Boxing

Growing up in the '60's and '70's, boxing was a much bigger sport than it is today.  It was a popular Olympic sport and popular worldwide.  The sport has lost its luster in recent decades, for good reasons.

Muhammad Ali died last week.  He was considered one of the greatest boxers of all time and was one of the most celebrated and significant sports figures of the 20th century.  And he would tell you that himself!  Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, Olympic Champion at 18 and Heavyweight Champion of the World at 22, he had Parkinson's Syndrome that resulted from boxing related brain injuries.  Growing up, I didn't understand or appreciate the social/political side of Ali.  I just saw him as a great athlete, great boxer, entertaining personality, and a braggadocio.  He won the Heavywieght Championship three times, and ended his career with a record of 56 wins and 5 losses.

In hindsight, I can see how he was such a polarizing figure that people either loved or hated him.  His conversion to Islam (including changing his name to Muhammad Ali from Cassius Clay - his "slave name"),  his refusal to register for the draft during the Vietnam war resulting in years of legal battles, his ban from boxing for almost four years (thus forfeiting millions in income during the prime of his career), his work in the civil rights movement, and his trash talking mouth, all contributed to his reputation.  I have a greater respect for his non-boxing activities now than I did back then, and I understand why he was so inspiring and controversial.

Billy Crystal's eulogy at his memorial service is both amusing and informative.

I enjoyed watching boxing growing up partly because most guys did, and partly because my dad used to box when he was young.  He and his cousins and friends used to box together for fun much like kids nowadays get together and shoot hoops.  Some of his friends were actually pretty good boxers on the AAU circuit.  We still have my dad's two pair of boxing gloves down in our basement.  When we were kids we used to get them out when we had cousins or other company over and have boxing matches.  But when we got old enough to really hit each other hard, it wasn't so much fun anymore and we retired the gloves.

Dad's old well worn boxing gloves.

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
I Samuel 17:10