U-Muhammad Ali usweleke eneminyaka engama-74, isithethi sosapho satsho. Owayesakuba yintshatsheli yamanqindi kudidi oluphezulu kwihlabathi, engomnye wabadlali abadumileyo kwihlabathi, ubhubhele kwisibhedlele esikwisixeko saseMelika iPhoenix, eArizona, emva kokungeniswa ngoLwesine.
Wayekhathazwa sisifo sokuphefumla, imeko eyayisenziwa nzima sisifo sikaParkinson. Umngcwabo uza kuba kwidolophu yakulo-Ali eLouisville, eKentucky, usapho lwakhe lwatsho kwingxelo.
Uzelwe uCassius Marcellus Clay, u-Ali wadutyulwa kudumo ngokuphumelela igolide kubunzima bobunzima bobunzima kwiiOlimpiki zaseRoma ngo-1960. Ebizwa ngokuba “Oyena Mkhulu”, umMelika wabetha uSonny Liston ngo-1964 ukuze aphumelele iwonga lakhe lokuqala lehlabathi kwaye waba yimbethi manqindi yokuqala ukubamba iwonga lehlabathi lobunzima bobunzima izihlandlo ezithathu ezahlukeneyo. Ekugqibeleni wathatha umhlala-phantsi ngo-1981, ephumelele ama-56 kwimilo yakhe engama-61.
Uthweswe isithsaba "uMdlali weNkulungwane" yi-Sports Illustrated kunye ne "Sports Personality of the Century" yi-BBC, u-Ali waqatshelwa ngentetho yakhe yangaphambi nangemva kokulwa kunye noqikelelo lokulwa okukhaliphileyo nje ngobuchule bakhe bomdlalo wamanqindi ngaphakathi kwindandatho.
Kodwa wayekwangumkhankaseli wamalungelo oluntu kunye nembongi egqithe imida yezemidlalo, ubuhlanga kunye nobuzwe.
Xa ebuzwa ukuba angathanda ukukhunjulwa njani, wakha wathi: “Njengomntu ongazange athengise abantu bakhe. Kodwa ukuba ininzi kakhulu, yimbethi-manqindi elungileyo. Andinangxaki nokuba awuyikhankanyi indlela ebendimhle ngayo.”
U-Ali waguquka njengobuchwephesha kwangoko emva kweeOlimpiki zaseRoma kwaye wenyuka kudidi olunzima, eyonwabisa izihlwele ngokubhabha kwakhe, ukutshixiza kweenyawo kunye nokubonakala kombane.
Intshatsheli yaseBhritane uHenry Cooper yasondela ekumiseni uClay, njengoko wayesaziwa njalo, xa badibana kumlo owawungeyosihloko eLondon ngo-1963.
UCooper wambethelela phantsi iMelika ngehuka yasekhohlo, kodwa uClay waziphakamisa kwiseyile kwaye waphumelela umlo kumjikelo olandelayo xa isikeka esibi esijikeleze iliso lasekhohlo likaCooper kwanyanzelela iNgesi ukuba irhoxe.
Umsebenzi wamanqindi ka-Ali
Ujike waba yintshatsheli kubunzima bobunzima behlabathi ukusuka ngo-1964 ukuya ku-1967, 1974 ukuya ku-1978 nango-1978 ukuya ku-1979.
Ubenemidlalo engama-61 yobuchwephesha, waphumelela 56 (37 unkqonkqozwa, izigqibo ezili-19), kwaye waphulukana nesihlanu (izigqibo ezi-4, umhlala-phantsi omnye)
NgoFebruwari kunyaka olandelayo, uClay wothuse ihlabathi lamanqindi ngokuphumelela intshinga yakhe yokuqala yehlabathi kudidi olunzima eneminyaka engama-22.
Waxela kwangaphambili ukuba uya kumbetha uListon, owayengazange aphulukane, kodwa bambalwa ababekholelwa ukuba angayenza.
Nangona kunjalo, emva kwemijikelo emithandathu emangalisayo, uListon wayeka esitulweni sakhe, engakwazi ukumelana nogqatso lwakhe, umchasi oselula.
Ngexesha lokulwa kwakhe okokuqala noListon, uClay wayesele ebandakanyeka kwiSizwe samaSilamsi, intlangano yenkolo eneenjongo ezichazwe kukuphucula imeko yokomoya, yengqondo, yentlalo kunye nezoqoqosho yabantu base-Afrika baseMelika eUnited States.
Kodwa ngokwahlukileyo kwindlela equkayo ethandwa ziinkokeli zamalungelo oluntu ezifana noGqr Martin Luther King, iNation of Islam yabiza uphuhliso lwabantsundu olwahlukileyo kwaye lwaphathwa ngokurhanelwa luluntu lwaseMelika.
Ekugqibeleni u-Ali waguqukela kwiSilamsi, eyeka into awayeyibona ukuba "ligama lakhe lekhoboka" kwaye waba nguCassius X kunye noMuhammad Ali.
Imbeko kuAli
“Lusuku olubuhlungu ebomini mfo. Ndandimthanda uMuhammad Ali, wayengumhlobo wam. UAli soze afe. NjengoMartin Luther King umoya wakhe uya kuhlala uphila, walimela ihlabathi. " – UDon King, owaphakamisa imilo emininzi ka-Ali, kuquka neRumble in the Jungle
“U-Muhammad Ali wayengomnye wabantu abakhulu endakha ndadibana nabo. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo wayengomnye wabona bantu babalaseleyo abakhe baphila kule mihla.” – UGeorge Foreman, umhlobo ka-Ali kunye nembangi yakhe kwiRumble in the Jungle
“Akusoze kubekho omnye uMuhammad Ali. Uluntu oluntsundu kwihlabathi jikelele, abantu abantsundu kwihlabathi liphela, babemdinga. Wayelilizwi kuthi. Ulilizwi lokuba ndibe kule ndawo ndikuyo namhlanje.” – UFloyd Mayweather, yintshatsheli yehlabathi yembethi manqindi kumacandelo amahlanu
Ihlabathi limkhumbula njani uAli
Ngo-1967, u-Ali wathatha isigqibo esibalulekileyo sokuchasa imfazwe yase-US eVietnam, inyathelo elagxekwa ngokubanzi ngabantu bakhe baseMelika.
Wala ukubizelwa emkhosini waseUnited States waza emva koko wahluthwa iwonga lehlabathi kunye nephepha-mvume lamanqindi. Wayengazukuphinda alwe kwakhona phantse iminyaka emine.
Emva kokuba egwetywe ngenxa yokwala idrafti ngo-1971, u-Ali wabuyela kwiringi kwaye walwa kukhuphiswano oluthathu olubalaseleyo kwimbali yamanqindi, enceda ukubuyisela isidima sakhe eluntwini.
Wanikwa ukoyiswa kwakhe okokuqala nguJoe Frazier “kuMlo weNkulungwane” eNew York nge-8 kaMatshi ngo-1971, waphinda wafumana isihloko sakhe ngokunkqonkqozwa komjikelo wesibhozo nguGeorge Foreman kwi “Rumble in the Jungle” eKinshasa. , eZaire (ngoku eyiDemocratic Republic of Congo) ngowama-30 ngo-Oktobha 1974.
UMuhammad Ali uthweswe isithsaba soMdlali weNkulungwane kwi1999.
U-Ali walwa noFrazier okwesithathu kunye nexesha lokugqibela kwiiPhilippines ngo-1 Oktobha 1975, ephuma phezulu "kwi-Thrilla eManila" xa uFrazier ehluleka ukuvela kwi-15th kunye neyokugqibela. Ukuzikhusela okuthandathu kwesihloko sakhe kwalandela ngaphambi kokuba u-Ali aphulukane namanqaku kuLeon Spinks ngoFebruwari 1978, nangona waphinda wafumana itayitile yehlabathi ekupheleni konyaka, ephindezela ukoyiswa kwakhe kwintshatsheli ye-Olimpiki yowe-1976 yobunzima bobunzima.
Umsebenzi ka-Ali waphela ngokoyiswa kwicala elinye nguLarry Holmes ngo-1980 kunye noTrevor Berbick ngo-1981, abaninzi becinga ukuba ngewayethathe umhlala phantsi kwakudala ngaphambili.
Walwa amaxesha angama-61 ewonke njengengcali, waphulukana namaxesha amahlanu kwaye waphumelela imijikelo engama-37 ngokunkqonkqoza.
Kungekudala emva kokuthatha umhlalaphantsi, amahemuhemu aqala ukujikeleza malunga nemeko yempilo ka-Ali. Intetho yakhe yasuka yatshona, washixiza kwaye wayesoloko esozela.
I-Parkinson's Syndrome ekugqibeleni yafunyaniswa kodwa u-Ali waqhubeka esenza ukubonakala esidlangalaleni, esamkelwa ngokufudumeleyo naphi na apho wayehamba khona.
Walayita i-cauldron ye-Olimpiki kwiMidlalo ye-1996 e-Atlanta kwaye waphatha iflegi ye-Olimpiki kumsitho wokuvula iMidlalo ye-2012 eLondon.
Indlela uAli awayefuna ngayo abantu bamkhumbule
“Ndingathanda ukukhunjulwa njengendoda eyaphumelela izihlandlo ezithathu intshinga yobunzima, eyayihlekisa yaye yayiphatha wonke umntu ngendlela efanelekileyo. Njengendoda engazange ibajongele phantsi abo babejonge kuye…eyazimelayo iinkolelo zayo… eyazama ukumanyanisa lonke uluntu ngokholo nothando.
“Kwaye ukuba yonke loo nto ininzi kakhulu, ndiyacinga ukuba ndingakhunjulwa kuphela njengembethi manqindi ebalaseleyo eyaba yinkokeli nentshatsheli yabantu bayo. Kwaye andikhathali nokuba abantu bayalibala indlela endimhle ngayo.”
