I just finished watching this documentary. An excellent documentary - although revealling "nothing new" about Muhammad Ali. What part of Ali that has never been taped or written?
Unless maybe James Earl Jones' interview when he broke his thumb when punching Ali in the ring. He was doing the movie "THe Great White Hopes" when Ali was around and asked James to throw a hook. Pretty interesting.
Muhammad Ali - Through the Eyes of the World
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Jeffsboxing
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 330
- Joined: 03 Feb 2002, 20:00
Re: Muhammad Ali - Through the Eyes of the World
Dagos offered up these contributions, and I thought them fitting to add to this thread from long ago.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Re: Muhammad Ali - Through the Eyes of the World
Another Dagos contribution.
Ali's Legacy
Before I get into my story,I want to announce that at the fights last night at the Hanalei Hotel,Prince Smalls registered his third consecutive win with an unanimous 4 round decision over Percy Robertson. I thought it was Prince's best showing so far. He moved up from 125 to 135 and displayed more power. I thought this Robertson kid was Prince's best opponent to date. Prince dominated this time not only with his quickness,but pushed the fight relying on his strength. I think the added poundage is better for him. He doesn't have to dry out to make the featherweight limit and can thus feel stronger in the ring at lightweight .
Sometimes I peruse through the other threads on the forum. One theme that bugs me is that some of the posters think that a fighter ,because he climbs through the ropes,has the guts to engage his opponent. Like the battlefield, there are times when soldiers and fighters don't have what it takes to fight. I saw this last night at the Hanalei Hotel on Bobby D's fight card. The feature bout was between two undefeated crusierweights. Yunier Dorticos and Hamilton Ventura squared off for some version of a title belt. Dortico,a Cuban, was 15 and zip with 15 stoppages. Ventura,from Brazil, was also undefeated with 13 wins,stopping his opponents 11 times. Made for an exciting matchup. But it was nothing like that.
At the bell Dorticos came out aggressively. This guy is a man. Long arms and angular and tough.Ventura, was big and well proportioned too,held his hands up in front of his face and waited on Dorticos. The Cuban was eager to show his stuff.Waiting for something to happen was not in his mantra. When Ventura first felt his power,he began to go into a shell. He returned nothing. Dorticos,sensing his prey had that queasy feeling,threw everything in his arsenal at him. Dorticos just missed with a fast right hand and Ventura fell over backwards to the canvas. Referee Pat Russell,to his credit,wiped off Ventura's gloves and motioned him forward not scoring it a knockdown.Ventura decided he wanted to make a fast exit after that. He collapsed three more times making sure there was at least some contact from Dortico's gloves(Ventura was in retreat when contact was made) before he dropped to the mat and the fight had to be waved off.It was obvious and kind of sad.
I remember watching years ago Cus D'Amato bantering with a young Ali.Old Cus was saying that Ali hadn't stood the test of being really hit hard in the ring and that he danced around the way he did was because he was scared to get hit.Ali was trying to diffuse the old dago humorously,but all that did was get Cus more riled.
"Joe Louis would have taken you apart."
"Joe Louis? Shuffling in like he did against me? No way."
"You'd be afraid to stand up to him."
Well we all remember Ali when he came back from his forced retirement. The Quarry fight we couldn't tell. But the Bonavena fight we knew something was wrong,or sat least different. I remember Howard Cosell saying he thought Ali was sick. It was like Ray Robinson when he came back after two tears off and fought Tiger Jones. The legs were gone.
Ali,knowing he could never recapture his youth,used to train in the ring by letting his sparring partners bang him around. He did that because he knew the same was going to happen in a real fight. It happened too much. Now look at him.
I know everyone wants to remember Ali as the fastest heavyweight of all time floating like a butterfly,but my deepest feelings are of Ali taking inordinate punishment and drawing on his guts to prevail. He may have been afraid sometimes in that ring,but he never let those feelings make him look for a place to fall.
Muhammad Ali
Ali's Legacy
Before I get into my story,I want to announce that at the fights last night at the Hanalei Hotel,Prince Smalls registered his third consecutive win with an unanimous 4 round decision over Percy Robertson. I thought it was Prince's best showing so far. He moved up from 125 to 135 and displayed more power. I thought this Robertson kid was Prince's best opponent to date. Prince dominated this time not only with his quickness,but pushed the fight relying on his strength. I think the added poundage is better for him. He doesn't have to dry out to make the featherweight limit and can thus feel stronger in the ring at lightweight .
Sometimes I peruse through the other threads on the forum. One theme that bugs me is that some of the posters think that a fighter ,because he climbs through the ropes,has the guts to engage his opponent. Like the battlefield, there are times when soldiers and fighters don't have what it takes to fight. I saw this last night at the Hanalei Hotel on Bobby D's fight card. The feature bout was between two undefeated crusierweights. Yunier Dorticos and Hamilton Ventura squared off for some version of a title belt. Dortico,a Cuban, was 15 and zip with 15 stoppages. Ventura,from Brazil, was also undefeated with 13 wins,stopping his opponents 11 times. Made for an exciting matchup. But it was nothing like that.
At the bell Dorticos came out aggressively. This guy is a man. Long arms and angular and tough.Ventura, was big and well proportioned too,held his hands up in front of his face and waited on Dorticos. The Cuban was eager to show his stuff.Waiting for something to happen was not in his mantra. When Ventura first felt his power,he began to go into a shell. He returned nothing. Dorticos,sensing his prey had that queasy feeling,threw everything in his arsenal at him. Dorticos just missed with a fast right hand and Ventura fell over backwards to the canvas. Referee Pat Russell,to his credit,wiped off Ventura's gloves and motioned him forward not scoring it a knockdown.Ventura decided he wanted to make a fast exit after that. He collapsed three more times making sure there was at least some contact from Dortico's gloves(Ventura was in retreat when contact was made) before he dropped to the mat and the fight had to be waved off.It was obvious and kind of sad.
I remember watching years ago Cus D'Amato bantering with a young Ali.Old Cus was saying that Ali hadn't stood the test of being really hit hard in the ring and that he danced around the way he did was because he was scared to get hit.Ali was trying to diffuse the old dago humorously,but all that did was get Cus more riled.
"Joe Louis would have taken you apart."
"Joe Louis? Shuffling in like he did against me? No way."
"You'd be afraid to stand up to him."
Well we all remember Ali when he came back from his forced retirement. The Quarry fight we couldn't tell. But the Bonavena fight we knew something was wrong,or sat least different. I remember Howard Cosell saying he thought Ali was sick. It was like Ray Robinson when he came back after two tears off and fought Tiger Jones. The legs were gone.
Ali,knowing he could never recapture his youth,used to train in the ring by letting his sparring partners bang him around. He did that because he knew the same was going to happen in a real fight. It happened too much. Now look at him.
I know everyone wants to remember Ali as the fastest heavyweight of all time floating like a butterfly,but my deepest feelings are of Ali taking inordinate punishment and drawing on his guts to prevail. He may have been afraid sometimes in that ring,but he never let those feelings make him look for a place to fall.
Muhammad Ali