I won't be the first one to say, and I will be far from the last, that Muhammad Ali was one of the most influential people in history. Yes, he is arguably the most dominating boxer in history, but what who Ali was outside the ring made him the legend he is truly known as. He never shied away from the spotlight. What he was able to bring into people's minds influenced much more than just boxings fans, but most Americans.
Now I was never lucky to meet the "Greatest of All Time," nor was I ever able to watch the man put on a show in the ring. But, what I learned about him, basically turned him into a teacher to me. He taught me that a person who has confidence can go far in life. He taught me that perfection doesn't come when there is nothing more you can add, but instead when there is nothing left to lose. He taught me that the man you are and the man you want to be doesn't happen in the spotlight, you become him when there is no one watching. He taught me impossible is nothing.
I will forever be able to hear his interviews in my head where he rattled off some of his most famous quotes. Quotes that may have come across as cocky, but one man said that no one boo's nobodies. That's something that I hold very close to me. There is going to be critics of everything you do, especially if you are an athlete. But, you only have the room for critics if you deserve to have them. At the end of the day, it is impossible to deny that Ali was not able to back up everything he said. Now, did he turn the lights off and he was in bed for the light even switched off? I highly doubt that. But, what made Ali so unique was he told every reporter, every newscaster, every better, what he was going to do and how he was going to do it.
I believe Obama's formal statement on who Ali was as a man and as an idol to so many truly described everything Ali was to the world. He was known, not only in America, but into the deepest slums of Asia, for not only being a fighter, but fighting for what's right. He was a man who fought for anybody he believed in. He fought for King; he fought for Mandela. He was the voice in the silence and the light in the darkness.
He lifted America.
He brought forward the America we've come to know today. The mixed beliefs and the hardships that everyone goes through in their lives.
May his legacy live on for decades to come.
Rest in peace, Champ.
