An Antagonist with Golden Punch……..

By Mayuresh Bhardwaj

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life” who else can say that until he was ‘The greatest’ himself Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali originally known as Cassius Clay left us in shock after knockout king  lost a long running fight against ’ Parkinson’ a respiratory illness. Once he said “I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, who stood up for his believes, who tried to unite all human kind through faith and love”.

Ali knew his goal when he was just 12 years old boy of Kentucky. He began his training at that age. He won his first world heavyweight title at the age of 22. Ali amassed a record of 19-0 with 15 knockout wins which easily personified his greatness. He was part of some extraordinary bouts as well which include ‘Liston fight’ with rival Joe Frazir and the ‘Rumble in the jungle’ with George Foreman. It was 1960 when he had been one of the most famous faces on earth, and even though his appearance in recent years spark smile all around the globe. He antagonized opponents with his taunts, amused media with boasts and angered government with his anti-war speeches. At the same time he jabs his stinging against pervasive racism and goaded a stubborn hard nose society.

Ali transformed the role and image of the African American athlete in America by his embrace of racial pride and his willingness to antagonize the white establishment in doing so. He was among the few athletes in any sport to “define the term of his public reputation”. His hand and his mouth were so furious that his critics were force to admire his fight as well his thought. Muhammad Ali was known in the ring for his flashing hard speed which is not usual for heavyweights for his showmanship and also for his brashness and braggadocios when a microphone was put before him. Many in the United States scorned his name change and his alignment with the nation of Islam, and a furore erupted after he refused to serve during Vietnam War because of his religious belief.

His incomparable work ethic, revolutionary techniques and fearless gesture towards standing up with his believes made him different in the chose. This young generation is not so fortunate to see him in the ring but his ideologies, his dedication will always inspire us. We always heard about nothing is perfect but this fighter taught we have to extent it to the perfection. A fighter, joker, magician and a preacher we can say one person with multiple personalities. Rest in peace champ you will always in our inspiration.

(Mayuresh Bhardwaj is a student of journalism at Indira School of Communication)