'THE GREATEST'

"I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was."

It should be pretty obvious who the author of this is... and today he celebrates his 70th birthday.

When he rose to prominence in the heavyweight boxing ranks in the early 60's people had little time for Cassius Clay and his antics. The "Louisville Lip" as he was known was brash and confident in a way sports had never seen before. Fans wanted nothing more than to see Clay get his head pounded in before fading off into the sunset.

Cassius would have none of that. His shocking win over Sonny Liston in 1964 (after winning Olympic gold in 1960) followed by his name change to Muhammad Ali set in motion the most talked about and influential career in sports history.

"The Fight of the Century." "Rumble in the Jungle." "Thrilla in Manilla." By now these titles are all forever etched in boxing (and pop culture for that matter) folklore. They come from an era where boxing was much more than a sport, it was an event. The entire world seem to put itself on pause for these monumental occasions.

If his career in the ring had been his only impact on the world, Ali would simply be remembered as a great athlete. But his impact, both during and well after his career, extends well beyond the ring.

His stance against the Vietnam War, which cost him his title and three prime years of his career, was perhaps the first instance in any sport where an athlete stood up for what he believed in while announcing it for the whole world to see...

"No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slavemasters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end."

As popular opinion turned against the war, those who once chastised Ali now applauded him as a beacon for hope and tolerance. Even now in his final years, after years of his body being ravaged by Parkinson's, his mind and spirit remain as strong and free as ever. Ali himself remains standing as a symbol of hope and peace worldwide.

Anyway, that's about enough of my rambling (who does this 31-year-old "kid" think he is lol). Do yourself a favour and look up some Muhammad Ali quotes / interviews / fight footage. You'll see why he is worthy of every tribute he receives on this day.