The Champ

By Mike Hall, May 26, 2023

The Greatest.  The Goat.  Call him by either name and that’s fine.

Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Simon Biles, Sand Koufax, Pele…yes, they are or were the tops in their sport.

But ask any of them who The Greatest refers to and I’m guessing without a hint of hesitation, they’d say Muhammad Ali.

After he retired, The Champ appeared on a British talk show.

The very personable host asked him if he still dabbled in poetry.

’Why yes, Ali said, I wrote one for this show.’

She asked if he’d mind sharing it with the audience.

The Goat said…’I love your show, I love your style, but you pay so little, don’t call me for awhile.’

***  You know he’s revered when Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson all seem in awe just sitting onstage with him.

*** At 36 years old, he steps into the ring with World Champion Leon Spinks. Ali dominated and looked like he was 19…dancing for 15 rounds and winning a lopsided decision as he captured the title for the third time. This feat had never been done before and likely will never happen again.