Whether Ali was a "nice" or "moral" man is strictly from the point of view of the observer. Not a single person on this earth has always displayed "perfect" conduct 100% of the time in his/her life. We ALL have some skeletons in our closets. Maybe Ali wasn't perfect, but neither is anybody else. He did do a lot of good for other people in his life. IMO, it took great courage for him to stand by his convictions, especially at the time that he did.
Was he not nice because when young he was a braggart? That was part of a persona that he adopted, and it worked very well for him. I believe he was inspired to do that by observing the wrestler Gorgeous George, who received far more attention than he did at some public appearance. But to take this further, how many young males, especially young athletes, are NOT brash and arrogant? Ali used his outrageous persona to not only gain attention and entertain, but to get into his opponents' heads. It worked.
How many who negatively judge Ali ever met him, much less actually knew him personally? How many understand how much disrespect and discrimination he continued to encounter even after he won the world championship?
IMO, Ali should have retired either after the Rumble in the Jungle, or the Thrilla in Manilla. Unfortunately, like many fighters, he stayed in the game too long, and paid the consequences for it. Even though, even by those fights, much of the damage had already been done.
Muhammad Ali's decline was particularly sad to me, because my own father suffered from Parkinson's for over 20 years before he passed in 2000. I helped my mom care for my dad during his last years.
Ali is now free of his debilitating disease, and may he rest in peace. To me, he was far more than just a great boxer. He transcended being a professional athlete. Was he perfect? Of course not. In fact, I've yet to know, meet, or even hear of a single "perfect" person in this lifetime, myself definitely included. Muhammad Ali left a legacy that will ensure he will be remembered, in a positive manner, for many, many decades after he's gone. He must have done SOME good for others. How many people, even people we think of as 'famous', will be remembered in a positive way (or in any way) that long after they're gone?
Jim
