Muhammad Ali - A Complex Man Who Died In A Way-Too-Simple Time

I've been upset at the passing of Muhammad Ali this week. In a nation where celebrities come and go, this was a man who was timeless. Not only that, he was the single greatest representative of the sport I love. What's more, he was a social icon who fought against injustice. Lastly, I'll never forget the guy literally rescuing American prisoners from Iraq (Google it if you have to). How could such a person not be missed?

Here's the thing, though: Ali wasn't perfect. Not by a long shot. Piers Morgan is in trouble for pointing out controversial things Ali said. Well, if Ali said those things, why should Morgan be in trouble? Why should he be essentially accused of racism by hipster celebrities? The answer, sadly, is obvious. We live in simplistic times where nuance is most certainly not allowed. Scared?You should be.

My favorite movie of all time is Patton. Starring George C Scott, it deals with one of Americas' greatest heroes - while actually showing his flaws. The point of the film, though, is that Patton is/was a great man, despite his defects. See, the script by Francis Ford Coppola showcased the fact that heroes are human. And we mere mortals have shortcomings, some of them quite pronounced. End of story. 

The bottom line is that Muhammad Ali was indeed a great man, one that will rightfully be sorely missed, particularly among fight fans. That doesn't mean his flaws should be glossed over, however. For to elevate the man to something beyond human is to actually diminish his achievements. We succeed in spite of our shortcomings, after all, not because those shortcomings don't exist. 

Larry Holmes' Famous Act Of Respect For Muhammad Ali

"Howard Cosell," the man said as he looked at the camera with a puzzled face, "who's he?"

The man on camera was, of course, Muhammad Ali. And anyone who knew anything knew that Ali was perfectly aware of who Howard Cosell was. Of course, at the time, I didn't know anything. How could I? I was just a kid. Yet even I knew the colorful Ali, despite the fact his days of ring glory were well behind him.

Funny, famous and literally "the greatest" during his heyday, that's what I knew Ali to be when I was young. Oh, the man was still fighting, but everyone - even I - knew his best days had passed. Still, I remember pulling for Ali when he tried for one last shot at glory against the great Larry Holmes. It was Ali, after all. He was someone special, advancing age be damned.

"See that moon?" me grandfather asked, pointing to a moon which was visible in the midday sky. "That guy's going to send your buddy over it." That was my grandfather's prediction for the impending Ali-Holmes showdown. I remember my father and I being amused. Grandpa, who knew his stuff, was simply saying what everyone else was. But we knew better. We had faith.

But faith in worldly matters too often proves fallible. Holmes ended up breaking his own heart through his utter dominance of Ali. Indeed, had he wanted, Holmes may well have been able to send Ali over the moon that night, fulfilling Grandpa's prediction. Holmes didn't want that, though. He was too decent a guy.

He was also a guy who knew this wasn't the Ali of yore. In fact, he probably knew it better than anyone, as Holmes had been Ali's sparring partner when he was younger. Now, though, it was Holmes who was champ. But champions, if they're worth a damn, respect their own. And just as a younger Ali had spoken flatteringly of  Rocky Marciano, Holmes held back from doing what he essentially had every right in the world to do that evening - utterly destroy his opponent.

It wasn't that Holmes couldn't do it. It's that he wouldn't do it.

Some adversaries simply earn that kind of respect.

RIP Muhammad Ali.

Is Adrien Broner Becoming An Afterthought?

Broner needs to take a better path

First things first - I have no idea whether or not Adrien Broner is guilty of beating the hell out of some poor guy outside a bowling alley. What I do know, however, is that Broner's dysfunctional bad boy persona is catching up to him in that it's now clearly overshadowing any talent he shows in the ring. People used to be infuriated by Broner's arrogance. Now he's arguably laughed at more than scorned.

That's telling.

Of course, Broner might be taken more seriously if he fought people other than the likes of Ashley Theophane. That's no knock on Theophane, by the way. At this point I wouldn't be stunned if he pulled off the upset against Broner this weekend, making himself well deserving of any accolades he receives. The truth, however, is that Theophane isn't the known commodity Broner is, and there's a lot of dangerous opposition out there Broner could face right now.

At this point, I'm not even sure the Theophane fight is a case of classic Al Haymon matchmaking or if Haymon and company actually need to see if Broner can perform at the top level at this point in his career. It's not that Broner doesn't have talent. We all know he does. It's that everyone rightfully questions whether or not he takes that talent seriously enough.

Muhammad Ali had the biggest mouth in the world - but he'll always be known first and foremost for his ring accomplishments. Broner, on the other hand, is know known first and foremost for his antics. And not without good reason. If the man doesn't start proving himself in the ring, he'll simply vanish into the ether - if he hasn't begun to already.

The Top In-Your-Face Fighters In History

None of these guys are your man on the street type

The world is filled with fighters that are cocky, swaggering, and in-your-face. Some love this sort of thing. Some can't stand it. One thing is certain - these types of individuals are DIFFERENT. For they not only shoot off their mouths when the rest of us remain silent - they back those big words up. With no further adieu then, let's take a look at the upper echelon of the In Your Face Crowd, from the 1800s to the present.

1. John L Sullivan: The original. This strutting Irish American ruled the post Civil War fight scene like no other. Boastful and hard drinking, he was also as brave as they came and - yeah - appears to have been one hell of a fighter, whether it was with gloves or with bare knuckles. A true one of a kind.
2.  Jack Johnson: The first African American heavyweight champion of the world was also a first class mouth. Hated for his skin color, Johnson doesn't seem to have been interested in winning over the ignorant. Indeed, he was all about taunting and flashing an expensive lifestyle. Controversy sells, and Johnson - the first old time fighter who might well hold his own today - was living proof of that fact. 
3. Muhammad Ali: Interesting in that he was a combination of the social, the political and the athletic. In short, the man transcended not only boxing, but all of sports. And he did it all while shooting off his mouth in a way that could be as much wink-and-a-smile as in your face. In sense, he perfected the craft.  
4. Floyd Mayweather: You didn't think this list would skip Floyd, did you? In a sense, the guy was a strange combination of Sullivan and Johnson in that he boasted of his skills while openly indulging in his financial success. Unlike Sullivan and Johnson, however, no one was able to beat Floyd throughout his career. And if he remains retired, Floyd will have backed up the talk all the way through to the end. 
5. Tyson Fury: Behold, the class of 2016. Outspoken, and obnoxious, this walking master class of bullying as psychological warfare stunned the dominant Wladimir Klitschko late in 2015...and has yet to be shut up by anyone. 

The Top Five Heavyweight Champs Of All Time

These guys simply rise above the rest

Let's face it, the heavyweight division is getting hot again - finally. So, during this transition period, I've decided to look back and think about just who the greatest heavyweight champs were. You may not like the list, but that's fine. Comment and tell me where I'm wrong.

The truth is, guys like Corbett, Johnson and Dempsey, great as they were, probably wouldn't do to well against the guys on this list. Boxing, frankly, simply moved on beyond their skill sets. Then again, you won't find names like Klitschko and Fury on this list, either. They may be big, but just imagine them facing the Tyson who faced Michael Spinks.

1. Muhammad Ali - Hey, they called him The Greatest for a reason. Liston. Frazier. Foreman. Spinks. He beat them all. That's saying something. What's particularly great about the man is he didn't rely on an undefeated record. When defeated, he would simply come back and win. Admirable stuff.
2. Larry Holmes - Surprised?You shouldn't be. The man was that good. Yeah, he's known as the guy who held the belt in between the reigns of Ali and Tyson, but ask yourself this - would the Holmes who fought Cooney have lost to a prime Ali and Tyson? Maybe. But then again...
3. Lennox Lewis - Here's a man who had the misfortune of never fighting Tyson or Holyfield in their primes. That's too bad, because I wouldn't write him off against either of those two. In fact, I'd favor him against both. And their both on this list.
4. Mike Tyson - If you want to know why Iron Mike's on this list, then with all do respect, you don't know boxing all that well. Pure dominance. Dempsey on steroids (no, not literally). Too tough to swing with, too fast to run from. Truly the baddest man on the planet. 
5. Evander Holyfield - My favorite fighter of all time is still a tough sell on his list. Riddick Bowe won two out of three against the man. What's more, it's hard to figure out if Holyfield could have beaten Joe Louis if both men were at their best. Regardless. Some fighters just have other fighter's numbers. It's been said, for instance, that Ken Norton had Ali's number. Yet Norton truly doesn't belong on this list. Bottom line: Bowe never went on to achieve what Holyfield did. And yeah, prime Evander could probably have bested prime Louis.