Cassius Clay was a great boxer......make that the greatest boxer.
He was also an amazing personality: incredibly magnetic - a master psychologist who destroyed his opponents before he ever stepped into the ring - spectacularly quick-witted - very, very charming. It took great (if misguided) courage for him to stand up against the war in Vietnam. It cost him 3 1/2 years in the prime of his career. How many of us have done the same? Given up our livelihood for 3 1/2 years? For better or worse, Ali changed the landscape of celebrity and athletics forever. For the past forty years, childish thugs without his gifts have aped his antics.