Memories of Ali

Prior to his exile from boxing, I guess I was too young to remember any fights when Muhammed Ali was still Cassius Clay.
But I still can recall the battles between Ali and Joe Frazier.
The first bout was held at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971 and was nicknamed the “Fight of the Century.”
Ali lost by unanimous decision, his first professional defeat.
In the rematch on Jan. 28, 1974, judges awarded Ali a unanimous decision.
Then there was “The Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire, on Oct. 30, 1974 when Ali dropped George Foreman in the eigth round – and then the “Thrilla in Manila”, was held on Oct. 1, 1975 where Ali again defeated Frazier.
It was after that fight, Ali began his decline in the ring.
Ali beat Ken Norton in 1976, beat Alfredo Evangelista in May 1977, but then struggled to defeat Earnie Shavers before losing to Leon Spinks in 1978.
A rematch followed shortly thereafter in New Orleans and Ali won a unanimous decision in an uninspiring fight, making him the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times.
On Oct. 2, 1980, Larry Holmes easily dominated the fight and Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee finally stopped the fight in the 11th round, the only fight Ali lost by knockout.
Despite pleas to definitively retire, Ali fought one last time on Dec. 11, 1981, in Nassau, Bahamas, against Trevor Berbick, losing a 10-round decision.
My boxing promoter friend Kerry Daigle had the chance to meet Ali and never forgot that day.
“Before someone stole Ali’s bicycle (then known as Cassius Clay), before he met a police officer who introduced him to boxing, before he won the gold media in the Olympics, before he was exiled for three plus years for his religious beliefs for not fighting in the Vietnam War, before he became a three-time heavyweight champion of the world, and before he became the most recognizable person on the planet, Muhammad Ali was just a kid from Louisville, Kentucky, who believed in the magic of thinking big and the courage to follow his heart,” Daigle said.
“Meeting Ali and Dundee in 1988, seven years after his last fight against Trevor Burbick, was life altering.
“His willingness to ‘give’ to others was something that he carried with him throughout his entire life,” the promoter said.
Ali’s story became personal to me over the past decade.
Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984 and he fought that disease with the same fevor he battled in the ring.
In 1996, he was granted the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, creating one of the most emotional and touching moments in Olympic history.
He died last Friday as the disease knocked him down for his final count.
My dad has been battling Parkinson’s for years as well and the fight is tough to watch.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement.
The things that used to come easy for him now takes more effort.
Parkinson’s disease can’t be cured and that is the saddest part of what we know is still ahead.
So even if I didn’t like Ali’s brashness and taunting as a boxer – I understand his pain and suffering from that disease.
Rest in peace Ali, your struggles are over.