ESPN Classic ran some old Ali fights a week or two ago. Watching him fight Floyd Patterson in the mid-1960s was just amazing. He truly did float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. I wish that I was able to watch the other fights.
I hated him when I was younger -- for some reason, I was a huge Joe Frazier fan. I probably hated him because my father and uncles hated him, and I can see why they did. He taunted Patterson mercilessly in the ring, easily ducking most of the punches, and when the occasional blow landed, he just stood there shaking his head as if to say "how did that sorry punch land?" and mouthing the words "that all you got, Floyd?"
And the post fight interview, praising Allah and Elijah Muhammed for the victory must have driven people nuts at the time. His refusal to get drafted a year or two later is probably what sent my WWII veteran relatives over the edge.
