Once in a blue June.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I am the greatest!

My earlier posts re boxing have now been put into sharp relief by the untimely demise of that legend of legends, Muhammad Ali. It would not have mattered what sport Ali chose as a youngster growing up, he would have been a formidable champion, of that I have little to no doubt. Some people, as many have observed are simply destined for greatness, and Ali was one of the chosen few.

Of all great sporting champions, Ali would have been the first that impacted me as a youngster, his mix of sporting greatness, self-belief and gift of words had him simply towering over everyone else. It wasn't just me as an impressionable youth of course. People of all ages and from every walk of life were awed by this man, and rightly so. Whatever you might think of boxing as a sport, Ali's formidable presence on this planet could not be ignored. That he should die at 74, an age surely too young in contemporary society, particularly for a superior athlete, may or may not be attributable at least in part to his chosen sport. It is never the less once again a timely reminder to us all that even the greatest of athletes can draw their last breath way too prematurely, and that life and all its fullness should be lived and enjoyed to its maximum. Muhammad would have insisted on nothing less for any of us.

This is not the greatest obituary ever written, but Ali must have come close to being one of the greatest athletes of all time. Will he rest in peace? I suspect not. He will go on fighting, fighting for freedom, fighting for basic human dignity and fighting to bring out the champion in all of us.

Box on!

“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”