The Greatest

Ali known at the time as "Cassius Clay" defeats Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight title of the world.

It's hard to express this in words

for the younger generation

But when I was just a small lad

heavyweight fights led the nation

It wasn't that we didn't care

for the struggle of civil rights

It was just that back in those days

men worshiped the heavyweight fights

 

While Martin Luther had a place

in the hearts and minds of us all

It was the audacious Ali

who held the boxing world in thrall

He was Cassius Marcellus Clay

born in nineteen forty two

A victor at the Olympics

from where his legend only grew

 

He had made short work of Liston

who had mauled way more than a few

In a fight where barely a soul

had known what this great champ could do

 He then changed his name to Ali

going on to crush all comers

Taunting each of the challengers

for what seemed like endless summers

 

But then he'd dared refuse the draft

while men cried in lamentation

"How could the great Heavyweight Champ

bring such disgrace to our nation"

The commissioners took his title

along with his Olympic gold

They knocked him down, and took his crown

crying "How dare he be so bold"

 

Here this man had stood by himself

 took the pain dealt to him alone

For all the things that he believed

he was willing to lose his throne

Though as we all found out later

he was right to protest that war

Ali stood by his convictions

and soon he would do even more

 

At the end of his long career

 after Larry Holmes won their fight

I asked a close black friend of mine

"just who did you bet on tonight"

"I put my money on the champ

he fights with such malignity

I guess I knew, that he was through

but he gave me my dignity"

 

 

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Author's Note

Very few people ever become so famous that we know them by their first name. But Ali was the Greatest fighter ever. He stirred the core of every man alive at the time. Forced us to look at ourselves and through that glass we came to admire him. Later he became a great humanitarian. Saving the lives of the hostages in the first Iraq war. He received a new gold medal from the Olympic committee at the Atlanta games,to replace the one taken from him. Misunderstood? Sure he was. Loved and admired around the world? Your Damn Right he is! In later years Ali has contracted Parkinson's disease. However a man once interviewed him many years after his retirement. Ali took him out to the barn to see his dusty trophies laying about. "You know" he said. "Here are the things I strove so hard for many years of my life.They didn't mean a thing when you compare them to what really matters." Well he mattered. At least to the rest of us. He is today as he has been for many years one of the most Iconic and beloved figures of the modern era. There is only One Ali!
So here is to the greatest fighter and one of the greatest men who ever lived.

Reviews

[Leigh]

Crickey, yes this takes me back, I remember 'Ali' on the TV joking with my Michael Parkinson's show

[外人 (Gaiji..]

very interesting poem and great message, i'm not a big fan of boxing but i can definitely catch the feeling, the thoughts and everything behind this poem, very well done.

[Sharon L.H. Kelly]

I remember watching him fight (on a black and white television!) with my Dad. The arena was on fire. What a wonderful tribute you have written and presented!

[Marie]

I remember the Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay fight very well. I admired Cassuius Clay, and I admired Muhammed Ali.

[Angi]

I remember my dad watching his fights. His, '...sting like a bee...' mantra always makes me smile when I see a clip from his day. The dusty trophies are a testament that it is not all about accolades. It's the things you do for others that will have you remembered in life. Well penned, Tate. Angi~

[Great Aunt Astri]

Lovely 'page' ... very atmospheric!

[Dr. Wood ?]

I remember the GREATEST..hitting the scene...I remember being fascinated by his name alone..Cassius Marcellus Clay, a slave's name..It rolled off the tongue and I was a fan even before I saw him fight..He put boxing onto the map and was a true warrior AND entertainer

[Baby Ricochet]

When I was a lad the heavy weight champ was Mike Tyson. Too bad Iron mike had a few loose screws in his head and wrecked his career. In his prime he saw the baddest in the land. I saw the film rumble in the jungle. It was a great movie. I've seen documentaries on Ali aw well. I'm not a fan of the draft and I don't fault Ali for defying it. Lots of guys aren't cut out for military service and Vietnam was no WWII. There's a HUGE difference between saving the world from tyranny and defending a foreign policy fiasco like Nam or Iraq. An all volunteer force is by far the better choice. Great Poem Tate. Ali was the man

[Sunni Davis]

He truly is the greatest to ever put on the gloves. He was a great man inside and outside the ring. I'm too young to remember any of his fights but I did a research paper in 10th grade about athletes who changed the world and I included Ali. I was so amazed by him that I became an instant fan. You did an excellent job of honoring this wonderful man.

[Dayran]

Ali brought to boxing the experience of fun and entertainment. In that he took it away from the barn and helped people to understand the physical nature of life and the need to throw a punch once in a while. A great tribute Tate.