The scene was rather absurd.
It was a news conference in 1975, and Muhammad Ali was promoting his upcoming title bout vs. Joe Frazier -- a fighter Ali called "The Gorilla."
Telling onlookers that the fight would be a "thrilla" vs. "The Gorilla" in Manila, Ali took a tiny toy gorilla out of his pocket and punched it repeatedly.
"Come on, gorilla, we in Manila,' Ali said before hitting the toy gorilla in the head.
"Come on, gorilla, this is a thrilla,' he added, playfully punching the toy again.
Yep, Muhammad Ali was in front of television cameras, throwing punches at a toy. Certainly, it wasn't the most dignified public exhibition ever put on by a heavyweight champion of the world.
But Ali was no ordinary champion. He wasn't afraid to look ridiculous for the sake of entertainment. He wasn't afraid to do a lot of things. That's what made him the most influential athlete in history -- for better and worse.
Ali's Influence on Boxing
Ali was a flamboyant ring performer. He didn't stand in and exchange punches. He'd dance around, throwing swift jabs and blinding combinations.
If a powerful opponent got in close, he'd tie him up. Or as he did often in his three bouts vs. Frazier, he'd grab the back of his opponent's neck and pull it down. No, Ali wasn't into slugging it out just to prove his toughness.
He showed his bravado in different ways. He held his left hand dangerously low, and instead of slipping punches in the conventional way -- or blocking or parrying them -- he'd pull his head back and (hopefully) let them sweep harmlessly by.
If he needed a breather, he might lie against the ropes and let his opponent fire away, relying on his reflexes to keep him safe.
His ring exploits are legendary. He held the heavyweight championship three separate times, and beat all-time greats like Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston and Ken Norton.
After bursting onto the national scene with a gold-medal winning effort at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Ali went 56-5 with 37 knockouts in a professional career that lasted until 1981. He avenged three of his losses, and the other two came during an ill-advised comeback when he was well past his prime.
His unique style certainly brought extra attention to the sport. He's widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight of all time -- a topic that's vigorously debated -- and he's probably the most recognized sports figure of his generation.
But Ali was something of a bad influence on boxers. Even today, you'll see young fighters try to slip punches the way Ali did and fail miserably. They'll use Ali's famous rope-a-dope strategy unsuccessfully. They'll keep their left hand low and get knocked out by a right.
Only Ali and a very select few can use such tactics successfully. The fact that so many others have gone against the textbook and tried is evidence of his impact.
Ali's Influence on Sports Showmanship
After Ali defeated Frazier in the classic "Thrilla in Manila,' he showed humility during an in-ring interview shortly after the bout, but needed just a split-second to revert to form.
"[Frazier] is the greatest fighter of all times," Ali said, "next to me."
Ali, of course, was famous for boasting. The self-proclaimed "Greatest" would mock opponents before and during fights. He'd spurt out humorous rhymes predicting when he'd knock them out.
While much of that was purely for show, Ali could be nasty. In his 1967 title defense vs. Ernie Terrell, Ali gave his opponent a cruel pounding for refusing to recognize him by his Muslim name.
Terrell, who had continued to refer to Ali by his Christian name of Cassius Clay, was no match for the champion. But Ali didn't go for a knockout. Instead, he punished Terrell for 15 rounds, repeatedly asking "What's my name?" before firing punches to the head.
Of course, some athletes before Ali were brash and boastful. But none were so eager to be that way in the spotlight. And it's obvious that the number of brash, boastful athletes has multiplied many a time since Ali came along. So it might be said that Ali invented what we now know as "trash talk."
Would athletes like football's Terrell Owens and Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson be so outrageous if there had been no Ali? It's doubtful.
Ali's Influence on Society
Ali created a firestorm of controversy in the 1960s as he adopted the Muslim faith, refused to be inducted into the U.S. Armed Forces, and became an outspoken commentator on civil rights and race relations.
Heavyweight champions weren't supposed to move so far out of the mainstream -- at least that's what most were led to believe. But Ali did. And it’s hard to imagine that Ali's activities did not carry considerable weight among young Americans, especially those of African-American descent.
Ali's even been credited with influencing modern music. A 2006 ESPN documentary, titled Ali Rap, questioned whether the rhyming fighter was responsible for inventing hip-hop.
Since his retirement from boxing, Ali has been dedicated to humanitarian work in the U.S. and abroad. His official website, Ali.com, said he's been "instrumental in providing over 232 million meals to the world's hungry.
In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest U.S. civilian honor -- by President George W. Bush.
Most Influential of All
So is Ali the most influential athlete in history? Who else could it be?
Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods rank high on the list, but their impact does not go far beyond their athletic success and popularity. Babe Ruth and Pele fit in that same category. They influenced their sports, but did they influence culture?
Jackie Robinson did -- and he was a great athlete. But if he did not break baseball's color barrier, it's likely that somebody else would have just a few years later.
It's hard to imagine anybody else doing what Ali did both inside and out of the ring. In being unique, he's unmatched in the history of sports.
