While in Louisville for an extended period, I had the opportunity to visit the Muhammad Ali Museum. I have to admit I’m a fan of Muhammad Ali, although that wasn’t always the case. I recall growing up listening to the radio of the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier fight in Madison Square Garden. I knew Ali would lose his next fight, but I was always wrong. Today there is a pair of Everlast gloves signed by Ali above my desk and above the gloves is a signed copy of the famous photo of Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston. These two objects represent my competitive spirit. I look to the photo every day.
It is apparent when you visit the museum that early in his career Ali was despised and hated by most of America. The early fight films clearly show how the crowds rooted for anyone but Ali. He would be dominating a fight in silence, and then the crowd would erupt the second the challenger attempted to throw a punch. How does an individual transcend racism and hate to become one of the most beloved figures in the world. I believe the sport of boxing imparts an incredible will and confidence in one’s beliefs. This positive attribute of boxing makes the mentally strong, stronger and the mentally weak, weaker. Look at Mike Tyson for an example of the weak, getting weaker.
Boxing has gotten a bad rap in the press. The sport has earned its black eye with corruption, crime and greed. But the public fails to look at the essence of the sport. No other sport represents the absolute pure essence of athletic competition. No other athlete endures greater personal sacrifice than a boxer. Consider the essence of competition. There is no team to lend support if you need a breather. There is no ball to focus the attention of the spectator. There are only two individuals where a mistake is instantaneous. One simple lapse of focus results in the end of the fight. Boxing is as mental as it is physical. Great fighters will themselves to victory. It is impossible for them to ever conceive defeat. In his fight with Ken Norton, Ali’s jaw was broken in the second round. Ali fought the next 13 rounds with a broken jaw, because it was inconceivable that he would not.
I greatly admire the dedication and devotion it requires to be a professional boxer. The great fighters can have undefeated careers of 40 or more fights. Consider what that means. Boxers train months on end to peak at one exact moment in time. There is no other opportunity to perform. You either show up or you lose. Great fighters have the ability to focus every ounce of effort to peak on the night of a fight over and over without fail. It’s like telling Claude Monet that he needs to paint his greatest painting at 7:00 pm October 23.
There is nothing more beautiful than a good contest, just as there is nothing more brutal and ugly than a bad fight. What bothers me is the misinformation about the sport. Boxers die in the ring and we should ban the sport? The average American is almost four times more likely to die at work than a boxer. Should we ban work? Let’s take a look at some sports fatality rates per 100,000 participants.
Horse Racing: 128, Sky Diving: 123, Hang Gliding: 55, Mountaineering: 51, Scuba Diving: 11, Motorcycle Racing: 7, College Football: 3, Boxing: 1.3
Let’s look at some occupations with the Highest Fatality Rates (Average fatality rate for all occupations: 4.0 per 100,000).
Timber cutters 117.8, Fishers 71.1, Pilots and navigators 69.8, Structural metal workers 58.2, Drivers/sales workers 37.9, Roofers 37.0, Electric power installers 32.5, Farm occupations 28.0, Construction laborers 27.7, Truck drivers 25.0
I don’t hear much debate about banning roofers or electricians even though they are twenty times more likely to die at work than a boxer. Give me a break! What would life be like without Joe Louis uniting a nation against Nazi Germany? How can we imagine a world without Muhammad Ali? Boxing is corrupt and that needs immediate correction. What the public dislikes is that it is bloody, brutal and primarily minorities. We won’t eliminate poverty or violence by banning boxing. Has anyone watched the news lately? Our entire history is about the immigrants that fought and struggled to succeed in this country. Boxing is not gentile but it is America.
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Muhammad Ali
