“Flow like a butterfly sting like a bee” a phrase Ali used to describe his free flowing charismatic attitude in and outside of the boxing ring. Will Smith and Jamie Foxx were nominated for the film “Ali” a depiction of the fighters life on screen. Known to many as a rebel back in his time when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War and when he joined the frown upon Nation of Islam along side public enemy Malcolm X, Ali revolutionized what it meant to be an athlete. Before the social crazed era of twitter and facebook, reporters squeezed into news rooms like packed sardines to hear Ali talk. The youngster from Louisville, Kentucky would speak his mind and give the people a show. Ali is one of the most well respected athletes of all time.
Keep Memory Alive’s 16th annual Power of Love Gala on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas brought out some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment to celebrate Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday and raise funds for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center.
Highlights of the evening included a heartfelt “Happy Birthday” serenade by Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg leading the crowd in chanting “Ali” during his performance of “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” and famed boxers Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns joining LL Cool J on stage for “Mama Said Knock You Out.” Stars such as Sean Combs, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard and David Beckham gave personal remarks and remembrances about “The Greatest” while Lenny Kravitz, Cee Lo Green and Kelly Rowland performed for Ali and the sold-out crowd of about 2,000.
The birthday celebration, “Ali 70th From Las Vegas,” will air nationally on ESPN2 on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 10 p.m. local time in all markets. ABC will air the celebration in Las Vegas at 4 p.m. PT that day as well.
In his boxing days he drew some of the biggest crowds known to sports to this day with the “Thriller in Manilla” against Joe Frazier. “The Rumble in the Jungle” against former heavy weight champion George Foreman and tonight the 70 year old does it again in MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. Celebrities from every walk of life have come to pay homage to the man known as “The Greatest,” a man who because of his long-standing battle with Parkinson’s disease will struggle to say “Thank you” to those who honor him. The former boxing champion faced difficult times after being striped of his heavy weight title, boxing license, and suspension from the sport he lived for after pleading guilty to draft evasion charges. Ali was belittled to smaller fights that he would never participate in, if his boxing title was never taken away from him. 
“When I talk to them about Ali, I want them to focus on his nonconformity, his outspokenness,” said Spencer, who has taught at UNLV for 14 years. “There’s a general lack of knowledge and caring about that time period. Most students don’t know about the Vietnam War. They don’t know that Ali lost 3½ years of his career while he was in his prime and that it was almost suicidal what he did to his career because he stood up for what he believed in.
“I can’t imagine the courage he had to have to do what he did. He is without question one of the most important men of the 20th century.” Ali has always been ahead of everybody and he still is. He changed the world back then, and he still doing it now.
For more information on the Muhammad Ali Center visit:
www.alicenter.org
Photos: Getty Images
