Live Like Muhammad Ali
How To Be More Like Muhammad Ali, By The Legend's Best Friend
What qualities do you need to take on to be more like the world's most revered boxer ever: Muhammad Ali? The man is a living legend – inside the ring and out – and hugely respected and revered the world over.
And, although you might never manage to mimic Ali's right hook, you might be able to channel some the legend's qualities into your own everyday life. One step closer to greatness and all that. As a new documentary, I Am Ali, shines new light on what made Muhammad Ali one of the world's great men, we asked his best friend, Gene Kilroy, gave us pointers on how we can all live a bit more like Ali himself.
Make time for people
Gene Kilroy: "He [Ali] always had time for everyone. Time for the poor, the powerless, depressed, deprived people. He said all great people never considered themselves to be great, all they wanted was to be greater to God, their creator. Not only did he believe that but he also practised it. He believed in treating people the way you wanted to be treated.
He was a true champion in and out of the ring. He believed that God wouldn't let him down and that if he was good to the people God created, then God wouldn't turn his back on him. He believed that God put him on Planet Earth for a purpose. Everyone has a purpose – bees, horses, dogs – and his purpose was to be with people and to relate to people. If he could help someone better himself, he would. I remember, if a little high school kid was doing an interview for his high school paper, he would spend just as much time with that individual as he would with the big broadcasters on TV, that was the way he believed, just be nice to everybody. It proved him right; there are a lot of athletes today that can travel here, travel there, but they can't go back. He can go anywhere and everybody loves him, wants to be around him. The gala posts him the most recognisable man on earth, he got that because he related to people."
Be proud
GK: "He had so much pride in himself. He wasn't a great student in high school but he discovered boxing and he wanted to be the best at it. He devoted himself just to boxing. I remember sitting down with a great [American] football coach and he said he could have been such a great [American] football player because, in this order, he had the brains, he had the speed and he had the guts. He could have been a great football player but he liked boxing and he devoted himself to it. He had so much pride that he couldn't accept defeat. If he lost he'd come back and always say, 'I've cleaned my slate'."
The three Ds
GK: "Muhammad said if you're fighting a George Foreman you're going to train a lot more and you're going to dedicate yourself more than if you're fighting a Joe Bugner but, still, all of them can give you trouble so you must dedicate yourself. You can't show up the night of a fight with your scrapbook and think people are going to be scared of you. You've got to dedicate yourself and put the time in. He always told me he had the three Ds: Dedication, determination and discipline. Those were the things that made him great."
Never be defeated by defeat
GK: "We talked many times, about great fighters, how will you accept defeat? Some people just fall apart, they get defeated and go into a shell but Ali had pride and determination, not to accept defeat. Here he is today, 73 years old, he's a sick man. He has Parkinson's, he's a prisoner in his own body, but still he has the will to live and go on. This is him; his pride will carry him through.
There's courage in that he couldn't accept defeat. A wise man once said to Mohammed, 'when you lose, young kids cry in the street. When someone else loses no-one cares.' He took that to heart."
Self-belief as strong as steel
GK: "He believed himself, and he believed Allah [after his conversion to Islam] wouldn't let him down if he did the right thing. I remember when he was fighting George Foreman in Zaire, Africa, Elijah Muhammad called him on the phone, told him he wished him luck and he prayed he didn't hurt himself or anybody and he told him, 'remember Allah's on your side. George Foreman doesn't have Allah.' With that he knew he was going to beat this fellow. He believed that if he did the right thing, God would look out for him. He's very religious and a very sensitive, deep person.
I remember speaking to him in the dressing room before the fight. He said, 'I've done everything I can. My body's ready, my mind is good, I have Allah on my side. The pressure's not on me, the pressure's on George Foreman.'"
Loyalty is a (crucial) virtue
GK: "Muhammad was a very loyal man. He said to expect loyalty you've got to give loyalty. He was loyal to everyone. If we went into a hotel he would be kind to the bellman, the doorman; they always remember that. I remember one time he gave the doorman a 10 dollar tip and, by the time we left the hotel, everybody was saying he gave the doorman a $500 tip! But he had time for people, he was truly the people's champion. There is not an individual in sport who cared as much for his fans as he did. I remember when he fought Joe Bugner in the UK, he told the people of the UK, 'you guys can root for Joe Bugner for now, he's your fighter, but after the fight come back to me.' The people of the UK always respected him. When America took his title away [after he refused the Vietnam draft], they still considered him the Heavyweight champ, they never deserted him."
Start caring more
GK: "One final tip for being more like Muhammad Ali? Just care for people. Everyone's a person. The bully never knows who he insults but everyone he insults, they never forget. Be kind to people. You got to remember one thing about boxing. Sonny Liston was a bully, Ali beat him. George Foreman was a bully, Ali beat him. Never fear a bully. Ali was just a good person. Always had love for his mum and dad, his brother, the people around him.
He was a very unique individual. He had a quote one time, he said, 'kindness to others is the only rent we pay for our room on Earth.' Not only did he preach it, but he also practised it."