“It ain’t bragging if you can do it.” - Dizzy Dean
I thought Ali’s braggadocio was kinda fun. He never really talked bad about others, unless my memory is faulty... He just told everybody what HE could do. And he usually did. And I don’t recall when he lost, that he said he was cheated, or some such.
He did make fun of Howard Cosell, but they were buddies.
As for his conversion to avoid the draft - I didn’t like that.
In this particular case - neither of my sons (nor I) would have taunted him.
I have to agree that much of his talk was showboating, and often was done in a good natured way (I presume, because seeing video of it is far different than reading it in the paper...in the video, it often seems clear he is over-the-top clowning around) no matter how derogatory, but that is not at all what it has turned into, that is for sure.
This was one of my favorite Ali moments, with English soccer manager Brian Clough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_EHlzd63R8