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Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?


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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

I couldn´t see him fight live, but i´ve seen almost all of his fights, in part thanks to you all, my friends.

But if i´ve got to choose one moment, it could be the Rumble in the Jungle, and all the atmosphere around.

I definetilly fell in love with Ali´s personality watching the film "When we were Kings". A must see, if you haven´t watched yet.

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

--- Two funny put downs of Ali.

 

Early in his career he wouldn't fly. Later after overcoming that fear, the stewardess reminded him to fasten his seat belt.

 

He replied, "Superman don't need no seatbelt."

 

She returned, "Superman don't need no plane neither," and he fastened his belt.

 

...US 1972 Olympic trials, Larry Holmes vs Duane Bobick. Ali guesting with Cosell is really bigging up Holmes nonstop.

 

Boom, down goes Holmes. He barely beats the count and gets pounded, constantly being warned for clinching. Finally ref DQs him, he's out of the Olympics in spite of Ali mentoring him for a year. Ali completely shut up, refusing to talk any more, Bobick scoring a double Ko over both Ali and Larry with one punch...priceless...

Edited by LondonRingRules
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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

--- Worth noting on the day of Ali's funeral was his magical aura, perhaps distilled in his non traditional speaking voice, neither tenor nor baritone, but rather a gender neutral tone that enhanced his melodic qualities.

 

Almost every time he said, "Joe Frazier," there seemed to be a poetic overtone of deep reverence that resonated far beyond how anyone else regardless of voice pitch ever said "Joe Frazier."

 

Think about it...

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

Was too young to follow his career. Remember as a kid seeing on a TV that he was retiring. Have watched and read tons on him over the years. His movement, speed and jab always stand out for me, when he was in full flow - beautiful to watch.

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

Like some others was also too young to have seen him fight, have been going back over the last few years and watching his fights. He was definitely one of the greatest to have ever boxed

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

This was kind of special. HBO/Top Rank showed a tribute video right before the Lomachenko vs Martinez fight. Here's the video and the crowds reaction afterwards. I got chills watching and recording this.

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

--- Picked up a couple of free black rags at my grocer that featured Ali memorials.

 

Noteworthy was the repeated myths and botched fight timelines. He never threw his gold medal in the river, never beat up a racist gang, never said "no Vietcong ever called me nigger," and no he didn't regain his title with a Frazier rematch the very next year. They have the right to be fans, but you'd think even such a nominal publication could pen a better tribute than those derelict memorials.

 

Last I saw Ali in person was downtown Houston where he was being filmed playing himself as authored in his bio by the team photographer. I walked across the street to see what the fuss was about after he jumped out of his caddy convertible into a phone booth screaming and jumping around. He left the phone hanging as he exited, still jumping and screaming.

 

I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was he doing other than being crazy? Well, guess crazy won the day more often than not to our amusement.

Edited by LondonRingRules
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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

Article here in the LA Times about the fight of the century, 1976, when Ali went to Japan to challenge Antonio Anoki, the Japanese martial artist. The fight is or used to be on utube, so these inferior clips don't do it justice, but basically by the end, his team was worried about his mortality with his leg busted up so bad that they considered amputating it to save him from deadly blood clots being loosed into his brain.

 

Also details how Ali thought it was just an exhibition, ie fixed for his $6 million purse, and freaked when he saw Inoki working out. Inoki had to sign an agreement that limited him to just 10% of his offensive arsenal. Blast from the past we're not likely to see again.

 

The Japanese pro wrestler who almost got Muhammad Ali's leg amputated - LA Times

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5758b6d5/turbine/la-1465431931-snap-photo/2000

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

--- That first video of Rob's where Ali talks about not wanting to be drafted to shoot up darker people who never called him nigger seems to be the impetus that became "no viet cong ever called me nigger" that Thomas hauser maintains he never said. Guess the semantics of artistic expression allows individual recall leeway in the heat of battle.

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

My first boxing memory is when Ali fought Spinks the first time. It was a big event in my house, and even crazier when Spinks won. Loved boxing ever since. I never watched Ali live in a win, the only other fight I saw Ali fight live was Berbick, so it is hard for me to answer this any other way.

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Re: Remembering Ali - Your favourite memory?

 

--- We were kings was an epic film well suited to the epic natures of Foreman and Ali.

 

That promotion turned into a logistical and personal nightmare for George because of th 6 week delay from his sliced eye and altered the outcome IMO.

 

On a side note, anyone notice the shock in mlk eyes in the 2nd vid above when Ali suddenly hugs him? Wonder what Elijah thought about that!

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