re: Why is Muhammad Ali so revered when he is a racist POS?

I'll talk about a time that I know a lot about. Some random memories about Clay/Ali.

1. The draft dodging did not upset me because we used a draft board at that time and the boards were notoriously corrupt at exempting people with status in the town and punishing people not liked.

2. I remember him saying from jail "If they let me fight the taxes they would charge me would buy a tank." He was right.

3. Ali is part white and spoke often that "you want kids who look like you" and that's why he married a black woman ...as opposed to Jack Johnson.

4. White people almost unanimously wanted Liston to defeat Clay because Clay was brash/mouthy/uppity. Whites also wanted Patterson to beat
Clay because Patterson was a nice black guy.

5. Ali, in his youth...was the best fighter I've ever seen. He was a heavyweight with a lightweight's quickness. He could go through an entire fight without getting hit in the face. In later years he got in the face...a lot.

6. The only fighter I saw that might have been better in his era was Teophilo Stephenson of Cuba. They never met because Stephenson was never allowed to fight professionally. In their primes I would put my money on Teophilo...he was scary.

7. Reverence for Ali is similar to that of Elvis. Elvis was a white drug addict who made a lot of people happy singing. Personally, I hated Elvis' singing and I was very sorry when he died because I knew the radio stations would play his songs non stop for a week.