8mm Forum: Muhammad Ali Dies

This is topic Muhammad Ali Dies in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on June 04, 2016, 02:05 AM:

I could not help shedding a tear when I heard the news this morning. My all time hero and peoples Champion. Such a great personality that touched the hearts of people all over the world. R.I.P. Ali.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 04, 2016, 03:35 AM:

Terry

I still remember hearing at school aged 12, when the news came he won the Heavyweight Championship against Sunny Liston way back in 1964. he was the greatest and proved it not just in boxing but also what he also stood for.

here is just one of the many interviews from the past certainly worth watching.

https://youtu.be/4zs5lCrHxCc

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on June 04, 2016, 04:04 AM:

Might just get my 6x 400' Skill,Brains and Guts out tonight in tribute.

Posted by William Olson (Member # 2083) on June 04, 2016, 10:10 AM:

A true legend. Rest in peace.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on June 04, 2016, 10:16 AM:

R.I.P. Big Man. You were a true character!

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on June 04, 2016, 11:29 AM:

I was always a big fan of Ali. I remember seeing him train in the early 1970s at his Deer Lake, Pa. camp, which is close to where I live...R.I.P.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 04, 2016, 11:30 AM:

I used to watch his 15 round bouts in the 1970's on live television. He was and is, one of thr true masters of the ring!

As an avid lover of boxing, I was so enamored with Ali, and was equally saddened as I saw him continuing to box after he was past his prime. I was so elated when he actually won back the title a third time against the young man who won it from him (Spinx) when, instead of doing Ali's "Rope A Dope" (which they were expecting), Ali stood toe to toe against the much younger Spinx and beat him ...

Then, he made a terrible mistake ...

He decided to try to get the title back again against his old sparring partner, Larry Holmes. Holmes knew his old mentors every move and, as he stated years later, though he didn't want to hurt his idol, he beat the living hell out of Ali until, in the 8th (or 10th) round, Ali chose not to get up for the next round. He was truly, terribly beaten.

He had one fight after that with an unknown loser, and did narrowly win that one, but watching him in that fight, you could see that something major was taken out of him in the Holmes fight, and though he had already, before Holmes, started to slur his words a little, the effects of that Holmes beating became apparant shortly afterwards.

Ali, you were and are, in my opinion ... the greatest to ever step in that ring!

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on June 04, 2016, 11:51 AM:

Osi, so you're calling Trevor Berbick, a future World Heavyweight Champion, an "unknown loser"? The fact is Ali didn't win that fight. Berbick won a ten round unanimous decision...

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on June 04, 2016, 01:05 PM:

He was the greatest and I am very sad to hear of his passing. His record would have been much better had he not been suspended from the ring during some of his prime years.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 04, 2016, 04:34 PM:

Here are a couple of photos that you might be interested in from the internet, when he paid a visit to Scotland back in 1965.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on June 05, 2016, 10:09 PM:

Here's is a wonderful and poignant performance Billy Crystal did for Mohammed Ali called "15 Rounds."

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=15952866

R.I.P. CHAMP

[ June 05, 2016, 11:45 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by John Hermes (Member # 1367) on June 05, 2016, 10:47 PM:

I remember being in 6th grade and the promotional build-up for the first Sonny Liston fight. Wow, so many years ago, but it is still vivid. I agree with Osi about the Holmes fight...terrible beating.

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on June 06, 2016, 12:02 PM:

Great link Janice. Very funny and obviously Ali enjoyed it too. I didn't know that Billy Crystal did impression! Thanks for that.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on June 06, 2016, 06:56 PM:

I remember when Ali came to the UK to fight the British champ Henry Cooper. Everyone that I knew thought Ali was an overrated wind bag, and that Cooper would beat the crap out of him.
Well how wrong they were. Ali proved himself a masterful boxer and Cooper only lasted a few rounds.

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on June 07, 2016, 02:57 AM:

For the Cooper / Clay fight have a look here at around 7:25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frn3rTj5DOY

Ali saved by the bell with Henry beaten by his one weakness the cut eyebrow.

Greatest respect for Ali and 'our 'Enry' RIP to you both.

Kevin

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on June 07, 2016, 03:24 AM:

I rarely watch sports at all now because there are no more characters or personalities around any-more, but i always use to watch Muhammad Ali,he was a great sportsman but also fun & entertaining to watch and did so much for so many people.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 07, 2016, 03:40 AM:

Its been a long time now but I do remember once on TV that Ali lost his cool with Michael Parkinson "big time" over comments that he "Ali" that is, was better than Henry Cooper and Ali was in a different class compared with Henry Cooper.

Ali would have none of it, and was a full of "respect" of Henry Cooper, I thought Michael Parkinson was really pushing it with Ali...not a good idea.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on June 07, 2016, 06:35 AM:

I remember that one to Graham, in fact,Ali actually got up and i if you remember, Parkinson looked a worried man. [Wink]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 07, 2016, 12:02 PM:

Joe, you're right. My memory must be getting bad. I always thought his last fight was with some largely un known white fellow, that he beat, must be thinking about some other fighter late in his career.

I thought I'd watch that Holmes/Ali fight on youtube and I was honestly just about in tears watching it. I'd forgotten just how terrible it was. After about three rounds, Ali pretty much did the rope a dope and hoped that, maybe larry Holmes would tire of punching on him, but it didn't happen. In the last round, Ali didn't even throw a punch, but just got mercilously hammered continually.

To see you're hero/idol get so destroyed was hard to watch. One almost gets the sense that perhaps Ali just wanted to end his life in the ring that night, but we'll never know what was in his head at the time.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 07, 2016, 02:39 PM:

Your right Tom, I thought Parkinson was going to get wacked over those comments of Henry Cooper. Didn't Henry Cooper knock out Ali at some stage of Ali early career?

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on June 07, 2016, 02:49 PM:

Sorry a bit OT but Parky was more wary of Rod Hull & Emu:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqrg_VCPgAQ

Kevin

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on June 08, 2016, 03:38 PM:

Just watched ALI with Will Smith starring as Ali. Great film which characterised Ali very well.
At the end of the fight Don King tried to lift Ali aloft in false adulation as he really expected, and wanted, George Foreman to win. Ali pushed him away and shouted something at King which wiped the false smile off his face. I would love to know what Ali said to him. I think there was no love lost from Ali toward King, quite rightly as King was just in it for the money. I don't believe he had respect for any fighter.
History will tell the tale. There will be no great public show of affection or sorrow when King dies.

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