Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How - Augustman
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How
Most Recent
Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How
Most Trending
Gucci Melds Their House Code with Balenciaga’s For Their Centennial
Most Recent
Team Effort: Cool Brand Collaborations In Fashion And Retail
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
Live The High Life At These Most Extravagant Penthouses
Most Recent
Life in Edo | Russel Wong in Kyoto Exhibition Explores Japanese Culture And Craftsmanship
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
BMW 4 Series Convertible Ushers In A New Era For Open Top Motoring
Most Recent
Will.i.am Has Launched A Face Mask With Bluetooth Headphones And LED Lights
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
Pretty Sweet: Dolce & Gabbana And Fiasconaro Are Celebrating Italian Confectionery
Most Recent
Lost Distillery: Rare Brora Whiskies Are Going Under The Hammer
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
Check Out These Lavish European Castles Available For Rent
Most Recent
Are “Health Passports” The Key To Restarting Global Travel?
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
These Famous Athletes Also Run Successful Lifestyle Brands
Most Recent
Can’t Sleep? Try These Effective White Noise Devices
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
Technopreneur Ryan Chew On Using Blockchain To Solve Global Issues
Most Recent
A Tribute To Britain’s Prince Philip. The A To Z Of The Duke Of Edinburgh
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • sg
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Culture
Life in Edo | Russel Wong in Kyoto Exhibition Explores Japanese Culture And Craftsmanship
Culture
Live The High Life At These Most Extravagant Penthouses
Culture
Dave Grohl Of The Foo Fighters Is Releasing A Memoir
Augustman Logo
sg
Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Culture

Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How

Farhan Shah
04 Jun 2016
Article Hero Image
Trending Now
Will.i.am Has Launched A Face Mask With Bluetooth Headphones And LED Lights
GearRead More
Team Effort: Cool Brand Collaborations In Fashion And Retail
StyleRead More
BMW 4 Series Convertible Ushers In A New Era For Open Top Motoring
GearRead More
Gucci Melds Their House Code with Balenciaga’s For Their Centennial
StyleRead More
Here's your ticket to incisive commentary and insights from the celebrity sphere. Sign up for our newsletter.

By now, you would have read numerous tributes for the late Muhammad Ali. His feats in the ring, his activism outside it, his numerous quotes – plastered all over the Internet in a valiant attempt to encapsulate the GOAT, the Greatest of All Time, into a bite-sized anecdote. To do so would be a disservice to Muhammad Ali. He was more than just a boxer, a draft dodger, a Muslim convert and all the other terms normally associated with him. He was a cultural tour de force who touched the lives, for better or for worse, of everyone around him.

This article will attempt to do no such thing. Rather these are five of my favourite lesser-known facts about Muhammad Ali that I have gathered in my boxing journey, which I hope will demonstrate the intelligence and charisma of the man.

Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How-am_il_v1001_i_a6dccbad101c465d6e132882e597c04f51_34da521ae465ae501d5a3de6a355096c66

1. Muhammad Ali once watched Rocky II with film critic Roger Ebert

The late Roger Ebert sat down with Muhammad Ali during the summer of 1979 to watch Rocky II in order to understand the differences between actual boxing and one filmed for the silver screen. Ebert wrote about his encounter with the legend in vivid detail, especially the intelligent conversations. One in particular stood out.

“For the black man to come out superior would be against America’s teachings. I have been so great in boxing they had to create an image like Rocky, a white image on the screen, to counteract my image in the ring. America has to have its white images, no matter where it gets them. Jesus, Wonder Woman, Tarzan and Rocky.”

2. Ali was a huge underdog in Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman

Before the fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, Ali was given a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the match. George Foreman was more beast than man, with a right uppercut that could cause even God to wince a little. As for Ali, age had robbed his famous speed and footwork. Even his long-time supporters were skeptical that Ali could win.

Everyone except Ali, of course, and he made them eat their words, knocking Foreman out in the eighth round with a blistering combination. If you haven’t had the chance to watch the fight, I implore you to take an hour out of your time and watch this masterpiece.

3. The rope-a-dope strategy Ali supposedly used in Rumble in the Jungle is a myth

They say winners write history and Ali, being the showman that he was, suckered everyone into thinking that he used a new strategy to tire Foreman out before knocking him out. He called it the rope-a-dope – using the ropes to cushion the punishing punches Foreman was dishing out and tire the champion before capitalising.

In actual fact, it was Ali’s astute tactics and high ring IQ that enabled him to outsmart Foreman. Foreman had a two-pronged strategy – manipulate his opponent into a corner before punishing them with his uppercuts and hooks. Ali would go into the corner but he nullified Foreman’s incredible strength by smothering him in clinches. He would also manipulate Foreman’s head by holding it with his hand before turning away. It was dirty and legally gray but Ali fully exploited it.

Remembering Muhammad Ali The Only Way We Know How-am_il_v1001_i_06653be6b79888095173684bc5cac31004_717d863db1393bc4702c70a86445f82f18

4. Ali was an atypical, unconventional boxer

Hands down, chin up as though taunting the opponent, leaning back instead of slipping punches, and the famous shuffle. If you went to a boxing gym and did everything Ali did on your first training session, you would be given a dressing down by the coach. Ali’s style of fighting ran contrary to the basics of boxing (feet planted, hands up, chin down and legs to be never crossed) and yet, the man won multiple championships with his mantra of floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.

5. Sonny Liston once pointed a gun at Ali

During the lead-up to their fight in 1964, Ali followed Liston, the champion at that time, to a casino for the sole purpose of harassing him. Annoyed, Liston pulled out a gun, which made Ali madly dash out of there without looking back. The gun was a fake but Ali didn’t know it at that time.

If you would like to know more about Ali, I recommend reading The Fight written by the incomparable Norman Mailer or watching the numerous documentaries about Ali that have been made in the past few decades. If you only have time for one, watch When We Were Kings, available on Netflix.

Farhan Shah
Talk to Me About:

Up Next For You

Classic Books That Will Take Travel-Starved Readers Around The World
Manas Sen Gupta
Culture
What You Need To Know About Museum Of Ice Cream Singapore
Richard Augustin
Culture
Yung Raja Is Rapping His Way To The Top Of Hip-Hop
Richard Augustin
Culture
The Lego NASA Space Shuttle Set Is Just What Space Exploration Fans Wanted
Richard Augustin
Culture
Here's your ticket to incisive commentary and insights from the celebrity sphere. Sign up for our newsletter.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman