7. His Accomplishments Outside Of The Hall
Sure, the Hall of Fame is a great accomplishment, but that is not where things stop being impressive for Ali. Ali won “Fighter of the Year” and “Fight of the Year” from Ring Magazine more times than any other fighter in history. On top of that, he is one of three boxers to be awarded “Sportsman of the Year” according to Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated clearly loved him, because they put him on the cover 37 different times.
Perhaps this is why in 1993, he was considered, alongside Babe Ruth, to be the most recognizable athlete in America.
6. His Inspiration To The Film industry
There is no doubt that Ali created a life that was well worth trying to capture on the big screen. In 1996 When We Were Kings was released, a documentary that talked about the infamous Rumble in the Jungle. You are also probably well aware of the 2001 biopic, Ali, in which Will Smith was cast as Ali. While he did not win, Smith was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award.
Despite nailing the role, Smith said he had turned it down for over 8 years before agreeing to it. “Intellectually, I didn’t feel that I possessed what it took to become Muhammad Ali,” Smith told Primetime’s special correspondent Tavis Smiley. “I absolutely, positively did not want to be the dude that messed up the Muhammad Ali story.”
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