Today you will find few boxing historians to give serious argument against Muhammad Ali being one of the greatest heavyweights of all time — if not the greatest.
Yet in 1974, Ali, at 32 and long past his prime, was given virtually no chance when he stepped into the ring to face George Foreman, who was 10 years his junior and one of the most devastating punchers who’d ever laced up gloves.
Yet Ali stunned the world by knocking out Foreman in the eighth round, regaining his heavyweight title, only the second man ever to do so.
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That was the coda with which Ali should have wrapped up his magnificent career. Sadly, it wasn’t. He continued to fight for another seven years, his skills eroding further with every bout, until at last he was having trouble dispatching tomato cans he’d have whipped to jelly in a round or two in his prime.
Such a sad, familiar story among athletes, who simply cannot let go the vision of themselves as they once were — and believe they still are. In their cases, the only ones being hurt are themselves and family.
The same cannot be said of Joe Biden should he reach his expiration date while still in office. He suffers, we suffer.
Uncle Joe in Ukraine? Magnificent. Perhaps his finest hour. His State of the Union address last month? He knocked it out of the park. And the economy is on the upswing, too, as well as low unemployment. But none of these are his greatest accomplishments — not to my mind.
No, that would be restoring respect and dignity to the highest office in the land at a point when it was needed most. That is why he oughta go out in a blaze of glory — what triumphant capstones to a glorious career all the aforementioned would be. How sad, pathetic even, that he can’t. He just can’t let go of that power. He thinks he is acting in the best interest of the country by hanging on, but he’s not.
Like Ali, Biden doesn’t know when to exit the stage. Could I be wrong? Of course. Hey, maybe he’ll rise to heights unprecedented if he’s elected again and begins his next term as an 82-year-old. Wouldn’t that be something?
On the other hand, maybe he won’t, and we’ll all have the painful experience of watching his cognitive skills deteriorate. If the latter is the case, a nation of over 330 million suffers — and by extension the entire planet. It’s one hell of a gamble.
Rob Hirsh, West Ridge
Capitol delusions
Tucker Carlson claims the Jan. 6th insurrection was merely a peaceful protest. So if this happened at his home, sounds like he would quickly repair the broken windows, scrub the smeared feces off the walls, and invite friends and family over to hang out and just enjoy the day. Make sure you bring the kids!
Thomas Bajorek, Burbank
