“Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it. We are all better for it.
“Muhammad Ali was the Greatest. Period.
If you just asked him, he’d tell you. He’d tell you he was the double
greatest; that he’d ‘handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail’.
But what made the Champ the greatest – what truly separated him from
everyone else – is that everyone else would tell you pretty much the
same thing.
“Like everyone else on the planet,
Michelle and I mourn his passing. But we’re also grateful to God for how
fortunate we are to have known him, if just for a while; for how
fortunate we all are that the Greatest chose to grace our time.”
– President Barack Obama
“The sporting universe has just suffered
a big loss.Muhammad Ali was my friend, my idol, my hero. We spent many
moments together and always kept a good connection throughout the years.
The sadness is overwhelming. I wish him peace with God. And I send love
and strength to his family.”
– Brazilian soccer great Pelé
“Muhammad Ali was what I call beautiful. He has been something special.
“You know what, I found Muhammad Ali to
be one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met in my life. I got beat
up in the jungle. We never had any arguments until we met in the ring
that night. I hit him with everything I had, and all he would say is,
‘That all you got, George?’
“What a night. Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier
and myself were one guy – we lived through each other. A big piece of
me died when he passed away, and I call it the greatest piece.”
– George Foreman
He’s the most transforming figure of my
time. He did more to change race relations … than even Martin Luther
King Bob Arum, boxing promoter Bob Arumwho promoted 26 Ali fights,
“He was a champion in the ring, but,
more than that, a hero beyond the ring. When champions win, people carry
them off the field on their shoulders. When heroes win, people ride on
their shoulders. We rode on Muhammad Ali’s shoulders.”
– The Rev Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow Push Coalition and a longtime friend.
“It is with great pain that I received
the news of the death of one of the greatest African-American icon of
our generation, Muhammad Ali. He may have gone but his many passion and
humanitarian services will preserve his memory in my heart for a very
long time.
“Ali who at birth was named Cassius
Marcellus Clay was not only an enigmatic and colourful boxer, he was
also a good and devout Muslim who devoted his life to the worship of
Allah. There is no doubt that the fire of black nationalism he
contributed immensely to ignite and promote led to the rise of many
African-Americans in the context of their country and ultimately to the
eventual emergence of President Barack Obama as the first black
president of the United States,” Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
“My idol has left us. I will always
remember you as the best and will follow your example. Your legend will
live forever.” – “A true inspiration for everyone around the world, what
a legend, Muhammad Ali.” – Kell Brook
“So sad to hear Muhammad Ali has passed away. Greatest of all times. RIP champ.” – Joe Calzaghe
“RIP Muhammad Ali. The passing of a Legend.” – Carl Froch
“‘The Greatest’ one of the most influential men that ever lived. RIP Muhammad Ali” – Carl Frampton
“RIP The greatest of all times in many different ways.” – Tyson Fury
“It was the biggest honor to meet
Muhammad Ali last year at his house, will never forget the Greatest of
All Time RIP. In boxing and in life, an inspiration to mankind.” –
Gennady Golovkin
“The world has lost an incredible legend. I have lost a phenomenal friend and mentor. Much love.” – Larry Holmes
“Woke up to the sad news Muhammad Ali
has passed away. No more suffering for you now champ. R.I.P. It was an
honour to (have) met you. Greatest x” – Ricky Hatton
“My heart is deeply saddened, yet both
appreciative and relieved that the greatest is now resting in the
greatest place.” = Roy Jones Jr.
“He was and still is an inspiration to so many. RIP The Greatest.” – Anthony Joshua
“RIP to the GOAT. A man of character,
faith, dignity and professionalism. You’ll continue to inspire us to
make this world a better place.” – Wladimir Klitschko
“A giant among men, Ali displayed a
greatness in talent, courage & conviction, that most of us will
NEVER be able to truly comprehend.” = Lennox Lewis
“Muhammad Ali was a great fighter and an inspirational human being. RIP champ.” – Amir Khan
“Today we lost the greatest sportsman that ever lived.” = Barry McGuigan
“We lost a giant today. You will always
be GOAT. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ali family. May God bless
them.” – Manny Pacquiao
“Sad news to wake up to, the loss of legend, icon, there will never be another like him in our sport. RIP Ali.” – Liam Smith
“This one hurts. I have so much to say,
but don’t know how to say it. But for now, you will be missed & I
appreciate you so much.” Andre Ward
Very sad day for all the sport world.The
legend of all of sport is gone.Mr Mohammed Ali the greatest of the
greatest – Kolo Toure
“Today my heart goes out to a pioneer, a
true legend, and a hero by all means! Not a day went by entering the
gym that I didn’t think of you. Your charisma, your charm and above all,
your class are all of the elements that will be greatly missed by
myself and the world. You are someone that inspired me greatly
throughout my boxing journey and words cannot express how great you were
as a person! Thank you for everything you’ve done for Black America, in
the the world of sports & entertainment and for the legacy you
leave behind! My sincerest condolences to the Ali family!” –Floyd
Mayweather Jnr.
Good night my friend. You were great in so many ways – Bill Clinton
‘RIP @muhammadali, a legend who
transcended sport and was a true champion for all.’ – Oscar de la
HoyaGod came for his champion. So long great one – Mike Tyson
“I consider myself one of the luckiest
guys in the world just to call him my friend. If I was to die today and
go to heaven it would be a step down. My heaven was being with Ali.” –
former business manager, Gene Kilroy
My Mentor & My Friend. You changed
my Life. Rest in Peace. He was the greatest of all time,’ Smith said.
‘When you think about the legacy of Muhammad Ali, what he did in the
ring is not what we think about. I got to wear Muhammad Ali’s greatness.
‘He’s a champion for civil rights; he’s a
champion for fighting for justice; he’s a champion for utilising
whatever tools he has to make the world a better place.’ – Will Smith
“Ali Taught to dream, to dare and to fight for what we believe in. That’s why he is the greatest” – Piers Morgan
Nobody will ever come close to this man’s greatness. And if they do, they better wake up and apologise” – Conor MacGregor.
“Champions aren’t made in gyms,
champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire,
a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to
be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the
will must be stronger than the skill.”
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”
I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.
“If you even dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologise.”
“I’m not the greatest, I’m the double
greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round. I’m the
boldest, the prettiest, the most superior, most scientific, most
skilfullest fighter in the ring today.”
“Will they ever have another fighter who
writes poems, predicts rounds, beats everybody, makes people laugh,
makes people cry and is as tall and extra pretty as me?”
“It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.”
“The fact is, I was never too bright in
school. I ain’t ashamed of it, though. I mean, how much do school
principal’s make a month? I said I was ‘The Greatest’, I never said I
was the smartest!”
“At home I am a nice guy – but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found, don’t get very far.”
“I am America. I am the part you won’t
recognise, but get used to me. Black, confident, cocky. My name, not
yours. My religion, not yours. My goals, my own. Get used to me.”
“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”
“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”
“Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t
choose it, and I didn’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I
insist people use it when speaking to me and of me.”
“The fight is won or lost far away from
witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road,
long before I dance under those lights.”
“To make America the greatest is my
goal, so I beat the Russian and I beat the Pole. And for the USA won the
medal of gold. The Greeks said you’re better than the Cassius of old.”
After winning Olympic light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Games in
Rome.
“Hey Floyd – I seen you! Someday I’m
gonna whup you! Don’t you forget, I am the greatest!” To then-world
heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson during the 1960 Olympic Games.
“Sonny Liston is nothing. The man can’t
talk. The man can’t fight. The man needs talking lessons. The man needs
boxing lessons. And since he’s gonna fight me, he needs falling
lessons.” Before fighting world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston in
February 1964.
“I’ll hit Liston with so many punches from so many angles he’ll think he’s surrounded.”
“I shook up the world! I shook up the world!” After beating Liston.
“I’ll beat him so bad, he’ll need a shoehorn to put his hat on.” Before beating Floyd Patterson in 1965.
“You have to give him credit – he put up a good fight for one-and-a-half rounds.” After beating Britain’s Brian London in 1966.
“What’s my name, fool? What’s my name?” To Ernie Terrell during their 1967 fight – Terrell had refused to call him Muhammad Ali.
“I hit Bonavena so hard it jarred his kinfolks all the way back in Argentina.” After beating Oscar Bonavena in December 1970.
“I’ve seen George Foreman shadow boxing
and the shadow won.” Before knocking out Foreman in their famed ‘Rumble
in the Jungle’ clash in 1974.
“I done wrestled with an alligator, I
done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail;
only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a
brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick.” Before the ‘Rumble in the
Jungle’
“That all you got, George?” During the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.
“Any black person who’s for Joe Frazier
is a traitor. The only people rooting for Joe Frazier are white people
in suits, Alabama sheriffs and members of the Ku Klux Klan. I’m fighting
for the little man in the ghetto.”
“It will be a killer and a chiller and a thriller when I get the gorilla in Manila.” Before the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ in 1975.
“I always bring out the best in men I
fight, but Joe Frazier, I’ll tell the world right now, brings out the
best in me. I’m gonna tell ya, that’s one helluva man, and God bless
him.” After the ‘Thrilla in Manila’, which Ali won.
“I said a lot of things in the heat of
the moment that I shouldn’t have said. Called him names I shouldn’t have
called him. I apologise for that. I’m sorry. It was all meant to
promote the fight.”
“Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up.”
“Nobody has to tell me that this is a
serious business. I’m not fighting one man. I’m fighting a lot of men,
showing a lot of ‘em, here is one man they couldn’t defeat, couldn’t
conquer. My mission is to bring freedom to 30m black people.” Before
Ali’s fight against Jerry Quarry in 1970.
“We were brought here 400 years ago for a
job. Why don’t we get out and build our own nation and quit begging for
jobs? We’ll never be free until we own our own land. We’re 40m people
and we don’t have two acres that’s truly ours.”
“I’m gonna fight for the prestige, not
for me, but to uplift my little brothers who are sleeping on concrete
floors today in America. Black people who are living on welfare, black
people who can’t eat, black people who don’t know no knowledge of
themselves, black people who don’t have no future.”
“What’s really hurting me – the name
Islam is involved, and Muslim is involved and causing trouble and
starting hate and violence. Islam is not a killer religion, Islam means
peace. I couldn’t just sit home and watch people label Muslims as the
reason for this problem.” In the aftermath of the 2001 World Trade
Center attacks.
“I love to see my name where everyone can read it. Someday I’m gonna see it in bright, bright lights.”
“Maybe my Parkinson’s is God’s way of
reminding me what is important. It slowed me down and caused me to
listen rather than talk. Actually, people pay more attention to me now
because I don’t talk as much.”
“I always liked to chase the girls. Parkinson’s stops all that. Now I might have a chance to go to heaven.”
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