Utuh Paloi Banjar Blog

 

If not for the actions of a petty thief, the world may have never been introduced to one of the most recognizable athletes to walk this planet. That boy who later became the greatest heavyweight champion is Cassius Clay.

 

What are the qualities that made this man the greatest?

 

According to Joe Martin, the police officer whom Clay met when he reported the loss of his bike and later became his first boxing coach, “Cassius Clay had more determination than most of the fighters his age. Besides having tremendous hand and foot speed, his reflexes was second to none.”

 

“He moved a lot, which was the style I favoured,” said Vic Zimet, a veteran amateur boxing official who would later work against Clay. “He was very stylish even as a young fighter.” continued the man.

 

“I’ve known Muhammad Ali a long time, and he was always a lot of fun.” Said Hank Kaplan, the Miami based boxing historian. “The first thing that entered his brain rolled right off his tongue. Some people would use discretion before they spoke, think about what they were saying. Not Muhammad. He was always honest. He’s been that way since he was a kid.”

 

In 1957, the first time Clay met his trainer to be, Angelo Dundee, he was barely fifteen. Yet, he already forcasted that, “One day, I will be the heavyweight champion of the world.”

 

Clay’s outward confidence and fearless forecast of fame were not popular within the conservative amateur boxing establishment. In the ring and out, Clay was clearly cut from a different mold. Even as a teenager, he understood the value of media exposure, and he became a relentless self-promoter.

 

“At first he was just a big mouth with a lot of speed.” said Sean Curtain, who competed in an amateur tournament with Clay in 1958, and remained active in boxing as a pro referee. “He was very cocky, and nobody liked that about him. But he had so much talent. I really started to appreciate him when he beat Allen Hudson, who won the Pan AM Games as a heavyweight. It was a tough fight and Clay was then, a light heavyweight.”

 

Petros Spanakos, who first met Clay during the Pan Am trials said, “At the weigh-in, the boxers are usually quiet and dignified. But Cassius was trying to get all the attention during the weigh-in. He was running around trying to get his picture in the paper. I just wrote him off as a young, crazy kid.”

 

Nikos Spanakos, who was Clay’s teammate in the 1960 U.S. Olympic boxing team, had a similar recollection of his first experience around the future heavyweight champion, “The first time we saw him, he was this brash, young teenager with a big mouth. Cassius always demanded attention. That made him unpopular with other fighters. He was always talking, always shadow-boxing in your face. Usually, guys like that put a façade because they can’t fight. But he could fight. I give him credit. When the going got tough, he hung in there.”

 

The only times Nikos could recall Clay in a state of introspective silence were the moments before he entered the ring. “He would get down on his knees and pray very fervently before each fight. He was a Christian then and he took religion very seriously.”

 

Clay began to earn the respect of his peers by outshining them. When the bell rang, his words were replaced by his actions. His hand speed and lightning left jab were often too much for his opponents to overcome. And if he appeared out of control outside the ring, he was in complete control inside it.

 

Angelo Dundee learned as much the second time he met the young boxer. Dundee and Willie Pastrano had returned to Louisville in 1959. This time Pastrano, ranked among the top light heavyweights in the world, was there to fight Alonso Johnson. Clay asked Dundee if he could spar with Pastrano. Although Clay was just 17, he out boxed Pastrano for one round before the trainer halted the session. “He was so quick and agile,” recalled Dundee, “Willie couldn’t do anything with him.”

 

If Clay was slow to win the respect of his peers and coaches, there was one aspect of his approach to boxing that no one could criticize. It was his dire commitment to training.

 

When it came to training, he was the first one at the track and the last one to leave. He’d be at the gym an hour before everyone else and would leave an hour after everyone else. He loved to train, and since the age of 12, he devoted his life to boxing.

 

Ironically, not many saw the latent potential in Clay. “From the first time I saw him, he was telling everyone he was going to win a gold medal in the Olympics and then the heavyweight championship of the world” said Petros Spanakos, “We did a lot of travelling with the national team, and once in a while some of the guys would look around the room and pick who they thought would go on and win a world championship, No one ever picked Cassius.”

 

One major weakness of Clay was his fear for flying. There were times when he was an amateur that he’d take a train across America to get to a tournament. After gaining qualification for the Rome Olympics, Clay told Martin that he would not fly to Rome. He wanted to travel by sea. He relented only after Martin convinced him that winning the Olympic gold would be a very important first step toward fulfilling his dream to be a heavyweight champion of the world.

 

Upon arriving in the Olympic village, the whole boxing team from USA stayed and rested, but not Clay. He maximized his presence by introducing himself to athletes from other countries. His outgoing personality and natural gift of the gab allowed him to befriend others.

 

His first step in a long journey to stardom started at the Olympics. The gold medal he won meant a lot to him. He cherished it so much that he continued to wear it months after returning from Rome. But mysteriously, the medal disappeared.

 

Much has been written as to the cause of its disappearance, but in reality no one was sure what really happened. One story that has turned into lore suggests that he threw the medal into the Ohio River in disgust after he was refused service at the ‘whites only’ restaurant. However, a ‘Sports Illustrated’ story quoted Hauser, arguably the foremost authority on Muhammad Ali as saying that he simply lost the medal.

 

Thirty six years after winning and losing his gold medal, Muhammad Ali, a faint shadow of the man who mesmerized the world with his talent inside and outside the ring, was presented with another gold medal to replace the one that he lost. It was at the 1996 Atlanta Games where he was given the honour to light the Olympic torch.

 

Today, the screeching voice from the much revered icon is hardly audible but his legacy remains untouched.

 

 

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE.

 

The most famous from the numerous stockpile of Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali’s and co creations  was first recited during the weighing in ceremony for Cassius Clay’s first fight with Sonny Liston in the morning of February 25, 1964.

 

Who coined the phrase? Was it Clay himself who has been known to have the gift of the gab or was it created by some mysterious creature in his entourage!

 

Just before his eighteenth professional fight in March 1963, Clay was introduced to a man called Drew ‘Bundini’ Brown, a mystical character with a long scar running down his right cheek. Even though Bundini is thirteen years older, his ability to attract the attention and gel with the youthful Clay prompted the latter to accept his presence without hesitations. From that moment on, they became friends.

 

Who is Bundini? What outstanding qualities does this man possess?

 

Bundini is a replica of Clay himself in the sense that both like to talk. That aside, they are worlds apart.  As the friendship flourished, Bundini became an integral part of Clay’s entourage. Their relationship, not without hiccups though, lasted until Bundini passed away in September 1987.

 

So, who created that ‘immortal’ phrase. Some believed it was Clay while some others credited it to Bundini. David Remnick in his book ‘King Of The World’ published in 1998 wrote that it was the creation of Bundini who copyrighted it to preserve its authenticity.

 

Dwelling on heavyweight boxing, one could not help recalling other slogans created by both Ali and Bundini.

 

FIGHT OF THE CENTURY…the first Ali versus Frazier held at Madison Square Garden – the Mecca of boxing - in New York on March 8, 1971. The bout attracted celebrities of that era among them were Barbra Streisand, Bill Cosby, Sammy Davies Jr, Dustin Hoffman, Diana Ross and many others that only Ali could bring to witness boxing matches.

 

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE…Ali’s fight with George Foreman, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, held in Kinshasha, Zaire on October 30, 1974. As with his first encounter with Sonny Liston ten years earlier, Ali was again the underdog, a 5 – 1 to be precise. And again, Ali proved to the world that his boxing brain could easily destroy his opponent well before the first punch was thrown. The seemingly indestructible George Foreman was a spent force the moment he entered the ring. Ali won by knocking out the champion in the eighth round and regained the championship seven long years after it was taken away from him.

 

THRILLA IN MANILA…Ali’s third and last encounter with Joe Frazier was held at the Philippine Coliseum located in Quezon City, six miles outside Manila on September 30, 1975. The two ring warriors traded punches for fourteen brutal rounds until the swelling on Frazier’s eyes forced his manager / trainer, the legendary Eddy Futch, to throw in the towel to avoid further punishment to his indomitable fighter. True to its billing, the ‘THRILLA IN MANILA’ is widely accepted in the boxing world as the greatest title fight in the history of the heavyweight division. Robert Cassidy, the author of ‘Muhammad Ali, The Greatest of All Time’ published in 1999 wrote in his book “Ali, and Frazier as well, would never fight at such a high level again. They had each left a piece of themselves – a portion of their fighting hearts - in that ring in Manila”.   

 

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE, RUMBLE YOUNG MAN RUMBLE was only true in its very sense during the first part of Ali’s reign of the ring. The last time the world would witness the agile Ali ‘floating like a butterfly’ was during his fight with Zora Folley on March 22, 1967. Thereafter, and for the next forty-three months, Ali was in enforced exile for refusing induction into the US army. When he returned on October 26, 1970 for his bout with Jerry Quarry at the Atlanta City Auditorium, Georgia, Ali could only preserve and exhibit a portion of the phrase, i.e. ‘…sting like a bee’. The exile had clipped the wings of that beautiful species nicknamed butterfly.

 

Which of his sixty-one professional fights could be considered as the best bout to cement the immortality of the phrase?

 

 

Most boxing pundits ranked the fight between Ali and Cleveland Williams that took place in Houston on November 12, 1966 to be the ultimate show of supreme dominance… 

 

“Round two found Muhammad Ali at his best. It was a show of art, a spectacle for every boxing man to see. That night at about ten-thirty, no one in the history of this loved and hated sport could have beaten Muhammad Ali, much less Cleveland Williams”. A compliment from no less than Jose Torres,  the author of  a 1971 publications ‘…Sting Like A Bee’. Torres himself was the Light Heavyweight Champion who traded his boxing gloves with a portable type writer.

 

Thomas Hauser in his book, ‘Muhammad Ali, His Life And Times’ wrote “…that night in Houston, Ali was the most devastating fighter who ever lived…”

 

Robert Cassidy wrote “…from the opening bell, Ali glided across the ring with the grace and fluidity of a gold-medal figure skater. While Williams struggle to reach his elusive opponent, Ali’s blinding left jab was scoring with alarming frequency…”

 

If that was the best performance from Muhammad Ali the pugilist, his ‘lifelong’ manager / trainer, Angelo Dundee begged to differ. Rightly or wrongly, he said “THE BEST OF MUHAMMAD ALI WERE THE ONE WE DIDN’T SEE”.

 

“The one we didn’t see” was that period in time - from March 1967 to October 1970 - when he was banned from practicing his trade. The boxing world was deprived a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the spectacle of a full grown butterfly floating around the ring delivering bee stings at will.

 

What a cruel world we live in ? 

 

 

BIRTH OF AN ICON

February 26, 1964…A day after winning the revered world heavyweight championship by dethroning the supposedly invincible Sonny Liston, an icon was born - a man destined to rule his sport like no other champions before and after. Here is a man who is willing to fight not only all contenders but also the establishment that have for centuries treated the Blacks in America as inferior creatures. Here is a man who unhesitatingly threw the gold medal he won for America at the 1960 Rome Olympics  because the white American restaurant staff refused to serve him.

February 25, 1964…Miami Beach Convention Hall, Florida bear witness to the destruction of the invincible. Days earlier, 43 out of 46 boxing writers in the U.S. have predicted an early knock-out for the young challenger, Cassius Clay.  One writer from The New York Post even wrote that Clay would not last more than 18 seconds.  Of the eight past champions who were still alive then, not even a single soul gave Clay a ghost of a chance.  The editors of  New York Times, anticipating a disaster, instructed his beat writer to chart a route from the arena to the nearest hospital. Even Clay’s own physician, Dr Ferdie Pacheco could not hide his fear and  went as far as identifying the specific hospital to admit Clay should the ‘expected’ happened, i.e. serious injury to his fighter.

The ‘expected’!!! True, nearly every person associated with boxing  have seen the brutal demolitions of experienced fighters.  And if past fights were taken as a yardstick, chances are that the challenger will end up in hospital.  How devastatingly ferocious is Sonny Liston?

Of the last 14 fights prior to this event, 13 did not last the distance. The last two did not even survive the first round. Floyd Patterson, the defending champion was sent to the canvas in 126 seconds and lasted only 4 seconds longer in the return bout. Comparing the brute force of Sonny Liston to that of Mike Tyson, experts predicted that Tyson would only have 2 chances against Liston - slim and none. Unlike other boxers who throw straight jabs at opponents, Liston’s Jab is thrown upwards with such  brute force that it could lift opponents off their feet. 

Knowing such ferocity in the oponent’s arsenal, why did Clay choose to fight the champion? After all, Clay still lacked experience.  Having fought unbeaten in 19 professional bouts is no passport to victory  against an opponent who had never gotten favour out of life and never given one out himself. An ex convict bent on destroying every single fighter who dared to cross his path, Liston was no mean opponent. Was it confidence or arrogance that propelled  Clay to not only challenge Liston but alarmingly predicted that Liston will be out for good by round 8!!!

No. Clay also has doubts. A few days before the fight, he went to see the promoter and asked for 10 thousand dollars to equip his bus with medical facilities should the ‘inevitable’ happened. The cleverly disguised fear and doubts  were unmasked the moment Clay climbed up the ring to face Liston. Dr Ferdie Pacheco summed it up, “…for the first and the last time, I saw fear on Clay’s face…”. But as destiny will have it, greatness belong to those who could turn fear into lethal weapons.

During prefight instructions, and  before the first punch was thrown, Clay had already scored a moral victory in the art known as ’intimidations’. Instead of evading Liston’s stare, Clay did the opposite. He looked directly into Liston’s eyes while repeating the words “I am the greatest”. Will he be what he claimed to be?

Through out the fight, virtually every punch thrown by Liston misses the target. For the first time in his career, Liston encountered a unique opponent whose agility is synonymous with a lightweight albeit with the punching power of a heavyweight. Clay, the dancing master, a boxer whose rhyme ”float like a butterfly sting like a bee” was dishing out boxing lesson to the ‘invincible’ champion. By the third round, the incessant jab on Liston’s face had opened up a gash under his left eye.  And when the bell sounded for commencement of round 7, Liston refused to continue. For the first time since July 4, 1919, a champion surrendered his crown sitting down on his stool.

Professional fight number 20 was his last fight under the ’slave’ name of Cassius Clay. Thereafter, he will be known as Muhammad Ali…the greatest of all time…icon of all icons.

In recognition for his contributions, the US government bestowed upon him (there are no titles of Datuk, Datuk Sri, Tan Sri or Tun in the US) the honour of lighting the Olympic torch during  the 1996  Atlanta Olympics. At the same venue, he was presented a duplicate of the gold medal he won during the 1960 Rome Olympics, the original medal of which he threw into a river in disgust, disgusted with the racial discriminations prevalent in the US then.    

Feb 26, 1964…a legend was born, a legend who bring smile to the faces of millions, a legend who touches the hearts of the human race irrespective of colour or creed.

If there is ever a sportsman whose shadow lies longer and bigger than his beloved sport, it is him - Muhammad Ali.

Is Muhammad Ali really the greatest?

Why should I dwell on this subject knowing that countless books and articles have been written about this man whose claim to ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ had never been successfully imitated.

Why Should I? A recent article in a sports column of a local newspaper implied that Muhammad Ali was once sent to jail for refusing induction into the US armed forces. What a pitiful presentation of facts. If a writer of a sports column who should be knowledgeable could mislead readers, most of them are as ignorant as the writer himself, what then can we expect from the young generations who have not seen how this fleet footed genius with lightning fast hands once mesmerised the world.

How do we perceive greatness in boxing? Is it a fighter’s ability to knock out opponents with merely a hammer like jab, left hook, right cross or uppercut or just with a powerful swing of the arm reminiscence of George Foreman and Mike Tyson. Should that be the criteria, why these fighters are never considered great.

Let’s travel down memory lane going back to the era of champions prior to the emergence of Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali. Heavyweight boxing was dying a slow death as attendances in the boxing arena kept dwindling. The boxing fraternity with the help of the print and electronic media were trying their utmost to woo spectators to return and yet the seats remain barren. How could the broody Sonny Liston, a fighter who could demolish his opponents in one or two rounds, be able to persuade the paying public to watch just a few minutes of one sided fight. Or Floyd Patterson with his ‘peek-a-boo’ style or Ingemar Johansson who at best could be graded as ‘modestly talented’ be able to revive the ailing sport! The writing on the wall was crystal clear.

February 25, 1964 was the day of reckoning. Had Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) lost his fight with Sonny Liston, the reigning World Heavyweight champion then, heavyweight boxing will, most likely, go down that dark alley of anonymity. A seven to one underdog, Ali did not only changed the outlook of boxing on that fateful night, but created a fervour that reverberated throughout his entire career. In one dazzling night, Ali had changed boxing from two dull looking fighters standing toe to toe in the middle of the ring outslugging one another to two contrasting individuals with one fighter standing virtually still and the other, i.e. Ali, circling around throwing lightning fast jabs and combinations.

Past champions, after winning title fights will reluctantly face the media for scrutiny. Not Ali. No fighter before Ali, even if they were underrated, had the balls to tell the media to “eat your words”. As though to add insult to injury, he shouted at the stunned journalists not to ever again rate him as underdog. Initially, there were resentment but as Ali continued to prove that his ability matches his antics, the press world accepted him like no other fighter before and since.

Ali’s uncanny ability to entrap the media soon made him the most recognisable face the world over. No boxer, not even sportsmen, before and after have ever been readily accepted by leaders of foreign countries from prime ministers, presidents and kings and made him their guests. Young and old, children and adults from every corner of the world, even from the most remote jungle of Borneo have at least heard his name even if they have never seen him on TV or newspapers.

How many mortals can claim such recognition?

Boxing aside, isn’t he the greatest sportsman that ever walked the planet ?