Rejoice, O young man in thy youth.( and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes: but know you, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment). (Ecclesiastes 11:9)

The most common interpretation of this biblical verse is that it is a salutary warning against overly excessive, indulgent behaviours and that whilst you may do as you see fit/desire God will ultimately judge you (with the unspoken inference that you will end in Hell’s fiery pit).
There is however a variance on this somewhat gloomy take on the verse. That is that you should live your life to it’s fullest knowing that at the end of your days it is only the judgement of God that will count rather than the judgements that men may pass on you during your life.

Muhammad Ali’s achievements in the ring: two time Golden Gloves champion, Olympic gold medallist, first three time world heavyweight champion, six time Ring Magazine ‘Fighter of the Year’, more than any other boxer. Sports Illustrated ‘Sportsman of the Century’ are significant. However as much as his achievements in the ring it was Ali’s activities outside the ring that defined him.

As a showman and self publicist Ali developed into someone boxing had not seen before or is likely to see again. Pre-war the great Joe Louis at times elevated boxing to recognition on the world stage however post war with the Mob in control it fell back to become a marginalised sport with a seedy aura. It is fitting that as the mob lost its grip on the sport a truly global star arose from amongst its midst to elevate the fight game to genuine world recognition.

Though he was always confident Ali took time to develop into the supreme self publicist he ultimately became. His early career consisted of small hall bouts and he realised he needed to be more to gain more. So started the bombast, predictions and poetry - boxing now came with a floor show. Initially many hated him. They’d happily pay to see him get beaten, later in his career as he time and again backed up his boasts the same crowds supported him. As this transition occurred Ali took boxing on a world tour the likes of which had never been seen before, each event framed with its own poetic reference.

At an altogether different level however was Ali’s contribution to the counter culture/ civil rights movements of the 60’s. He evolved into a representative for Afro Americans and was acutely aware that his fight and his actions were theirs writ large. Always a determined man this awareness gave him even greater determination to win the fights with the authorities that came his way.

In 1964 after winning the world title Ali made public his membership of The Nation of Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammed Ali. His appearance at NoI events and espousal of their ideas set much of mainstream America against him and in March 1966 when Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces for the Vietnam War the authorities followed popular sentiment by stripping him of the world title and revoking his boxing licence. He did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970 losing almost 4 peak athletic years of his career. He was also convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The conviction was eventually overturned in 1971. During this time out of boxing Ali kept active and in the spotlight by giving speeches, mainly at college campuses. Gradually he began to be identified as a champion of the anti-war movement and advocate of African-American pride and racial justice. During this time Ali famously stated, "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me."

Later in his life Ali left NOI and became a Sunni muslim supporting racial integration like his former mentor Malcolm X.

Ali consistently undertook humanitarian actions as part of his Islamic duty of charity and good deeds. He has donated millions to charitable organizations and disadvantaged people of all religious backgrounds. It is estimated that Ali helped to feed more than 22 million people afflicted by hunger across the world.

Prominent amongst his charitable acts was his freeing of prisoners held in Iraq pre the Gulf War. In 1990 Saddam Hussain was holding 15 Americans prisoners as human shields. Ali flew out to Iraq to help win the prisoners freedom. Saddam refused to meet Ali initially but with his innate sense of publicity Ali took to the streets speaking to people, visiting schools praying in mosques . His constant message that he’d do his best to show the ‘real’ side of Iraq and that he was praying for peace. During this time Ali’s Parkinson’s medicines temporarily ran out but still he persisted with his task and eventually Saddam agreed to meet him. Ali convinced Saddam to let all 15 hostages return with him to the USA.
Famously when asked how he’d thought he’d be remembered Ali stated:
I don’t know, but I’ll tell you how I’d like to be remembered: as a black man who won the heavyweight title and who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him and who helped as many of his people as he could– financially and also in their fight for freedom, justice and equality. As a man who wouldn’t hurt his people’s dignity by doing anything that would embarrass them. As a man who tried to unite his people through the faith of Islam that he found when he listened to the Honourable Elijah Muhammad. And if all that’s asking too much, then I guess I’d settle for being remembered only as a great boxing champion who became a preacher and a champion of his people. And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.