Mohammed Ali.

[anneasquith]

Televised funeral tonigh on bbc, excellent and moving. Some wonderful orator's. A great entertainer, sportsman, and man of peace. RIP

[grumpy01]

I remember getting up to deliver my papers the morning after the first Clay v Liston fight to find out from my Father and Grandfather that he had won.He was a hero of mine and I was very sad to see his decline over the years.We shall not see his like again.

[anneasquith]

No never.

[mastercraft]

Never liked the bloke.
And judging by the response to this thread...I'm not alone in that thought.

[mikey4444]

mastercraft...there has only been 3 responses to Annes thread and 2 of them are positive, so I am unsure where your comment is coming from !

For the record, I think he was a great man, and a wonderful role model for black youth all over the world, not just in America....we shall definitely not see his like again.

[Marshwarble]

Don't like poetry, eh Mastercraft?

[ummmm]

I hate boxing but he made it look like an art.

[mikey4444]

He may not have been the greatest boxer....that epithet probably goes to Rocky Marciano. But I can't think of any other black American sportsman that made so much difference to the fate of his own people.

When he came back from winning gold at the 1060 Rome Olympics, he found he couldn't eat in a diner in his home town, for the only reason that he was black. He received death threats from the KKK, an organisation which is still active and still continues to burn down black churches when it sees an opportunity.

He refused to fight in Vietnam, long before it became fashionable.

Truly a Great Man !

[Zacs-Master]

But I can't think of any other black American sportsman that made so much difference to the fate of his own people.

Jesse Owens ?

[-Talbot-]

mikey4444
For the record, I think he was a great man, and a wonderful role model for black youth all over the world, not just in America....we shall definitely not see his like again.



What ever happened to you're I'll fight racism wherever I see it' mikey?

He could have been a great man but his blatant racism foiled that.

[-Talbot-]

Jesse Owens sprang to my mind too, Zacs.

[Old_Geezer]

I'm sure that he was a decent enough chap. But like many celebs, media coverage of his demise is rather over the top. Yet another gone this year and it's not half over yet.

[Svejk]

Jeez, talbot, haven't you learnt yet. Only whitey can be racist.

[piggynose]

nice song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxVEg6b02qM

[ivor4781]

im with OG on this,

[mikey4444]

Not half as over-the-top as Bowie in my recollection.

[Khandro]

Good boxer and showman, but a confused human being. He only liked black people, had no white friends, "only aquantancies", avoided the draft by claiming it was against his so-called "religion of peace" - really? go tell Daesh that.
He was opposed to racial integration and yet was at the same time opposed to racial segregation.

[jambutty]

Way too much fuss imo.

[anneasquith]

Khandro. " he had no white friends"" I'm assuming you did not watch his funeral ?

[Khandro]

anneasquith; No, I didn't watch his funeral, but being a white attendee doesn't make you his friend. He said he could not have white friends on the Parkinson Show, and when Parky said "but surely your trainer, Angelo Dundee, who is white, must be your friend" he said, " no, he is only an acquaintance".

[anneasquith]

Watch the funeral khandro.