Happy Birthday, Muhammad Ali

“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning and thrown thunder in jail.
You know I’m bad. Just last week, I murdered a rock,
injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.”
— Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali celebrating victory over Cleveland Williams, 1966. Photo: Neil Leifer. Voted the best sports photo ever taken in 2003.

I wrote a piece about this legendary figure when he died, as part of a group tribute over on Ebert: Always The Greatest: Remembering Muhammad Ali.

In it, I discuss this clip. I can’t get enough of it. It captures palpable happiness and affection, the two of them together create an energy field of charm and humor and accord.

In the meantime: Because of course:

Elvis and Ali

Over the years, Ali spoke often about Elvis. In an interview once, he said he listened to Elvis’ music as a kid, and said that the first thing he did when he had a little bit of cash was buy his mother “a pink Cadillac, just like Elvis did.”

Fans of each other, they didn’t meet until 1973. Elvis gave Ali a custom-made jeweled robe. Ali is wearing it in the picture above. It looks like one of Elvis’ jumpsuits! He wore it in the ring on occasion:

On the back were the bedazzled words “PEOPLE’S CHOICE”. (The robe is now on display at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.) At the same meeting, Ali gave Elvis boxing gloves on which he had written: “Elvis, You are the Greatest. From Muhammad Ali. Peace 1973”

In 1985, Ali attended Elvis Week in Memphis and gave a warm affectionate speech to the crowd about his friend.

Moving on!

I found this article, about the tributes paid to Muhammad Ali in Ennis, Ireland, his ancestral town, extremely moving.

Juan Felipe Herrera, United States poet laureate, paid tribute to Muhammad Ali when he died with a poem: “You Can’t Put Muhammad Ali in a Poem.”

You Can’t Put Muhammad Ali in a Poem

If you did —
it would
knock you down (remember Liston) &
if
you were
still stand
ing you would
have to
bust out (remember the March on Washington)
of your shakin’ vaulted
poor thinkin’ self (oh yes!)
& change (that’s right!)
this big ‘ol world (say it!)
& if you did — You (yes, you)
would have to battle w/words & rhymes & body & time — for
your New Idea — (did you hear that ) you would
have to
endure (i hear you ) & propose (what?)
a new name for all
( a new name?)
it could be Peace
it could be Unity (sounds easy)
but this poem cannot
provide this
or contain this
Word — (Watch out!)
here it comes! &
it’s gonna to sting like a bee

 
 
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