Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Reverend Al Sharpton and Muhammad Ali

Al Sharpton 2004 at Ebeneer AME Church
I was actually mesmerized by this video, giving props to the Reverend for a great sermon - for about the first fifteen minutes...then it started, as it inevitably does, Sharpton treating his followers/listeners/congregation like they ignant........



13:35 "I like to tell the story of when I was a little boy, I used to like to run around with Mohammed Ali and I asked him one day, "when did you know you were the greatest?". (Sharpton b. 1954 Ali b 1942) 

He said 'well Sharpton, I thought I was the greatest when I beat Sonny Liston ('64), but that only proved I was good, but I wasn't great yet.  I was great when I came and won the title back'". 

Ali knocked out George Foreman October 30, 1974, in Zaire and won his title back (lost it initially because he dodged the draft).  

Ali tells little Sharpton he still wasn't great yet.  Nope, not until he fought Ken Norton (San Diego 1973), when Norton broke Ali's jaw (a year before Foreman) - Norton won this fight but lost the next two against Ali.  Yankee Stadium was 1976 - and the crowd was cheering Ali - he never went down.  However, Ali did go flat on his back in 1971 against Joe Frazier (not Norton), and Ali lost.

Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali
Given the dates of the above, Sharpton could not have been a "little boy" when Ali was telling his "greatest" stories...the youngest he could have been was 20 (or 22 if you count the mistaken Yankee Stadium recounting), and Ali would have been in his 30's.

I wasn't able to find any pictures of Ali and Sharpton together, but I did find a photo of Sharpton and fighting promoter, Don King...
In the year Sharpton was born, 1954, Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, got his bicycle stolen and declared he was going to kick the arse of whomever stole it.  The policeman taking Ali's report took the boy under his wing and taught him to take his agressions out in the boxing ring instead. Ironic, isn't it, especially given how much disdain Sharpton has for the PO PO.

Someone asked me today why I dislike Sharpton so much - I don't really dislike Sharpton, I detest his actions.  Truth be known, there's a little part of me that admires a little part of Sharpton....a part that is buried wayyyyyyyyyy down beneath the money and hasn't been seen since about 1979.

.