Letter to george and other "haters"--ali (cont.)

[forazzurri2axz]

Originally Posted by btcarfagno

He did treat Joe Frazier like shit for no reason other than to hype a fight, subjecting Frazier's family and children to death threats. Never did apologize to Frazier in person either. I always thought, personally, that this meant that deep down he may have actually believed the awful things that he said.

I am an Ali fan, so no disrespect meant. But the way that he treated Frazier has always given me some pause about Ali the person.

Tom C

Hi Tom--here's when they made up and ali apologized...........
The wound to Frazier's psyche was deep. In the ensuing years, as Parkinson's syndrome limited Ali's speech and mobility, he has evolved into an almost saintly, ethereal force, the controversies of his past forgotten as his fame expanded and he raised millions of dollars for charity. But Frazier has searched for wider renown and struggled to shed his bitterness.

Last week on the anniversary of his victory over Ali at Madison Square Garden, Frazier said, "Hey, man, just come on and give me a hug and let's get on with our lives."

During an interview in a Midtown Manhattan hotel suite Wednesday, Ali said, "In a way, Joe's right. I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called him. I apologize for that. I'm sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight.

"I like Joe Frazier," Ali said. "Me and him was a good show. It was a good traveling show."

Frazier embraced the apology.

"I accept that," he said in a telephone interview from Wildwood, N.J. "I'll accept it, shake his hand and hug him when I see him. We're grown guys. Why we been biting off bullets? We have to embrace each other. It's time to talk and get together. Life's too short."

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by forazzurri2axz

Hi Tom--here's when they made up and ali apologized...........
The wound to Frazier's psyche was deep. In the ensuing years, as Parkinson's syndrome limited Ali's speech and mobility, he has evolved into an almost saintly, ethereal force, the controversies of his past forgotten as his fame expanded and he raised millions of dollars for charity. But Frazier has searched for wider renown and struggled to shed his bitterness.

Last week on the anniversary of his victory over Ali at Madison Square Garden, Frazier said, "Hey, man, just come on and give me a hug and let's get on with our lives."

During an interview in a Midtown Manhattan hotel suite Wednesday, Ali said, "In a way, Joe's right. I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called him. I apologize for that. I'm sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight.

"I like Joe Frazier," Ali said. "Me and him was a good show. It was a good traveling show."

Frazier embraced the apology.

"I accept that," he said in a telephone interview from Wildwood, N.J. "I'll accept it, shake his hand and hug him when I see him. We're grown guys. Why we been biting off bullets? We have to embrace each other. It's time to talk and get together. Life's too short."

Frazier said after all of this that Ali only apologized through a reporter and not to him personally.

Tom C

[George]

It is surprising to note the torrent of vitriol that has been unleashed, particularly from Mr. forazzurri2axz, who gratuitously described me as a "hater" for my temerity in failing to worship the memory of Muhammad Ali. How dare someone deviate from the politically correct party line, and allude to the fact that the great Ali was convicted of draft evasion!

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by George

It is surprising to note the torrent of vitriol that has been unleashed, particularly from Mr. forazzurri2axz, who gratuitously described me as a "hater" for my temerity in failing to worship the memory of Muhammad Ali. How dare someone deviate from the politically correct party line, and allude to the fact that the great Ali was convicted of draft evasion!

Well, just to be accurate, that conviction was unanimously reversed by the US Supreme Court, with one justice recusing.

[George]

Yes, and O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder. That doesn't mean he didn't do it.

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by George

Yes, and O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder. That doesn't mean he didn't do it.

Right. Those are certainly equivalent circumstances. Great argument.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Kenny Cole

Right. Those are certainly equivalent circumstances. Great argument.

He's not comparing the circumstances. He's making the point that just because a conviction is overturned or someone is acquited, that does make them innocent. Nice way to try and spin it though

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

He's not comparing the circumstances. He's making the point that just because a conviction is overturned or someone is acquited, that does make them innocent. Nice way to try and spin it though

There is a rather distinct difference between the prosecution completely botching their case so that the jury, which determines FACTS, finds that the case wasn't proven, and the US Supreme Court, which determines the LAW, finding unanimously, as a matter of LAW. that Ali wasn't guilty of the crime he was charged with and should not have ever have been prosecuted. I don't have to spin anything, because you are simply an idiot without even the beginning of a clue on this issue.