Friday brought the tragic passing of the greatest fighter of all-time Muhammad Ali. Since his passing, everyone from the WWE, to ESPN, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to his fellow fighters have expressed their condolences, but Ali’s passing also gives us an excuse to remember some of his greatest moments.
With someone as legendary as Ali, there are plenty to choose from, both in the ring and out of it. Thus far, we’ve remembered such classic Ali moments like him saving a man’s life, hilariously pranking school children, and his legendary role as the torch bearer at the 1996 Olympic Games.
Ali was perhaps at his best when he got to interact with other pro athletes and celebrities. Ali was so confident and bombastic that he could get under the skin of pretty much anyone no matter how dominant they were in their given sport, as evidenced during this rare ABC Wide World of Sports interview between Ali and NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, conducted by the legendary Howard Cosell.
During the segment, Ali and Chamberlain have their reach measured for a potential fight between the two. Although the 7-1 Chamberlain’s well out-measured Ali’s, that didn’t matter one bit to the great one, as he proclaimed, “[Ernie] Terell had a reach, too. Terell had a bad jab. Once the fight started, you couldn’t find it.” Although it was all in good fun, it actually seemed like by the end of it, Ali had succeeded in getting in the NBA MVP’s head, especially when he said he was going to use Bill Russell as his sparring partner.
Part of the legend of Ali goes far beyond his ability in the ring, as he was also one of the greatest showmen in sports, and this interview is a perfect example of his ability to entertain outside of the boxing ring.
