I had a book project on Muhammad Ali that I started in 2008. For some reason, it has remained a project. Here are some contributed pieces.
ATTY. CHITO SALUD
Former PBA Commissioner
Ali is, to me, the best boxer bar none. His height, his style, his skills, his heart—Ali was in a league of his own. He was an Olympic gold medalist and a three-time heavyweight champion. He was articulate, charismatic and handsome.
He was not just an athlete, he was a statesman, too. He stood his ground against the US’s war in Vietnam, and the public adored him. He was jailed for his refusal to be drafted in the army, and that probably robbed us of seeing Ali at his absolute best.
When I started to follow boxing in my youth, I thought Ali was a clown and a coward. He was always running around the ring, which I found boring. I preferred the brawling type of a fighter. I did not share the enthusiasm that the older crowd had for Ali’s fighting style.
But as I got more literate in the sport, and reviewed his old fights, only then did I appreciate how marvelous Ali was in the ring.
He wasn’t a runner. Neither was he a counterpuncher. He was at offense all the time, even when he was back-pedaling. He threw punches in bunches coming forward, standing still, or while eluding his opponent. He was a genius, a master tactician.
Not only was he skilled, well-conditioned and smart. Ali was a brave, courageous warrior who simply refused to lose. He didn’t shudder at the sight of Sonny Liston. Joe Frazier tested him to his limits three times. Ken Norton and Leon Spinks punished him and he fought back like a gladiator. And of course, George Foreman.
Given that Ali beat Sonny Liston twice in the 1960s, his victory over Big George cannot be considered an upset.
For Ali, every match started right after the contract was signed. He psyched out the opponent through taunts and mockery before he stepped into the ring and continued to do so as he did battle.
Forget Ali’s good looks. Forget his glibness. Forget his hand speed and intelligence inside the ring. All told, Ali’s heart and gameness made him “The Greatest.”
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MIMI ILLENBERGER-MAPA
Educator, Writer, Artist
THE “Thrilla In Manila” was more than 30 years ago, but the random thoughts that crossed my mind in 1975 were no different from the thoughts I had when I watched a replay of that Ali-Frazier fight years later…God, this guy wasn’t bragging when he proclaimed himself as the greatest…and by golly, why does he allow himself to be pictured with his “big mouth” wide open with a coated tongue and tonsils in full display?
But hey, look at his women, they’re gorgeous! And (Smile), yup, he did float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Don’t you agree?
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JOSE F. LACABA
Poet, Scriptwriter, Editor
Ali, Aling Bumabanat
Ni Jose F. Lacaba
Parang paruparong lumulutang,
parang putakting nangangagat,
dumapo siya sa ating kamalayan
para patunayang maaaring maging maringal,
maging maliksi, kahit ang higanteng hebigat.
Kahit akong walang kamuwang-muwang
sa sining at siyensiya ng suntukan
ay natigagal sa kanyang ipinamalas
sa mga kalabang minalas
na mapatapat sa kanyang kagila-gilalas na gilas:
ang parang paruparong paglutang,
ang parang putakting pangangagat,
ang parang gerilyang pagpapapasok sa kaaway
hanggang sa ito’y mapagod at mangalay,
at pagkatapos, ang pamatay na bigwas.
Ali, Hard-Hitting Ali
By Jose F. Lacaba
(Translated from the Tagalog by the author)
Floating like a butterfly,
stinging like a bee,
he alighted on our consciousness
to prove that even a heavy-footed giant
can be splendid, can be swift.
Even I who know absolutely nothing
about the art and science of fist-fighting
was stunned by what he showed
against foes who had the misfortune
of coming up against his amazing grace:
the butterfly-like floating,
the bee-like stinging,
the guerrilla style of luring the enemy in deep
until it tires and weakens,
and then, delivering the deadly blow.