And he carries the reminders Or cut him 'til he cried out
"I am leaving, I am leaving."
In the clearing stands a boxer
and a fighter by his trade,
of every glove that laid him down,
in his anger and his shame,
But the fighter still remains.
In a time when a left fielder batting .240, who has struck out in his previous three at-bats, can hit a home run in his next at-bat and take two minutes to circle the bases while taunting the pitcher - Muhammad Ali stands alone.He did everything he said he could. Everything.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Dance, jab, and win. And when he became bored with everything, he invented the "rope a dope" deciding he would rather tantalize his opponents.
More than a boxer, he was a fighter. Arguing that he had "no quarrel with them Viet Cong", he refused to step forward to take the oath and join the army.
Many of us might have cringed. But in the end, he was right. Paying the ultimate price as his sport abandoned him, stripping him of his title and his livelihood, he never looked back.
Aligning himself with the Muslim faith and culture, he transformed himself and left the ruins of his sport behind him.
He fought again - every man needs to earn a dollar.
But those blows added to all the other blows racking his head, and ultimately his brain.
Today, he stands (arguably) as the most recognized person on our planet.
An ambassador of peace and friendship, he travels the globe with style and grace.
A legend in our time.........