Happy (belated) Birthday Muhammad Ali

**battheo** · Posted On: 1/18/2012 5:42am

Yep, it was yesterday.

Nonetheless, I think Ali deserves his own 70th birthday thread.

Not because of his complex stance on race (he once claimed “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” yet he tossed racial slurs at Joe Frazier and strongly opposed mixed race unions).

And not because of his pacifism and refusal to fight in the Vietnam war ("Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?")

Not even because of his awesomely fast mouth ("Floats like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see." before the George Foreman fight in 1974)

Because of his beautiful skills as a boxer. The Rumble in the Jungle was the first fight that I really enjoyed, when I was about ten years old, so I have Ali to thank for my interest in the sweet science.

Ali, you ROCK!

But, you still don't know the difference between a wristwatch and a wristlock. Here is Gorilla Monsoon demonstrating why all professional fighters fear large fat pasty guys.

If anyone else has any favourite Ali moments, please post them up.