Without Muhammad Ali, there would be no President Obama: We must celebrate the life of The Greatest [View all]

[Surya Gayatri]

Out in Brooklyn, Muhammad Ali's biggest, most enduring fan says he won't mark his death - but he will celebrate his life.

There are a billion stories and tributes crackling around the globe just now explaining why Ali was The Greatest.

One of them is that without Ali, there would have been no President Barack Obama of the USA, which is a fact that in one way, can say it all about the epic grandeur of the life of The Champ, who has died, aged 74.
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For a more intimate but just as telling example of the extra-ordinary nature of Ali's life, which was hilarious and homespun as well as historic, there are the remarkable recollections of one Mike Marley, a larger- than-life boxing figure himself, who was there pretty close to the beginning of the tale back in 1963 and stayed close to it all the way through.

As the torrent of words pours forth detailing Ali's achievements in the ring, on behalf of the cause of civil rights and as one of the planet's most magnetic and electrifying personalities, the recollections Marley has related to me at various times offer a unique, close-up perspective into the character which made so much happen on such a grand scale.
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“He asked me if I was a white boy or if I was coloured. After I told him the truth, that I was white, he asked me along and I became a part of things. However, when I asked if I could go to one of the pre-fight press conferences he said I couldn’t. I asked him why and he said, ‘Because Liston eats kids.'"

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/other-sports/without-muhammad-ali-no-president-barack-obama-celebrate-life-of-the-greatest-who-captivated-a3263691.html

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A good read about Ali's admirable actions out of the ring.