Mayweather’s genius that fell Pacquiao. But that brings me back to the question of the best facing the best, why doesn’t it happen anymore?
Why is no one like Ali was? Before that fight it was Lewis v Tyson in 2002, a whole 13 years prior, which was ‘the best facing the best’ and even then it was an ageing Lewis against an aged and worn down Tyson. It really is a shame to have the top level athletes not face each other as much anymore and it seems that promotional companies and manages of fighters are having too much of a say on who fights who. It really is all about money now and we only have to use recent ‘mythical match-ups’ as examples. As the media has become more widespread into the avenues of the Internet and social media, people are more easily duped into thinking the opponents some of the sports current ‘champions’ are facing legitimate opposition.
It’s what makes the mourning of Ali that much more pressing from a boxing fans point of view. Ali set the example, he really was the greatest in many respects. Inside, and outside of boxing, you name it, there’s not a bad word anyone could say about Ali today.
I’d like to think many people would agree in that Ali was an icon for the ages, the first of anyone in history to truly transcend the sport they were connected with. Rest in peace to a great man and a pioneer not just for boxing, but for an example to follow in life, whichever part you’d wish to.