THE greatest boxer in history, Muhammad Ali, is 74 years old today, and the whole world celebrates with a true world / peoples champion. Ali, was a phenomenon in the ring. There has been no athlete/sportsman or woman who held the whole world in awe since he quit boxing in 1982. His story in and outside the ring is that of faith, courage, skill, determination and creativity conquering poverty, bigotry, fear and oppression.

I am a long-standing fan of Ali, from the time he burst on the world’s consciousness in 1964. You remember his unbelievable defeat of Sonny Liston against all odds, to become the youngest world heavyweight boxing champion at 22 years. That yet – to – be – equaled feat of Ali made good his boasts of “I am the Greatest. I will defeat the ugly bear (Liston)”.

Muhammad Ali was born and named Cassius Marcellus Clay on January 17, 1942 in Loiusville, Kentucky, United States of America. He converted to Islam shortly after winning the world heavyweight boxing title in 1964. The world’s best-recognised face was steered to his destiny by a theft incident. One day in 1954, aged 12, he had been riding around on his new bike bought for him by his father as a Christmas present. Also riding around with the young Muhammad Ali, on his own bike, was Johnny Willis, his closest friend. A heavy rain terminated the two young boys’ fun on their bikes, and in want of something else to do, Cassius and his friend headed for an auditorium where the annual bazaar, the “Louisville Home Show”, for African- Americans in business was being held. They were attracted particularly to the show because the poster read that free popcorn and hot dogs would be served.

“By the time the two young friends thought they had had their fill and wanted to go home, Ali’s bicycle had been stolen! In their search for the bike, someone told the boys to go downstairs to the gym in the auditorium, where a policeman, Mr. Joe Elsby Martin, was training some boxers. They followed the advice. In the gym, Ali was told by the policeman/trainer to lodge a formal complaint, which he (Mr. Martin) wrote down.

The future world heavyweight boxing champion boasted that he would “whup” the person who stole his bicycle even “if the guy is an adult”. The 12 – year old (Cassius) confidence made Mr. Martin to ask if he was a boxer or learning the art. But Ali replied in the negative repeating his earlier boast to “whup” (beat) the bicycle thief. And according to Ali in his autobiography, “The Greatest,” as he was about to go, Mr. Martin tapped him on the shoulder and gave him an application form in case he was interested in joining the gym where they boxed every night, Mondays to Fridays.

“The sight, sounds and smell of the boxing gym excited the young man so much that he started to dream. Hear him. “I can see myself telling my next door neighbor, ‘I am getting ready to fight for the heavyweight title of the world, and coming back the next night to say, ‘I am now the heavyweight champion of the world!” It did come to pass! One thing did not just lead to another – determination, rigorous training, strategic planning and faith in God culminated into turning a young, poor boy to the man who would break all known records in boxing, if not sports history. Ali brought science, beauty, money and a yet – to – be – equalled dignity to the game of brain, blood and brutality called boxing.

The generations who watched Ali “dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee” in the 1960s and 1970s would not dismiss his claim of being the greatest boxer that has ever lived. What about his beautiful poems and wisecracks which led to a professorship offer by a British University, and the uncanny predictions of the round his many opponents would fall. As a good sportsman and world champion, Ali, never in his career, hit his opponents below the belt or after the bell had gone. He was a decent boxer.

Ali won the first richest prize in sports. He was the first and only boxer in history to have won the world heavyweight title thrice. Ali did not stop at boxing, he became a champion of human rights. His refusal, based on religious/personal beliefs, to be conscripted into the US Army to fight in VietNam in 1967 with the famous quip, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong” endeared him to millions all over the USA and the world. I was a signatory to the world-wide call to the US-based World Boxing Authority which stripped Ali of his title from 1967-70 to rescind its decision. His draft refusal and the eventual victory at the USA Supreme Court, which ordered the restoration of his title and the release of his boxing licence, to some extent, pricked the conscience of the USA.

Today, Ali is an international peace ambassador, an icon for the ‘can do’ attitude in addition to being a philanthropist and symbol of pride to millions of oppressed people of the world. Today, ironically, a disease described as the Parkinson Syndrome, has slowed down Ali in speech and movement, but not his spirit of adding value to life.

In Ali’s former camp, posterity will record in gold, names such as Mr. Martin, the policeman/trainer, Angelo Dundee, Ali’s coach, Drew ‘Bundini’ Brown, the cornerman with the ready yells of “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, Mr. Elijah Muhammad, Ali’s spiritual mentor and Herbert Muhammad, the photographer who managed Ali’s purse.

• Oloye’Lekan Alabi, D. Litt (h.c) is Aare Alaasa Olubadan of Ibadanland