Well, even his illness Muhammad Ali managed to avoid having passed long ago. For sure
LOUISVILLE, KY – JUNE 09: Muhammad Ali’s second wife Khalilah Camacho-Ali (L), his fourth wife Lonnie Ali (C), and daughter Laila Ali (R), holding a grandchild, attend an Islamic prayer service at the Kentucky Exposition Center on June 9, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. The Jenazah service was held for the four-time world heavyweight boxing champion, who died on June 3 at age 74. A procession and memorial service are scheduled for Friday. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
some will say he fought a great fight… and perhaps his greatest was out side the ring fighting Parkinson.
I really do not know many people who have had the staying power of 
Muhammad Ali when it comes to battling the disease of Parkinson. And I guess 1 can say Ali fought and won because he managed, regardless of all the shaking… to keep his humor and be able to see the world in a light that most of us have no idea of… and the blessings we all have who do not have to battle to live or do for ourselves.
FILE – In this Oct. 1, 1975, file photo, spray flies from the head of challenger Joe Frazier as heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali connects with a right in the ninth round of their title fight in Manila, Philippines. Ali, the magnificent heavyweight champion whose fast fists and irrepressible personality transcended sports and captivated the world, has died according to a statement released by his family Friday, June 3, 2016. He was 74. (AP Photo/Mitsunori Chigita, File)(AP6_4_2016_000105A)
I will never forget when Ali stood before the cameras and said because he did not believe in killing people based upon his religious belief… he, 
therefore, refused to be drafted and go to war, and fight in the Vietnam war. That action caused many who hated this young black kid, who was so skillful in the boxing ring to get the ammunition to really go after him. But though that action did color his earlier boxing achievements… and ended up with his title being taken from him, 
Muhammad Ali never let that stop him from being the regal sportsmen he continued to be until the day he died.
Another time I will never forget is when Ali during his time from being not allowed to box 
by the U. S. government… came to visit our college campus. He was in our Black House… the black student organization building… and he came to talk to us. I cannot remember what Ali talked about… as all I can remember about that day was that there were a number of us black students in the our Black House that day… and Ali took a hundred dollar bill and bought McDonald’s for all 
of us. This may not sound like much to you but to a whole bunch of mid-afternoon starving college students it was something truly great. We were ecstatic that this great boxer was on our campus and we had a chance to meet him 1 on 1. Could not get home quick enough to tell my daddy… who was a major Muhammad Ali fan.
Those of us who were fortunate enough to witness Ali from the
Mohammed Ali
beginning until his end can truly say that he was indeed ‘the greatest of all times.’ No other box has bought to the prize ring the kind of interest and excitement of an Muhammad Ali fight… which was always colorful and full of rhythms such as, ‘Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.’ Or give us a thrill like the ‘Thriller in Ma’nilla.’
Not many have lived to see the greatest basketball player of all times..
. Michael Jordan. Or the greatest female sister 
tennis players of all times… Venus and Serena Williams. Or the greatest base ball players of all times… Hank Aaron. The greatest golfer of all times… Tiger Woods. Or the greatest female vocalist of all times… Whitney Houston… and the greatest entertainer of all times… Michael Jackson. 
And Muhammad Ali the greatest heavy weight boxer of all times… from the Olympics into the professional boxing ring. And what a gift for trash talking
The winners of the 1960 Olympic medals for light heavyweight boxing on the winners’ podium at Rome: Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali) (C), gold; Zbigniew Pietrzykowski of Poland (R), silver; and Giulio Saraudi (Italy) and Anthony Madigan (Australia), joint bronze. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
…until 1 day God shut all that down… but did not take his life until now.
Yes, he was pretty. No boxer prettier… or sharper or more on point 
than Ali. And an Ali fight was guaranteed to be exciting and filled with the unexpected.
Watching the funeral on the television and seeing all the religious leaders seated on the 
stage at Ali’s funeral, and being fully aware of Ali’s own religious beliefs… I could not help 
but think, ‘If you serve anything other than the 1 and only living God, and his son Jesus… than you can belong to as many religion groups as you want, and be the very best person in the world and never make it to heaven.’
It is my hope that Muhammad Ali’s last and fight battle was 1 he also won… and came to professed that Jesus is Lord, and not a lower prophet under Allah.
Odd how that massive and very powerful man was never stopped by any of his opponents, who were also big strong massive heavy weight men with plenty of strength. But having
U.S. boxing great Muhammad Ali poses during the Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 28, 2006. REUTERS/Andreas Meier/File Photo
suffered so many head injuries brought about a disease that ‘the greatest’ wrestled with for a very long time… and now probably never was overcome by it… but by age instead. And he went out of here smiling at the ripe old age of 74…smiling because he defeated Parkinson too… but could not overcome age though many have tried.
One thing is for sure …Foreman… Frazier… and all the rest would never be nothing if there had not been an Ali, who allowed them the privilege 
to claim into his ring…
Well, God bless… and hope you have a beautiful weekend this weekend. But as I close I cannot help but think about the terrible chain of events that took place in Orlando just this week.
After over a hundred people were shot and more than 50 killed it is insane to me to hear any pastor or supposed religious 
man laughing and stating from his pulpit that the cold blooded murder who shot and killed those people should have killed everybody who was in that 
gay club?
I have wonder what Bible are people studying from?
What manner of doctrine are they reading where it says, ‘God hated homosexuals enough to want them all dead.” If that were the case I am more 
than sure that God even back in Biblical times surely would not have stopped with merely 
Sodom and Gomorrah… especially since it is widely known as recognized as almost customary for such things as that among 
men in Greece during that time.
There is no way that this Orlando gay night club shooting should not be classified as a ‘hate crime’ irregardless of the ethnic background of the shooter and his religion… because this crime was perpetrated solely against the gay men in that club for reasons of hate… due to their sexuality … perhaps because he found them to be attractive… and of interest to his sick perverted sexual 
desires, which to the shooters ethnic group were both against his religion and ethnicity. Whom himself frequent that club trying to date many of those men… and met up with Hispanic gay men over the internet. And there can be denying that this all came about just as we entered into June, which is gay pride month.
Our God has not given unto us the spirit of hate… or hate mongering. But of love. Biblical scripture tells us that we are to love one another as we lover ourselves… this comes without conditions or any special exemptions.
http://www.advocate.com/religion/2016/6/14/baptist-pastor-who-cheered-orlando-murders-isnt-alone
I’m off my band wagon for now. But I pray that God sincerely touch every heart and change ever deprived mind that seeks to do evil.
Thank you for reading this blog…and my others. Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…” http://www.bsmith101.wordpress.com ©2016
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