The Greatest of All Time

He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., on this date in 1942. Few of you reading this know him as anything other than Muhammad Ali. He put Lewiston, Maine on the map when he beat Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship in 1964. No doubt you've seen this picture...

Sonny refused to call him by his Muslim name, and Ali taunted him throughout the fight. "What's my name?" he shouted over and over, as he took the title from Liston on May 25, 1965.

There is no doubt that boxing is a brutal sport, and I have soured on it since Ali retired. He brought a poetry to it, an artistry that the boxers today do not. It was a tough act to follow. Only it wasn't an act. He was a real person with real convictions. So much so, that he was willing to give up his sport for three years when the government stopped him from fighting as a punishment for his refusal to serve in the military during the Vietnam war.

In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were subpar. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified 1A. He refused to serve in the United States Army as a conscientious objector, because "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali also famously said, "I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong" and "no Vietcong ever called me nigger."

Gee, where would the world be if we all thought like that? You couldn't get a good war started with that kind of attitude.

Happy Birthday, Muhammad. You are the greatest. Of all time.