Tribute: Muhammad Ali

The term GOAT — Greatest of All Time — was coined for boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Born Cassius Clay, he took the name Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam. But most often he was known simply as Ali or “The Greatest.” We mourn his death at age 74 from Parkinson’s disease. Ali was selected by Sports Illustrated as the third greatest athlete of the 20th century. But he was also a towering and sometimes polarizing figure in American culture as well, a consummate showman, and a proud, outspoken man in the tumultuous era of protests over civil rights and the Vietnam war.

Here he is with Howard Cosell.

These are my favorite Ali movies.

Will Smith starred as Ali in an outstanding biopic directed by Michael Mann.

There is also a brilliant documentary about the George Foreman fight in Zaire, When We Were Kings.

I Am Ali tells his story in his own words, with recordings of voicemails he left over the years.

May his memory be a blessing.