Heaven Can Wait

Muhammad Ali in 1970

On January 17, 2012, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali turned 70.  Ali, whose verbal prowess once earned him the nickname "The Louisville Lip", communicates much more subtly these days as a result of his long struggle with Parkinson's Disease.

In 1964, Ali was still known as Cassius Clay when he became a mega-celebrity.  His rise to fame had ties to Jefferson City, Mo.

Ali at Age 70

On February 25, 1964, Cassius Clay fought for
boxing's heavyweight championship of the world.  His opponent?  Sonny Liston.  Sonny learned to fight right here in Jefferson City as a resident of the Missouri State Penitentiary.  If you take a tour of the historic penitentiary his cell is still a featured stop.  There is also still a mural of him on the prison wall near the area that used to be occupied by the prison softball field.  You can schedule your tour of the historic facility at www.missouripentours.com.

At the time of the fight, Sonny Liston had won 50 fights, 39 by knockout.  I was 15 with visions of becoming a sportswriter.  The fight was not televised.  At least not on one of the 3 channels we got at our home.  I was, however, able to listen to the fight on the radio.  I still have the notes I took that night summarizing each round.  The fight ended in the 7th round when Liston failed to answer the bell.  It was then that Clay vaulted into the center of the ring and into history.  "I AM THE KING!  I HAVE UPSET THE WORLD!  I AM THE GREATEST!" he proclaimed.  His proclamations were not without merit.  He had been a 7-1 underdog.  Most experts had expected Liston to pummel him.

As Clay left the ring he shouted "Mom, didn't  I tell you I was the greatest?  I whupped him!  What do you think of me now?"

A few weeks later, Cassius Clay announced he had joined the nation of Islam and would no longer be known as Cassius Clay.  That was his slave name, he said.  He would forever more be known as Muhammad Ali.

Parkinson's Disease, the disease that has quieted Ali, was first recognized in 1817 in an article titled "An Essay of the Shaking Palsy" by British physician Dr. James Parkinson.  Parkinson's Disease affects the ability to talk, walk and even write.  It is the same disease that affects Dr. Billy Graham and Michael J. Fox.  It is an equal opportunity disease, affecting men and women of all races and socio-economic status.  It is usually diagnosed after age 50.  There are approximately 60,000 new cases a year.  Hello, Baby Boomers.

As for Sonny Liston, he died of a drug overdose six years after his lost to Muhammad Ali.  He is buried in Paradise Memorial Garden's in Las Vegas.

Before fighting Liston, Clay had predicted "I'll take him in seven and go to heaven!"

But, like the rest of us, he is in no hurry to make the trip.