John Chuckman
COMMENT TO AN ARTICLE BY STEVE BUNCE IN THE INDEPENDENT
“Cassius Clay vs Sonny Liston: The amazing night Muhammad Ali became champion of the world
“On what would have been Muhammad Ali’s 78th birthday, reflections on the night Cassius Clay announced himself on the world stage”
I met Ali once, in Vancouver in 1971.
A charming man and someone I admired greatly.
I regret not telling him why I so admired him.
It wasn’t about boxing.
It was about his courage in standing up to the American establishment over its holocaust in Vietnam (3 million killed).
He paid a serious price, being deprived of earning his living in his prime.
He was a genuine hero, the kind we so rarely see.
