Posted on 05/03/2017 6:08:12 AM PDT by rktman
That sums it up well.
As a teenager growing up in the age of Ali, I was a big fan. However, the more I have learned about the man, the less I like him. I was watching the "Thrilla in Manila" and I was thinking that it was too bad that Joe Frazier didn't win this fight. Despite his public persona, there was an ugly mean-spiritedness to Ali that was really off-putting.
Ali's size, speed, overall ability, and toughness would have made him a difficult match-up for any heavyweight who ever lived. IMO, I don't think that any heavyweight who ever lived could have beaten a prime-time Ali two out of three.
Let's not forget that Ali gave more than he took in that fight. After all, it was Frazier who couldn't continue and Ali was ahead on the official scorecards at the time of the stoppage (66-60, 66-62, and 67-62 under a 5-point must system).
Ali's pugilistic dementia was due to an accumulation of punches over the years, not necessarily one fight. Ali-Frazier 3 and Ali-Shavers probably contributed more than any other fights as Ali took a lot of punishment in those two fights but those fights weren't alone the primary cause of his later problems. It has been alleged with probably some legitimacy that Joe Frazier was never mentally the same after the Manila fight. Aging bodies and big beatings do not do good things to a person's brain. Like so many other fighters, Ali and Frazier hung around too long. Both should have left the sport with their senses intact before the Manila fight.
“...claiming that Ali was initially willing to be drafted but was told by Elijah Muhammad not to serve.....”
************************************************************
It’s at least plausible. Ali wasn’t too bright and the muzzie wouldn’t want to lose his “champion” for the cause.
And yet many maintain that Ali's malady was "Parkinson's" and not punch-drunkenness is the extreme.
I hate Ali.
His “me-me-me-I’m the greatest” shtick helped mainstream narcissism in my opinion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.