[S Clark]

This is the passing of perhaps the greatest athlete of a generation.  But unlike most athletes, he would force us to see the man,  and look at ourselves as well.  He left his mark.

[Wind Chaser]

Unlike Ali, many of us don't leave such a mark, but in the end, what difference does it make? His passing is another one of many reminders that my time will surely come too. Life is so short and fragile. RIP Ali.

[Phil A]

RIP.  He was truly unique and I don't think we'll see another exactly like him.

[Early B.]

One of my fondest childhood memories was traveling to Ali's training camp in Deer Lake, PA and watching him train. I still have an autographed picture from that day. He will always be remembered for his portrayal of manhood.

[macrojack]

True appreciation of the grandeur and significance of Ali's feats requires an understanding of the context into which he inserted himself. I have always regarded him affectionately for courage he demonstrated in and out of the ring.

[dB Cooper]

A-LI! A-LI! A-LI!

"If it wasn't for me, the sport would be dead." -Ali, actually before he was Ali.

And he was right. In an era in which even fans can't tell you who the champions are (something that can be traced back to Ali's exile and the subsequent actions of the powers that be at the time), everybody knew (and still knows) Ali. Even the twentysomethings I work with, who know virtually nothing about anything that happened more than ten years ago, know of Ali.

He was great, but not perfect- witness his shameful treatment of Frazier, who helped him financially during the period he was prevented from fighting, and who carried that anger for decades.

Speaking of which, Angelo Dundee made a good point during an interview once: For all his greatness, all the great fights against all the great fighters, "The world never saw the best of Muhammad Ali." The four-year exile saw to that. Those were the years he would have been peaking physically. He wasn't quite the same when he came back, relying more on guile and toughness than on near-impossible speed. And still he beat almost all of them, three of his defeats coming in his last five fights (including the ill-advised comeback attempt against Holmes, for which he took a diuretic to lose weigh, a side effect of which was to reduce the amount of fluid cushioning the brain.) Jack Newfield, in his Don King biography "Only in America", quoted doctors as saying that fight alone may be largely the cause of Ali's later disability. Of course, world class hypocrite Don King, who goaded Ali into the comeback and later shortchanged him on the purse, had the gall to issue a statement about how much he loved Ali and considered him a friend. Rot in hell, Don.

Rest in peace, great one. You will not be forgotten.

[Letitroll98]

Having been around for all of his fights, I agree with db that his best fighting years were stolen from him, yet he's still considered "The Greatest".  But even in later years he still had speed and punching power, always a threat to knockout an opponent.  Everyone knows he had a strong chin and took some hellacious shots to the head without going down, but less is mentioned about his tremendous abdomen and trunk muscles.  In training camp he would dare his trainers and sparring partners to hit him straight on in the belly, nobody ever fazed him, which let him know he could rope a dope George Forman for six rounds without ill effects from all the body blows he took during that fight.  And he had very small hands for a heavyweight that caused him trouble throughout his career, he was always breaking small bones in his hands so was very particular about how his hands were wrapped and by who.  He never had classic footwork but rather this beautiful, freeform, natural rhythm that lead him to be in the right spot to deliver that jackhammer of a jab or that short, crushing right cross that put so many opponents on the canvas.  Often imitated, never duplicated, the Greatest will be missed.

[johnvin01]

RIP.  He was truly unique and I don't think we'll see another exactly like him.

Couldn't agree more. Losing a lot of " one of a kinds" this year

[mfsoa]

I met him when I was in 8th grade.

Our class trip was to Washington D.C. and we were staying in the same hotel as Ali and his entourage etc. as he beat up some guy (Bugner?)

He was very loving to his then-baby daughter. After the fight we talked to him for a few minutes but were told not to touch the champ, his hands are sore from the fight, so of course we obeyed!! At that moment he was very kind to us and generous with his time.

Very cool to be inside the hotel when all the cameras and news crews were outside...

[jonbee]

I was a teenager when Ali made the public scene as Cassius Clay in 1964, and I had very mixed feelings about the Muslim conversion and his draft objection at the time. It did make me think a bit more deeply about what those decisions meant, out of respect for this man who demanded to be taken seriously.
In addition to his astonishing physical skills, his mind was obviously lightning fast and often dead on, which was fascinating to observe. He was clearly having a lot of fun with the circus he created. This combination of physical and mental brilliance was utterly unique and fascinated the world. It was also a devastating public refutation of the idea that people of color were mentally inferior at a time when that belief still had many adherents. His persona and public stances also endeared him to the peoples of the third world to a degree no one else has ever come close to. There is no doubt in my mind he moved the needle on these issues as much as anyone has- I could see and feel it happening before my very eyes with people I knew, including myself.
His later personal growth and shared wisdom, kindness and generosity to all and unashamed public stoicism in the face of his disease just added to the depth of the man. He talked the talk but he always walked the walk no matter how long the road. The many self centered celebrities and politicians of today should feel very small in his shadow.
In the end his greatness as a man became a model for many, whatever their politics or backgrounds. That lives forever.
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." - Muhammad Ali
   

[jonbee]

Sorry, double post.

[RDavidson]

RIP Ali

[Rob Babcock]

He was a complex, complicated and great man.  As a boxer he was remarkable (back when boxing mattered to most people).  It truly is sad that a broad swath of his best year were lost.  Imagine Jordan with four less rings, or the bulk of Tyson's title defenses, etc.  I was born in '69, a bit late to understand the power of what he stood for.  He objected to the war very publicly at a time when most people hadn't turned against it.  It's hard to overstate what he accomplished at a time when blacks were still being lynched for being with white women.

I'm struck by how wise he came across, especially in his later years.  Lots of times we don't appreciate it until the person is gone but for years I have often thought about something Ali said, that a man that thinks the same at 50 as he did at 20 wasted 30 years of his life. So true!

RIP, Champ!