Trev on Muhammad Ali: He was the ‘greatest athlete of all time’

What can you say that hasn’t already been said about Muhammad Ali? I heard last Thursday night that he was sick with a respiratory infection, then around 1 am Saturday morning I heard that he had passed.

I was not there for the early part of Cassius Clay’s career when he beat Sonny Liston . I pretty much started as a young boy in grammar school getting taken in by the hype leading up to March 8^th 1971 when Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden with Frank Sinatra taking pictures for LIFE magazine. Sinatra’s picture of Frazier hitting Ali graced the cover of the March 19, 1971 issue.

I was rooting for Frazier since Ali was such a loudmouth. I pretty much spent the rest of Ali’s career rooting against him hoping someone would shut him up. Frazier won that fight and proceeded to spend the next couple of weeks in the hospital.

It wasn’t until afterwards that I came to realize how great of a fighter he was when you’re looking at the other two Frazier fights including the “Thrilla in Manila" and the “Rope-a- Dope” against George Foreman when Foreman says after he hit Ali the hardest he possibly could the champ responded by saying “Is that all you got George?”

There’s a line in Rocky V where promoter George Washington Duke played by Richard Gant says to the character Tommy Gunn “Balboa fought wars in the ring.” That was a Muhammad Ali fight. When Ali fought, the world stopped what it was doing to watch, and when Ali spoke, the world turned it’s ear to listen. One could only imagine how much bigger Ali could have been I there were social media when he fought.

You could also only imagine how much bigger his estate would be if he had the endorsement deals the athletes of today have. Then again, I wonder if any of today’s athletes would have sacrificed their career in their prime from ages 25-29 for something they believed in.

There will never be another Muhammad Ali on more levels than it would take me to write. But in the time between now and when they lay him to rest Friday in Louisville, watch and enjoy the highlights of the man who was the greatest athlete of all time.

As I hear the story of Ali’s heart beating another 30 minutes after his organs failed, I’m reminded of the line from Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.“  “I am leaving , I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.”

Rest in peace champ and thanks for the memories!