Muhammad Ali, the eloquent,
colorful, controversial and brilliant three-time heavyweight boxing
champion who was known as much for his social conscience and staunch
opposition to the Vietnam War as for his dazzling boxing skills, died
Friday.
Ali, who had a long battle with
Parkinson's disease, was taken to a Phoenix area hospital earlier this
week where he was being treated for a respiratory issue. He was 74.
Once the most outrageous trash
talker in sports, he was largely muted for the last quarter century of
his life, quieted by a battle with Parkinson's.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942, in Louisville, Ky.,
Ali learned to box after his bicycle was stolen when he was 12 years
old. When young Clay vowed to "whoop the behind" of the thief, a local
police officer encouraged him to learn to box to channel his energy.
He would go on to become known as "The Greatest," and at his peak in the 1970s was among the most recognizable faces on Earth.
He was known for his tendency to
recite poems while making predictions about his fights – "Float like a
butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't
see." – as well as for giving opponents often unflattering nicknames. He
referred to Sonny Liston as "the big ugly bear," George Chuvalo as "The
Washerwoman," Floyd Patterson as "The Rabbit" and Earnie Shavers as
"The Acorn."
But his most controversial, and
some would say cruel, nicknames were reserved for his fiercest rival,
Joe Frazier. He first dubbed Frazier "Uncle Tom" and then later called
him "The Gorilla."
"I am a Muslim and there is
nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino
or anywhere else in the world," Ali said in the statement. "True Muslims
know that the ruthless violence of so-called Islamic Jihadists goes
against the very tenets of our religion.
"We as Muslims have to stand up
to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have
alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should
know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on
anybody.
"Speaking as someone who has
never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our
political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about
the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have
perverted people's views on what Islam really is."
It's the last major public statement Muhammad Ali ever made.
