The Champ

As I write these words, Muhammad Ali is being laid to rest in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a big media affair, with thousands of people milling around. Some are media barons, just doing their job and hoping that some incident will occur that they can capture. Some are celebrities---- actual friends of Ali, and the celebrities looking for a little publicity to, I guess, further their public image and career. But, most are fans of Ali's. They are of all colors and nationalities. One thing about Muhammad Ali must be said: He spanned the different cultures of the world and all types of people embraced him. All in all, it looks like a big media show honoring the self-styled ''Greatest Of All Time''. I'm sure it would please him.......... I have always had mixed feelings about Muhammad Ali. Unlike the public and media, I have a long memory. I remember the good and the bad in people........ The GOOD in Ali was dazzling. He was a triumphant fighter, in the ring he was, as the cliche says, ''Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee''. A massive talent, he danced and jabbed. He taunted and played possum. He was wounded and then came out swinging to the Heavens. And, he was a superb entertainer, both in the ring and out of it. He loved the cameras and they loved him. Always quick-witted, he had a handy quote for any occasion. Some were thoughtful and funny. Some were damned and goddamned as being arrogant and judgmental. His back and forth camera sparring with Howard Cosell was legendary. On Saturday afternoons, ABC had ''Wide World Of Sports'' on its schedule. It seemed, once a month, the Ali-Cosell Show would parade across the airwaves for the home viewers. It was a comedy act, mostly, with Cosell as the Straight Man and Ali as the Comedienne. Back and forth they both went, with each trying to top the other in verbal exchanges. They were playing for the camera and the audience. And, both responded most generously........ There was also Muhammad Ali the champion boxer. He slayed him opponents with a ferocious intensity. He went up against the finest of his times. Names like Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Ken Norton became partners in the ring with him. A few times he lost, like with Frazier. But, he mostly succeeded. Ali first came to prominence in 1964 when he astonished the world by beating the heavily-favored Sonny Liston for the championship belt. The public was stunned that this loudmouth, who already was dividing people with his opinions and behavior, had knocked out Liston. It wasn't until many years had passed that the true story came out. Sonny Liston was Mob owned. And, in a classic example of the Mob controlling the fights, right out of a movie, Sonny Liston was ordered to ''take a dive.'' The Mob placed all of its money on the underdog, Ali, and cleaned up the action. Whether Ali was in on this or knew about this, is an open question. But, he had to have known that Liston was not giving out his best in the ring that night......... Still, after this fight, Muhammad Ali grew in stature. He became a public hero for the times, especially, among the black population. He was a classic story right out of a fairy tale. He came up from nothing, with the odds stacked against him because of his color, and he rose to the highest levels of acclaim. Black children looked up to Ali as a Role Model. And, he deserved to be on that pedestal because he DID overcome a lot in his time. He DID face hardships and prejudice. He DID have nothing going for him except his talent and his remarkable personality. He was a smart, proud black man, in an society that did not want that. He was a THREAT to many.......... Then, he made a major mistake. This is where the BAD Muhammad Ali came courting. He foolishly joined the Black Muslims under the vile leadership of the ''Honorable Elijah Mohammed''. You would have to look long and hard to find out where he was so ''Honored'', for he was a race hustler and separatist who hated all white people. Like any good race hustler, Elijah Mohammed mixed reality issues with his prejudices to create a doctrine that fed into his pockets with money [Green is the true favorite color of race hustlers]. He called all white people ''Devils'', and called for black men to take up arms against the white establishment. Malcolm X [another racist that flowered under the ''Honorable''] and many others of the Black Muslim movement preached this hate. And, sadly, so did Muhammad Ali. In fact, he embraced this garbage so much that he renounced his real name, Cassius Clay, and became Muhammad Ali. He claimed that Cassius Clay was a slave name given to him by white people, overlooking that his parents gave him that name........ Muhammad Ali went full-throttle into the movement. Not only changing his name but storming the media with the words of the ''Honorable.'' Overnight, he became a polarizing figure. He turned into the very racist that he claimed white people were. He preached the gospel of the ''Honorable'' and became estranged from his family and friends. The movement controlled him and brought out a hateful side to him. Even his loyal trainer in boxing, Angelo Dundee, was taken aback by his harsh dismissal of boxing and all that it gave him. Ali even had the audacity to say he didn't believe in violence----- ignoring the fact that he made millions in a sport that is violent, and also, forgetting that he favored the violent overthrow of the white establishment. He spewed venom and rage, mingling it, like his mentor, the ''Honorable'', taught him to do, with real issues and real problems in every day black life. He exploited his very own people that he said he was trying to help. Finally, he refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War, therebye, paving the way for him to be stripped of his heavyweight championship title. Throughout the 1960's and early 70's, Muhammad Ali remained someone you either loved or hated. And, sadly, it went by racial lines........ But, in this world, we love to bring back a champion. Because of his extraordinary charisma and boxing skills, Muhammad Ali came back with force to take the heavyweight championship title again. He did not go to jail for his draft dodging, for he employed many fine lawyers to keep him out of the pokey [most of these lawyers were Jewish, which must have made interesting conversations between Ali and the ''Honorable'']. And, Ali showed his prowess again in the ring, usually defeating his opponents in most entertaining fights. He still managed to polarize, but, his tone lowered, his demeanor softened, and, the rage and racist chants he spouted in the 60's  seemed to go away. Whether he still believed the ideas of the Black Muslim movement, we do not know. He still could have. But, he kept his personal politics private, where it should be for everyone of every color. And, his hero status grew, especially, among black young men. He encouraged black men to stop fighting each other and to get an education. He said that we should all live together in harmony. He said that white people weren't all ''Devils'' like his foolish hero stated. This new Ali was most welcome. While he still brought up the valid important discrepancies among the races that exist, he did not point angry fingers anymore. As his boxing career came to a conclusion, Muhammad Ali cleansed his public image and became universally admired and beloved. He gave to charities and spoke up for the forgotten. He put his money where his mouth was. He became the most famous person on the planet, it has been said. He could go anywhere in the world and be known. He was the World's Ambassador For Good Will......... Then, the Parkinson's hit him. Speculation is that it was tied into his boxing career. He took too many punches, stayed in the sport for too long. Like all Parkinson's victims, the disease starts slow, with mild tremors. Then, it builds to a horrible intensity that leaves the victim with a  constant shaking. Muhammad Ali went from a supreme specimen of human strength to a sad victim of disease that ravaged his body. In his final years, he would be seen less and less. This once vital and captivating force of nature could not control his body anymore. He knew it and that is probably why he didn't want his public to see him this way. While Ali never put it in public words, I'm thinking he wanted the public and his fans to remember him as he was, the mighty champion of strength and verbal wit, striding along in and out of the ring, vanishing all contenders that came his way. Part of this thinking is ego, yes. But, part of it---- again, I'm speculating here---- is Ali's recognition that we all need heroes in life. We all should be our own hero, of course. But, we need someone else to look to for inspiration and guidance, at times.  For many, it is your parents and your children and your mates. However, Ali knew that in the black community----which, was and still is, his greatest influence---- he could not look weak and human. He must, in their eyes, be the tower of strength and achievement that he always was. Perhaps, that is why he became such a recluse in his final years. Partly because he physically could not handle being out in public. But, also, because he was MUHAMMAD ALI, THE GREATEST. He could not let them down to see he was human, like the rest of us......... As I have said above, I always have mixed feelings about Muhammad Ali. I admire the fighter and showman. He was a hell of a lot of fun to watch and listen to. But, I also see the other side to him. It is always hard for me to forgive hate in its rawest form. He did a lot of damage in his time between the races, at a time when it was most volatile. And, him not serving in the military I find shameful. His feeble excuse about not serving the interests of the United States Government because of its racist behavior towards blacks can only go so far. Jackie Robinson served in World War Two and experienced a hell of a lot more prejudice than Ali ever did. But, he served his country honorably and was a vocal critic of Ali during the Vietnam War for not going into the military......... Perhaps, time does heal wounds. But, not all of them. As Ali is laid to rest today, his legacy is yet to be written. It won't be until several generations have passed and, hopefully, racial relations have gotten better........ I will pick his Greatest moment. It is not in the boxing ring or a quote of his. It is his appearance at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The torch was to be lit to start the ceremonies. Speculation ran rampant at the time whom would be the one to do the honor. To the wonderful surprise of everyone, it was Muhammad Ali. There he was, older, feeling the effects of his Parkinson's Disease, holding the flame torch. The crowd in the stadium went wild, as did hundreds of millions who watched around the world. The Champ smiled a big smile. You could tell he was honored and touched by the reception he was receiving. It did bring chills to you and a few tears in the eyes. He lit the torch. And, for one last, historic, glorious moment, Muhammad Ali was the Greatest again..........