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Ali - A Man of Peace and One Killer Punch Line
TUE December 20, BUSTER PARIS - The headlines are so soothing, gratifying and inspirational.
Germany awards Muhammad Ali for civil rights work
They remind you that your hero is alive and well and still revered and honored.
Boxing legend to receive Otto Hahn freedom medal
The headlines are so familiar…
Germany to honor Ali for civil rights work
…like when your sister tells you she bumped in to so and so from camp and he’s doing great and says hi.
Muhammad Ali accepts German peace prize
It really is a wonderful life.
If you actually stop and think about the awards Muhammad Ali gets and the paths he has traveled from the beginning all the way through to today you cant help but laugh – the irony of it all is poised just beneath the surface and waiting to pop at you like a phantom punch - and as an Ali worshiper I can’t help but smile at times like this and feel incredibly lucky and privy to a great joke worthy of Andy Kaufman. To appreciate the whole gag we have to go way back, but now isn’t the time or place for that – so the giggles will be giggled a little longer between “those in the know” and those Ali fan’s who “get it” – but to clue you in somewhat - let’s go back less than 40 days ago… The Greatest of All Time was sitting just a few seats away from Alan Greenspan - the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve of the United States. They were among a chosen few to receive the Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. Let me just quickly remind you of the some of the wonderful things President Bush said about Ali:
"Only a few athletes are ever known as the greatest in their sport, or in their time. But when you say, 'The Greatest of All Time' is in the room, everyone knows who you mean. It's quite a claim to make -- but as Muhammad Ali once said, 'It's not bragging if you can back it up.' And this man backed it up."
"From the day he won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympic Games, we all knew there was something special about this young fighter from Louisville, Kentucky. And his record of 56 and 5, including 37 knockouts and 19 successful title defenses, hardly begins to get the story. Far into the future, fans and students of boxing will study the films, and some will even try to copy his style. But certain things defy imitation: the Ali shuffle, the lightning jabs, the total command of the ring and, above all, the sheer guts and determination he brought to every fight."
"This is a man who once fought more than 10 rounds with a fractured jaw. And he fought to complete exhaustion -- and victory -- in that legendary clash of greats in Manila. The real mystery, I guess, is how he stayed so pretty. It probably had to do with his beautiful soul. He was a fierce fighter and he's a man of peace, just like Odessa and Cassius Clay, Sr. believed their son could be."
"Across the world, billions of people know Muhammad Ali as a brave, compassionate and charming man, and the American people are proud to call Muhammad Ali one of our own."
Interestingly there’s a line in there that has even deeper meaning today:
“He was a fierce fighter and he's a man of peace…”
A man of peace.
On Saturday, December 17 2005 in Berlin, Germany - Muhammad Ali was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal, which is a major German peace prize.
Other prestigious recipients of this award are Mikhail Gorbachev (former Soviet president) and Simon Wiesenthal (the legendary Nazi hunter).
Christine Kalb, the regional president of the society stated that Ali had been chosen to receive the Peace Medal "…for his lifelong engagement in the American civil rights movement and the global cultural emancipation of blacks as well as his work as a UN Goodwill ambassador."
It really is deliciously ironic and totally funny in that Kaufman sort of way to think about these awards Muhammad gets - and like I said - as an Ali worshiper I have to smile at these times and feel part of this great joke and this fantastic vindication.
Think about it -
In 1960 a beautiful young Cassius Clay represented his country in the Olympic Games. He won an Olympic Gold Medal in boxing - and in that very same year – 1960 - and in that very same country for which he won Olympic Glory and Olympic Gold - he was not allowed to sit at the counter in certain diners.
During the Vietnam era he was demonized, crucified and unjustly persecuted - and prosecuted - all for his religious beliefs. He was hated, called a traitor, a coward and worse.
I’d love to see the looks on certain faces when today – the President of the United States says:
"Across the world, billions of people know Muhammad Ali as a brave, compassionate and charming man, and the American people are proud to call Muhammad Ali one of our own."
I for one couldn’t be any prouder.
Buster Paris can be reached at: bparis@talkingboxing.com - and always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions
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