WWMAD? What Would Muhammad Ali Do?

Have you ever had the discussion with friends about whether or not you (or they) would give up years of your life to be famous actor/singer, world class athlete, or to have some super-human powers?  Discussions I’ve had and articles I’ve read seem to indicate that most would.  

Recently Dick Cavett wrote How the Mighty Are Fallen (Or, Where’s My Friend?) for the New York Post.  The article is about Muhammad Ali.  

Cavett asserts, and rightly so, that it was Ali…

• “not Elvis, not J.F.K., not Mickey Mouse, not Jackie, not Honest Abe, Mick or Marilyn“

…who had the most recognized face in the world.  Further, Ali was perhaps the greatest athlete who ever lived.  

Muhammad Ali was a boxer… the only three time World Heavyweight Champion.  Boxing brought Ali both his fame and his fortune.  Yet, as Dick Cavett writes,

• “Few doubt that Ali’s sad state was caused by head blows, akin to N.F.L. cranium-smashing.”  

The sad state that Cavett refers to, is the Parkinson’s Disease which many feel was caused or at the very least accelerated by many wars Ali fought in the ring.

Would Ali, given the chance to go back in time, trade away all of his fame and accomplishments for a healthy life?  

Would you?

Like Cavett, “I don’t suggest the answer is an obvious one.”  

Thanks and another round [non-alcoholic and non-boxing to Mark Evanier for the original link.]