QCOSTARICA – The Internet is literally full of stories and personal relationship with Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest sports figure ever and a man, strong, tall man who had many insights into life itself.
I’m not going into the history of Muhammad Ali and anecdotes with journalists, just my own time memory of his presence.
Some years ago, in the 90s my wife Magaly and I were on business in Washington, D.C., staying in the same hotel as Ali.
From the balcony we saw him and I told my wife, ‘I just have to go and shake his hand.’
After a quick elevator ride down to the main floor, Ali was with two advisors and I walked up and simply said, “Muhammed you might be the greatest sports figure of all time, but I admire you for discovering, before me, that Vietnam was a white man’s war fought by black men and killing people of color.”
Ali smile, shook my hand asked if we would have breakfast with him.
His passing, not unexpected, still touches the strings of my heart.
RIP. Muhammad Ali. I will miss you even if was for that brief encounter. And, I will remember that breakfast in awe and in great detail as you spoke about “life”.
