LESSONS FROM THE LIFE
OF A FAMOUS BOXER

Before you read this article I want to talk to you heart to heart. I have a great desire for you to understand why I have written this article on the life of this famous boxer Muhammad Ali. I sent it out to a few of my Internet readers, in order to get some feedback. Here is one response...

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Mike,

I enjoyed your Article! I followed Ali all of his career! Very well said! Praise God for men like Ali who, though they aren't perfect, can still stand for the truth that Our father is not a Killer!!! No one is perfect down here!!

George Foreman found the Lord after that fight back in 1974. Although he doesn't believe like I do, he still is sincere in his Faith. No one is perfect in believing the complete truth about who God is. God wants our sincerity, not perfection which we, as imperfect, can't give.

Brother Ron.

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As I began my research for this writing assignment from the Lord, I wanted to understand Ali's motives. When did he decide to become a boxer? And why? What was his strategy for winning the Olympic medal and later the world title? Why was he always bragging so much, shouting "I'm the greatest!"? I ended up buying four books in used book stores so I could mark them up and make my own personal notes. I only found one on Jack Dempsey, one on Joe Louis and one on George Foreman. None of these famous fighters, except for Foreman, later on in his career, had an agenda to help anyone, but themselves. They were only fighting for their own personal glory and the money. But with Ali it was different. He had a cause, which you will learn as you read on. This is brought out in every book I have read as well as in the videos. He was the most well known and popular prize fighter of all time. I ended up borrowing one book from the library which I didn't need, and made a copy of another.

Even though he loved boxing, Ali did not have a desire to hurt or kill anyone like Sonny Liston and George Foreman. Although he would try to intimidate his opponents before the fight and even talked to them during the fight, it was for show and to gain a psychological advantage during the fight itself. He learned to do this as a young fighter when another fighter used this technique on him. He never owned a gun or carried a knife to protect himself. He did not fear for his life like many famous people do. He mingled freely among all people without any armed body guards. He was not perfect but he had a good heart and never lost his original vision and purpose which he believed God had given to him as a teenager.

When he was in a match, if he saw a fighter was hurt and bleeding he would pull back. "I hit Ernie Terrell until I knew he was out on his feet. His eyes were puffed, his nose bleeding, lips cut and swollen, but the referee egged us on. I knew that unless I held back he would be injured for life. It's against the rules, but I began to pull my punches. The crowd wanted more blood, and those against me hoped he could come up with a miraculous counterattack. But he was beaten and there was no point in pounding him any more. He had a family, sisters, brothers and parents, just like I had. Why should I maul him just to satisfy some of the screamers." "The Greatest." Page 164. Ali explained that he had tried many times to get boxing organizations all over the world to demand fighters wear some kind of headgear like they do in football, hockey and baseball. "There're too many deaths, too many injures. But nothing has ever been done." So, he said the only safety left is for the man who is doing the punching to lighten up when he sees his opponent in critical condition. "I went out of my way not to hurt Terrell, but I was called a brute and a sadist."

"Since the first day I decided to become a fighter, I challenged the old system in which managers, promoters or owners looked upon fighters as brutes without brains. I'd known fighters to be the most human of humans and among the most talented people to be found anywhere. But when I first came into boxing, tied up as it was with gangster control and licensed robbers, fighters were not supposed to be human or intelligent. Just brutes that exist to entertain and to satisfy a crowd's thirst for blood. Two animals to tear each other's skin, break each other's nose, and bleed and bleed, then get out of sight while the managers and the lawyers and the promoters announced it all, judged it all and profited most from it all....they could call me arrogant, cocky, conceited, immodest, a loud-mouth, a braggart, but I would change the image of the fighter in the eyes of the world--and certainly the image of the World Heavyweight Champion. And I wouldn't do it accidentally; I would do it deliberately." "The Greatest," Page 130.

Here's a few more letters:

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Mike:

Ali was a rebel. And God calls such rebels to chastise the institutions of this life. Such people may not speak all the truth, but God gets His points across to the masses through rugged individualists like this.

There was a radio commentator, who is well loved by Adventists, Paul Harvey, I believe, who drew on these kinds of stories to uplift people. There was another radio show called "Unshackled," that would also draw on the life stories of contemporary people. These stories seldom appealed to me, as I draw those kinds of encouraging examples from the life of Christ and the patriarchs and prophets. Yet, I believe these kind of stories edify many people." Brother M.

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A third response: This reader admitted later that she did not read the article because her first husband was an avid fan of Ali.

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Mike,

If you want to send me something short, and to the point about the Word of God, do so. I asked you not to send me other things. I do not have the time nor do I have interest in such things. I am surprised that you are not spending more time in the Word and not with such stuff. We are in the last days Mike, get your calling in order here! Send me the book, "Comings," and I will send you a donation of $10.00. Am praying for you. Your sister in the faith.

God Bless You.

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My response:

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Dear Sister L.

I will send you the book, "Comings," next Monday.

Thank you for letting me know how you feel. I can always depend on you speaking your mind. And I do respect that. But I wish that you had taken some time to read just a little bit of the article because I think you would have seen my purpose in sharing Ali's story. For example, I found out in my investigation, this young man set an example for all Christians by standing up for what he believed. Even though he did not realize fully what he was up against, he was led, by his conscience to resist a Government, led by the Vatican, to destroy those Buddhist priests and their religion in Viet Nam. They also sent tens of thousands of our innocent young American boys to their premature deaths or maimed for life by land mines and other types of destructive warfare. Actually, I sort of expected some people to get on my case about this article, but I really did not expect one of them to be you. But I am confident when you take time to read this article you will see my point and change your mind, as you have in the past. I think you will see that I did my best to draw spiritual lessons from the lives of both Ali and Foreman. It is my belief there is a modern Book of Acts outside of the realm of theological debate, per se.

This article about Cassius Clay, aka, Muhammad Ali, deals, in part, with the oppression of the black race and one man's efforts to lift that oppression. The Lord's ways are not man's ways. He reaches us at the point of our need, where we live. The Bible itself is a bloody book, especially the Old Testament, cataloguing the crimes of God's professed people. Look at all the wars and bloodshed of the children of Israel, Samson, Saul and later King David. Yet, these are some of the heroes the Lord chose to use. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to record their deeds and exploits as examples for us today. I believe God has modern day heroes who are standing up for the truth, justice and the right.

Ali was willing to lay his all on the line to defy the NWO, via this corrupt government, controlled by the Catholic Church, although he did not realize that, at the time, anymore than most people in the 60's. It seems to me that if we can tell the people that the Jesuits sank the Titanic, and most of my readers agree that that should be exposed, why then cannot we show how a 22 year old boxer exposed the US goverment's lying and conniving ways to destroy innocent lives in Viet Nam? I thank you for challenging me on this article because it has inspired me to think more deeply about my motives.

Another thing that really shocked me is that Ali cites the Islam religion from the Koran, no less, to justify his position that we should not kill. And of course, other Islamic groups cite the same book to justify their terroristic acts. Of course, I do not believe in the Koran. But what a rebuke to all the "Christians" who supported LBJ's "Holy War" against Vietnam. Actually, it was a war started and promoted by the Military Industrial Complex, which is part of the NWO and International Bankers, who are the very ones who assassinated JFK because he planned to shut down the war and break the Jesuit controlled CIA into a thousand pieces.

Ali stood against them and won. The Supreme Court finally vindicated him. If we think of Kennedy as a modern day hero and martyr, why shouldn't we think of Ali in the same way? I think if anyone will read at least two books on his life and watch one or two videos, they will understand where I am coming from on this issue. You say you want some inspiration based on the Bible. Well, I quote the Scriptures throughout this article.

Cassius Clay, aka, Ali, stood for the character of God when He refused to be drafted and kill his fellow human beings. In my mind that was preaching the character message, that "God Does Not Kill," and for that I do admire and honor him. To me his life is an important example and metaphor. But I went way beyond that particular issue of whether or not God destroys human life. I explain what happened to George Foreman after he lost this fight to Ali in Zaire in 1974. Most people don't know that after the fight his life spiraled down into a deep depression. But this eventually led him to make a decision for Jesus Christ. I also use Ali's training preparation as an example of how we must get ready for the Time of Trouble. Everyone who does not make the proper preparation is going to be knocked out by the devil just as surely as Ali knocked out Foreman in the 8th round.

Yes, I believe the Lord called Ali just as much as he has called men and women in Bible times. The problem is that most professed Christians cannot see it. They uphold the Bible with one hand and go to war with a gun in the other to kill their fellow human beings. Ali refused to do that. And he quit the professed Christian religion because he saw White Christians as hypocrites who persecuted the Black race, his own people, throughout the south right up through the 1960's. We know what Martin Luther King did to change that, but we have not given much credit to Ali for what he did.

All the famous boxers of past generations bowed to the White establishment to gain their favor. Ali refused to do this. I believe the Lord sometimes uses athletic events and famous sports heroes to teach people lessons, because the church has failed. And just as the early church became the persecutor by the 3rd and 4th century, so once again we will see the professed Christian church of America, and the entire church world, for that matter, begin to persecute God's true people, His Elect. I have written this article to help us see what kind of preparation we must make in order to survive the coming holocaust of persecution. mfc.

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This is a FREE educational article with no copyright
by the author, Michael F. Clute. Permission granted
to print and distribute and forward to your friends.

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF FAMOUS BOXER.
Using Boxing as a Metaphor.
By Pastor Michael F. Clute.

While walking to the front of a video store, a few weeks ago, to check out three educational type videos I had selected, my eyes were mysteriously directed down to a certain video I had seen before, but had never looked at. It was entitled,"WHEN WE WERE KINGS." This time I stopped to read it and was impressed to check it out.

As it turned out, this video is an actual documentary of MUHAMMAD Ali's boxing match with George Foreman. What I knew about either one of these fighters could have been written in two words: "Almost nothing." If my life had depended on it I couldn't have even written fifty words on both of them together. All I knew about Foreman was that he was that big, black, bald-headed, pitch-man for Meineke brakes and mufflers. He looked so friendly, happy and even harmless, that I would never have guessed he had been one of the meanest and most feared boxers of all time. Obviously he has changed, but that is another story I hope to do in another issue of GLC, because George Foreman's conversion to Jesus Christ came as a direct result of this match with Ali in 1974, down there in Zaire, Africa.

In fact, he is not only a successful TV pitch man but a gospel preacher in Houston, Texas. But in 1974 George was not only a mean, nasty person but a very dangerous boxer. A man of few words who hardly got along with anyone. So, the story of his transformation to the Lord needs to be told someday. But I didn't know any of that then. I just knew that for some reason the Lord wanted me to begin a research on the life of MUHAMMAD ALI. Why? I didn't have the slightest idea...not even clue one.

I had seen the movie "Ali" advertised earlier that year but had no interest in it. I even wondered why they had done a movie on his life since he hadn't been boxing for years. Boxing held no interest for me even though my father was an amateur boxer for awhile when he was in his early 20's and taught me how to defend myself when I was very young. He watched all the major boxing matches, so of course, I was exposed to the sport of manly defense growing up in the 40's and 50's. But my mother, being a devoted SDA Christian, was very much against it. I could only remember reading two books on boxers and don't think I finished either of them. I just liked to read about famous people and what made them tick. The first was on the life of Jack Dempsey, just before I was drafted into the US Army in 1962, and a couple years later one on Benny Greb, who Ernest Hemingway said was one of the greatest boxers of all times. Still, I am not a boxing enthusiast and do not sanction the sport. I wouldn't attend a boxing match if someone offered to pay my way, and certainly not a wrestling match. Personally, I think boxing is a brutal sport and should be outlawed. Some have even died from the damage done to their bodies, especially their heads. Look at what has happened to Ali himself. But boxing is an entrenched sport in the USA and world along with baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer.

Of course, I had heard about Cassius Clay, who later called himself "MUHAMMAD ALI." Anyone who read a newspaper in the 60's and 70's could not avoid reading about this brash, young, boxing sensation who was always bragging "I am the greatest," and later refused to be drafted into the US Army during the Viet Nam war. I had never bothered to find out why because I didn't care. My life as a theology student and later as a minister of the gospel absorbed all my time. I had dedicated my life to God and sports were a thing of the past for me. I no longer cared about the world series, the super bowl, who won the NBA championship or who was Indiana basketball's high school champion although I had grown up in Indiana's Hoosier land.

I remember when the Lord moved God's Last Call ministries to West Virginia and I had to drive up to Pittsburgh, PA. to find a printer for my monthly newspaper that I saw some banners hanging out of the big buildings downtown Pittsburgh, "Go Steelers." "Who are the Steelers?" I wondered to myself? I didn't even know they were a football team and were going to the super bowl. It did not interest me in the slightest until my younger son, Marcus Jeffrey, born 4-15-68, begged me to take him up to Three River's Stadium in Pittsburgh in 1981, to see the Dallas Cowboys play Terry Bradshaw's Steelers. I have written about that briefly in my auto-biography. But back to Ali.

As I began to watch the actual footage of this documentary Ali had dubbed the fight the "Rumble in the Jungle", I was surprised to hear Ali refer to the Creator and that he believed God was going to help him win this fight. I didn't even know he believed in God. I was especially interested in the comments of Norman Mailer and George Plimpton who had flown into Zaire to cover the event. Mailer even wrote a book about it entitled, "THE FIGHT."

On the video he gives his spin on this event, which is a fascinating explanation of how Ali was able to defeat powerful George Foreman, although Ali was the betting man's underdog. No one thought Ali had the slightest chance to win. The best he could do was go a few rounds until Foreman knocked him out. In the USA the odds were 4 to 1 against Ali and 3 to 1 in Europe and Tokyo. England was 2 to 1. A lot of people would lose their shirt on this prize fight because they did not realize the talent and dedication of Ali. He didn't want to just collect his $5 million and return home to the USA. He wanted to regain the championship to become a symbol for all the people of the world, especially the black nations, the oppressed and downtrodden masses of African as well as other nations of the world.

The Lord spoke to me as I watched this video letting me know that He was deeply involved in the lives of these two fighters and that nothing happened by accident. He also made it clear that He is involved in all the affairs of mankind, big and small. "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." Psalm 65:2. "The eyes of all wait (look unto thee); and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." Psalm 145:15, 16. Although I had known the Word taught this it had not fully registered in my emotions. And it certainly had never occurred to me that God would use a worldly, carnal sporting event like boxing to reach the masses with a message of encouragement. But that was what Ali was all about. That had been his motive and purpose from the beginning. God reaches down and meets people at the point of their need. I was shocked, sobered and ashamed that I had been so ignorant of the ways of God with mankind. My perception of how our loving Creator operates was very limited. It was too narrow and small.

This is when I realized that I needed to be educated and decided to watch all the videos on MUHAMMAD Ali's life and read every book I could find in the library or book stores. The more I watched and read about this man the more I realized God had chosen him to become famous so he could become a role model and thus encourage his own people.

Ali was born to Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Clay on Jan 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky was south of the Mason-Dixon line, which was any state south of the Ohio river. This line was established before the civil war when slave states were above the Mason-Dixon line, such as Indiana and Ohio, and Kentucky and Tennessee below the line. Although the state of Kentucky was not as hateful toward the Negro as Alabama and Mississippi, the restaurants, restrooms, buses and water fountains had signs "whites only " and "colored only." So, Jim Crow was not as pervasive as the "hanging" states where lynchings were an ever-present threat. Kentuckians served their racism with a gentler touch. Even so, discrimination was a reality and Louisville was a very segregated town.

Ali's father took this very personally. As a prolific landscape artist, unable to sell his artworks, he had resorted to sign painting to earn a living for his family. His paintings may have been mediocre, but his sign painting abilities were unrivaled with his immaculate lettering. Cassius Sr. was not a modest man and regularly declared, "I am the Greatest," a boast Ali adopted shortly after he won the Olympic Gold Medal in Rome, during the 1960, Summer Olympics. One witness, Skeeter McClure, a fellow member of the U.S. boxing team, and Clay's roommate in Rome had this to say about Cassius (Ali). "When I first saw him...his pants were up at his ankles, his sports coat was too short, but it's like the clothing was irrelevant because he glowed." Now, notice this highly significant comment, which is only one of many made in the various books written on his life. It was made by McClure to Thomas Hauser. "It's like there was a star when he was born that fated him to do what he was going to do and to have an impact on mankind around the globe, and there's nothing that he could have done to prevent it and nothing he could have done to make it happen."

We have heard about his father. So, what about his mother? The old saying, "She who rocks the cradle rules the world" seems to be relevant in the case of Odessa Clay. She and Cassius were very close, doting on him and spoiling him. She called him "G.G." and he called her "Bird." The two would spend hours playing games or reading the Bible together. This relationship with his adoring mother and the influence and impressions he received from reading the Scriptures gave him a sense of destiny at a very young age.

On page 19 of "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight," Ali remembered looking for a sign as to what God wanted him to do in life. "When I was eight and ten years old, I'd walk out of my house at two in the morning, and look at the sky for an angel or a revelation or God telling me what to do. I never got the answer. Then my bike got stolen and I started boxing and it was like God telling me that boxing was my responsibility."

In October 1954, Ali's father, Cassius Sr., with some extra money he won from a lucrative sign-painting contract, bought his son a new Schwinn bike with red lights, chrome trim, white walls and chrome spokes and rims and a spot light in front. Eager to try out his new $60 bike, he and a friend rode downtown to a black bazaar, called the Louisville Home Show, where merchants were giving out free popcorn and candy. Upon leaving the building he discovered his beautiful new bike was gone. He and his friend ran up and down the streets of Louisville, in a heavy down pouring rain, asking everyone they met if they had seen his bike. Finally, he was told to go downstairs in the Columbia Gym and tell Joe Martin, a policeman, who might help him. "I ran down stairs, crying, but the sights and sounds and smell of the boxing gym excited me so much I almost forgot about the bike." When I read that it reminded me of Samson's excitement when he watched the soldiers of the tribe of Dan practicing their war maneuvers, learning how to become soldiers. Judges 13:25. Cassius did not realize until later that this particular incident was the pivotal turning point in his life. He had discovered his life's work. From that day on he began training to become a boxer. He worked from six to eight every evening then from 8 to 12 he went to Stoner's gym where he learned to "shoot left jabs" 200 straight, sharp, left jabs at a time without stopping. Just try that some time and see how many you can do without stopping and how tired your arm feels after only 40 or 50 of them. The discipline in Fred's gym was rigorous but Cassius was determined. He had a calling and a goal. Road work became a religion and Fred was relentless in developing certain muscles which he believed were necessary for survival.

When I read about this I realized this is a perfect metaphor for us who want to become soldiers in Jesus' end time army. We also have a calling and a goal, which, in reality, is much higher and much more important than the one Cassius Clay accepted. So, what kind of training and discipline are we willing to follow in order to go to war against the kingdom of Darkness? What kind of "road work" are we doing? Are we developing our spiritual muscles? Do we even know what they are? Things like prayer and reading the Scriptures which help us to develop faith, patience and love. And "praising the Lord for all things." I Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:20.

In his 1975 autobiography "The Greatest, My own Story," Ali tells of the night he decided he wanted to become the heavyweight champion of the world. It was 1956, and he was zipping down a Louisville street on his two horse power scooter in the rain, after his usual workout, when suddenly his ear caught a radio broadcast from one of the parked cars. It was the end of a heavy weight boxing match. He stopped and put his head inside the car just in time to hear the announcer crying out above the roar of the crowd, "And still heavy weight champion of the world, Rocky Marciano." Ali remembers how it affected him. "A cold chill shoots through my bones. I have never heard anything that affected me like those worlds. 'HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.'" As he pulled his head out of the car that fateful night he thought, 'All the world?' "From that day on I wanted to hear that said about me." Standing in that Louisville rain his thoughts were projected into the future, when some unknown ring announcer would pronounce him the "Heavy weight champion of the world."

Beloved, are you looking forward to the day when the King of the Universe will crown you with the victor's crown? "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and you gave me meat, etc." Matt. 25:34, 35. You know the verses. The Bible uses the concept of life as a fight and as a wrestling match (Eph. 6:11, 12) more than once.

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses." I Tim 6:12. "Know you not that they which run in a race run all, but one (only) one received the prize? So, run, that you may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." I Cor. 9:24-27.

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." 2 Tim. 4:1. See also Heb 10:32, 34; James 4:12; Rev. 2:16.

The purpose of this article is to show how we are all in a fight for the championship. Satan is trying to stop us...to destroy us. So, it is an ongoing battle every day to stay on course, so we will be victorious in the end. The life of Ali is a metaphor showing how he accepted his calling, followed it, disciplined himself and succeeded. He was an example not only to his own people but to the entire human race and we can learn important lessons from him.

So, what did Ali do after he heard that announcement on the radio about Rocky Marciano still being the heavy weight champion of the world? He stood there for a moment and then continued his ride home in the rain. He had to face the reality of his situation. He was 14 years old and only weighed 115 lbs soaking wet. He couldn't even beat every boxer in his own gym. He asked a friend who said, "No, but maybe you could be a lightweight." But the next day he began to train more in earnest than ever to be the heavyweight champion of the world. Here are Ali's thoughts at that time. "I start watching fights on TV with more interest. What catches my eye is the way fighters trade punches with each other. I see Ralph "Tiger" Jones, Hurricane Jackson, Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer, and watch how they stand, and get hit with the same punch. Or jab each other over and over. And I know I can beat them. Even when I see Patterson. Even when I see Archie Moore. I know that one day I will be able to whip these men very easily, because they are not moving, not circling. Not moving backwards at the right time. I know I can learn to hit without getting hit. And every day in the gym I practice pulling back from the punches. I jab and then lean back. I learn that you can't dodge punches by weaving, bobbing and ducking--not from short range....Soon I develop a built-in radar. I know how far I can go back, when it's time to duck or time to tie my man up. I learn there is a science to making your opponent wear down. I learn to put my head within hitting range, force my opponent to throw blows, then lean back and away, keeping eyes wide open so I can see everything, then side step, move to the right, or the left, jab him again, then again, put my head back in hitting range. It takes a lot of fight out of a fighter to throw punches that land in the thin air. When his best combinations hit nothing but space, it saps him."

Think about what you just read. What kind of a boxer are you for Jesus Christ? Are you able to stay in the ring and not get knocked out? If the truth be known, the majority of professing Christians are not even in the ring yet, because they are too scared. Fear controls them. What did Jesus tell His disciples over and over again? "Fear not." Even His parting message was, "Fear not for I am with you even to the end of the world." Matt. 28:19, 20.

Ali made his decision. He told Mr. Stoner that he was going to train harder and that he wanted to know everything he could teach him. How much of a desire do you have to learn everything you need to know to survive the coming TIME OF TROUBLE? If you are not learning something new and important every day, you are already in very big trouble, my friend!

This was a very important decision for Ali at the age of 14. It showed that he had a maturity beyond his years. Even though he saw the weaknesses of top fighters and felt he could beat them he did not get cocky or overconfident about it. He realized he still had a lot to learn and was willing to submit himself to the proper instruction. The same is true in the spiritual realm. We must be willing to learn all we can and never think we are beyond learning new things. We must become seekers and learners if we are going to become effective warriors for our Blessed Redeemer.

Mr. Stoner looked Ali in the eye to see if he was really serious and then said: "You're quick and you got the talent...You get down to business, and when they hold the tournament in the fall, you will come out a champion." Ali asked Stoner if he thought that he could win the Golden Gloves championship. Stoner replied:

"Not only the Golden Gloves, you'll take the Olympic gold Medal in Rome." "The Greatest," Page 51. He spoke those prophetic words to Ali as if it was inevitable. So, he trained harder than ever and won 161 amateur fights out of 167.

From Oct 29, 1960, until Feb, 25, 1965, Cassius Clay (Ali) had 19 prize fights and won every single one of them, 16 by Knock Outs, each in seven rounds or less. But none of them were well known fighters of the day, except for Sonny Banks, KO 4, Billy Daniels, KO 7, Archie Moore, KO 4 Doug Jones, W 10, Henry Cooper, KO 5. For his first fight against Tunney Hunsaker he received $2,000.00. The next three fights only paid $545, $645, and $913. He received $45,300.00 for his fight with Archie Moore. And then in 1963, March 13, he received $57,668.00 for his fight against Doug Jones in New York. Then on June 18th, he knocked out Henry Cooper in London in the 5th round for $56,098.00. Contrast this with what fighters are paid today. For example, Mike Tyson: The famed boxer was sentenced to prison in 1992 for raping a contestant in the Miss Black America pageant. In March 1995, Tyson was released on probation. The following year, he was back in the ring against Evander Holyfield. Though Tyson lost that match, he earned more than $75 million in 1996 alone. I don't even know how much he has made since then or who he has fought for I have had no interest in boxing whatever until I did this article, and only to draw spiritual lessons from it because some people will be more likely to read an article like this rather than a purely theological piece.

Finally, Ali was at last ready for a shot at the heavy weight title with Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Fl. On Feb. 25th. He won that also with a KO in the 7th round for a purse of $464,595.00. The following year he beat Sonny Liston again for a purse of only $361,819.00 with a knock out in the first round. Ali stood over him shouting down at him, "Get up, get up you bum and fight. Nobody is ever going to believe this." He then had eight more fights with the largest purse being $448,186.00 in London in May 21, 1966. And then he went into exile from April 1967 until to Sept. 1970 because he refused to be inducted into the US Army on grounds that he did not believe in killing and was a minister of the religion of Islam. He had been undefeated in 29 fights. He was stripped of his passport and crown and banned from boxing because he would not go into the military. But in the face of the threat of going to prison he still refused to be inducted. Most of the media turned against him. Only a few stood by him. In time, as the Viet Nam war became unpopular he gained status and support and finally the supreme court decided in his favor. In his first fight after his return to the ring he beat Jerry Quarry in a third round KO for a purse of $580,000.

On March 8, 1971 he fought Joe Frazier in New York and lost by a decision after 15 rounds but received $2,500,000. From this fight until his bout with George Foreman in Zaire on Oct 30th, 1974, Ali had 14 fights, 12 wins and two losses with purses ranging from $200,000.00 to $535,000.00 per fight.

As I was pasting this article up tonight I have been thinking of Bible characters who had extraordinary courage and faith to believe God would help them fulfill their mission. The first person who came to mind was Joseph. He was sold into Egyptian slavery and then imprisoned on a false charge. Finally he was brought before the king to interpret a dream that no one could understand or interpret. Did Joseph tell the King that he was not able to help him? No. Joseph's faith was in His God. "And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Gen 41:16. The margin says, "Or applying to Pharaoh's needs." In other words, Joseph had complete faith that God would give him the correct interpretation of the kings dream. And he did.

In the case of Daniel the Lord gave him a vision in the night showing him the king's dream and what it meant. But how did he know the king would accept it? Daniel had faith and went before the king with no fear.

But the most dramatic act of faith in the Bible, in my opinion, is when David told the king that he would go out and kill Goliath. "Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." I Sam 17:32. King Saul was told what David said and sent for him. David told Saul to not worry because he had killed a bear and a lion and would take care of this Philistine in the same manner. "He (God) will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." We know the story of how David tried on Saul's armor but refused it because he had never used it before. So, all David had when he went out to meet Goliath was his sling shot. Vs. 43 says that Goliath cursed David by his (heathen) gods. David replied that he came "in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." "This day will the Lord deliver you into mine hand; and I will smite you , and take your head from you; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." 1 Sam 17:45-47.

Well, we all know that those were not empty, boastful words, because David took his slingshot and felled the giant with one one single stone. Then he cut off his head and carried it to Jerusalem. vs. 54-58. Goliath was six cubits and a span in height or about 3 meters, a meter being 39.37 inches or 118.11 inches. Divide that by 12 and you come up with 9 feet 10 inches. Who knows how much he weighed? It has been estimated that Adam was 12 to 15 feet tall and weight over a ton. So, Goliath may have weighed 1,000 lbs. The point is David truly was inspired of the Lord to do what he did. Goliath had been making his challenge for 40 days. An inspired writer states that "But unknown to Jesse, the youthful shepherd had been entrusted with a higher mission. The armies of Israel were in peril, and David had been directed by an angel to save the people." "Patriarchs & Prophets," pg. 645.

In Rev. 3:7 we read about the "Key of David." What is that? "These things says He that is holy, He that is true, He that has the key of David, He that opens, and no man shuts, and shuts , and no man opens." About a year ago, I prayed for understanding of this verse and the Lord helped me to know what it means. Notice: "Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's storehouse where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence?" "Steps to Christ," pg 94, 95. So, the "Key of David" is prayer coupled with reading and even singing the Psalms or songs of praise to the Lord. This is what unlocks God's storehouse of unlimited power and resources.

In many ways Ali had this same kind of courage and valor, especially when he refused to be inducted into the United States Military. But his extraordinary talents began to show up early in his career. He was so confident of his ability to win he sometimes named the round in which he would knock out his opponent or win by a TKO. A few times his prediction did not come to pass but he was right more than he was wrong. Ali believed he had a calling from the Lord and he followed it all of his life, even beyond the time when he should have quit.

My point in drawing a parallel between Ali and some of these famous Bible characters is to point out that each of us have the same opportunity and even the responsibility to stand up for the truth as we know it. The question we each must answer before God is, "Am I following God's will for my life?"

One of the most interesting events of Ali's life is in regard to MUHAMMAD Ali refusing to be inducted into the US Army so he could possibly be sent to Viet Nam. Why did he refuse to be drafted? A number of famous people signed up for the military in the past like James Stewart, for example. Joe Louis and Elvis Presley each in their own time, signed up and entertained the troops. But Ali refused to have anything at all to do with the idea of killing. And he paid a heavy price. The book that deals with this period of his life best is entitled, "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight. Cassius Clay vs. The Untied States of America," By Howard L. Bingham and Max Wallace, published in 2000. When he first took this stand by refusing to be inducted into the US Army very few people understood the reasons for his logic. In his own inimitable, down home, Louisville, Kentucky way of expressing himself he said: "I ain't got no quarrel with the Vietcong...no Vietcong ever called me nigger." If a person were to read all that was involved in Ali's refusal to go into the US Army you would understand why he was a conscientious objector. His interpretation of God and right and from his reading the Bible as a child with his mother and later the portions of the Koran that he based his faith on led him to believe that human life was sacred. That God does not approve of killing your fellow men, based on the Sixth Commandment of the decalogue. This is my understanding of why he refused to join the military and take up arms. The rejection and suffering he went through as a result of his stand is in and of itself admirable.

From his own book Ali wrote about the lawyers he met who would represent him. Hayden Covington from New York who had handled cases for Seventh-day Adventist young men who refused to bear arms in the military. "I had filed for draft exemption as a conscientious objector, telling the government that as a minister in the Nation of Islam... 'To bear arms or kill is against my religion. And I conscientiously object to any combat military service that involves the participation in any war in which the lives of human beings are being taken." "The Greatest," page 160. This claim was rejected in Louisville, so Covington took the case to the Kentucky appeal Board. "He based my appeal on religious grounds, and the fact that blacks were not represented on the Selective Service Boards that judge me. In a special hearing, Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Grauman determined that my beliefs were sincere, and recommended that my claim be upheld." He moved to Houston, Texas but that didn't help either because the Houston Board also turned down his appeal. Later the WBA stripped Ali of his title again and he is arrested because of a delinquent traffic ticket and put in the Dade County Jail for ten days. He tells of his experiences there. And he even has an entire chapter of his interview with his first wife Sonji, a very beautiful woman who had her own mind. She refused to submit to Ali or his religion which required her to act and dress in certain ways. Although they really did love each other it was not strong enough to surmount their differences. He owed her $150,000 in back alimony because he had not able to make a living fighting as before. It had been four years but she had not re-married. He was now married to Belinda, a six foot beauty, who would bear him four children. Sonji was short in comparison, about 5:3 or 4. Ali was 6:3.

By 1969 increasing numbers of Americans were turning against the War in Vietnam. His stand no longer seemed treasonous, but actually principled, even prophetic. On Nov. 15, 1969, more than 250,000 protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. for the largest-ever anti-war demonstration. And just 30 days later the polls revealed that the majority of Americans no longer supported the war effort but actually disapproved of America's participation in the war. Nixon had even been elected on the basis of his vow to end the war and bring US Troops home. By December de-escalation from Viet Nam had begun. It was now safe to defend Ali and Howard Cosell began to support the former champion loudly and publicly. Even sports writer, Jimmy Cannon, a long time critic and detractor of Ali reversed his stand and wrote: "The athlete of the decade has to be Cassius Clay, who is now Muhammad Ali. He is all that the sixties were. It is as though he were created to represent them." During this decade Ali became a symbol of the rebellion and the conflicts of race and the yearning for bizarre religions, cults that changed values and altered the world. "The sixties were a bad time, but some of the years were wonderful. And, because I make my living writing sports, Cassius Clay is the sixties for me." Truly an amazing turn around from one of Ali's worst critics. In early 1970, one of Ali's few media supporters, Esquire magazine, ran a cover story featuring more than one hundred prominent Americans who supported the former champion's reinstatement. Under the headline, WE BELIEVE THAT MUHAMMAD ALI, HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DEFEND HIS TITLE, a virtual who's who of writers, artists, entertainers and activists signed their names. Among the high-profile signatories were Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sammy Davis Jr., Truman Capote, Isaac Asimov, Marshall McLuhan, Kurt Vonnegut, Henry Fonda, Harry Belafonte, and Jim Morrison. Two surprise names on the list were Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis, who both had been critical of Ali's efforts to stay out of the army. The most ironic and controversial name on the roll was the director Elia Kazan, who had long been shunned by the liberal establishment for naming names and perpetuating the notorious Hollywood blacklist twenty years earlier." "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight. Cassius Clay vs. The Untied States of America," page 215.

On page 205 of his autobiography, Ali told of a religious cartoon that impressed him. It depicted a slave who converted to Islam and is praying with his hands open in the Muslim manner: "Oh, Allah! Oh, Allah!" A white slave master comes up behind him with an upraised whip: "Boy, who are you praying to?" The slave quickly hides his Islamic guise, bows his head and says, "boss, I was praying to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." The slave master lowers his whip and walks away, satisfied, saying, "All right, you keep paying to Jesus!"

"The cartoon aroused my curiosity in a way no religious statement had ever done before. Why didn't the slave master want the slave to pray to Allah? Why to Jesus? Until then I thought that the only real religion in world was Christianity. I had been baptized a Baptist when I was nine years old, taught the Ten Commandments and Brotherly Love, but since I had never seen it practiced anywhere, it was easy for me to examine something different."

In 1961, at the age of 19, Ali passed a Muslim temple and was persuaded to go in for just a minute. "When I got inside, I found myself sitting among black people who were listening to the minister talking about the liberation of black people, about one divine leader who could unify all black people, about black people regaining their identity. I stayed through the lecture. What I had heard matched my own feelings, my desires and ambitions for the achievement of freedom and equality for my people, a driving force that had been inside of me all my life. My (younger) brother Rudy saw Islam as clearly as I did and became a registered follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad even before me. Soon after I accepted Islam, Mr. Muhammad gave me the name Muhammad Ali, which means 'one who is worthy of praise." At first he did not make it known what he had done but when it finally came out that he was a Muslim, almost every educated friend, associate and prominent person he knew, black as well as white, were horrified. Sugar Ray Robinson told him that his career would be wrecked. Jackie Gleason urged him to reconsider the step he heard that he was about to take. He told Ali not to let himself be used. Ali thanked him for his advice but explained that "the main ones I didn't want to be used by sere the enemies of black people, those who help oppress and subordinate them." "The Muslims were portrayed as a "race hate sect," and although they were plainly a peaceful people, who carried no weapons and kept to themselves, they were looked upon as the most fearful enemy of white people in the world--the blacks who planned revenge for all the lynchings, murders, killings, discrimination inflicted for centuries by whites. Those black Muslims who sold 'Muhammad Speaks' on the streets in many communities did so at the risk of their lives." I am sure many of the beliefs of these particular brand of Muslims is different. One belief we would not agree with is that there is no life beyond the grave. "What my father meant by 'Life beyond the Grave," Herbert, who is regarded as one of he best interprets of Mr. Muhammad said, 'is that there is no hope for coming into life beyond the grave. You must come into life here in Allah's Truth. Life in Allah's Truth is the beginning of Eternal Life. How we progress in this life will determine our station in the Hereafter. A believer must hope for life here. If life is beyond the grave, it must come into existence here. Allah is often forgiving, most merciful," Herbert quoted the Quran.

Two days after the induction refusal, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took his support for Ali's draft stand public for the first time. He even preached a sermon in which he praised Ali for having the courage to take such a stand. "He (Ali) is giving up even fame. He is giving up millions of dollars in order to stand up for what his conscience tells him is right. No matter what you think of Muhammad Ali's religion, you have to admire his courage." "Mohammad Ali's Greatest Fight." Page 166.

Then King made this controversial statement about the Viet Nam war. "Every young man in this country who believes that this war is abominable and unjust should file as a conscientious objector." Ibid 166. I was drafted into the US Army in 1961 as a medic. This was what my church had arranged for all young men who did not wish to bear arms. If they so chose to help the wounded they were trained as medics. And so that was what I did. But there were some men who did not believe in participating in any form of the military and some of them were exempted but others were given alternative jobs to do their time.

So, these are some of his words in 1966 as he announced his intention to refuse to be inducted into the US Army, even as a conscientious objector. He also prepared a longer statement which he prepared for the press. He was stripped of his world heavy weight title, barred from boxing and almost went to prison. All this at the peak of his career. "Ali defiantly proclaimed his refusal to go to war with the assertion that it violated his beliefs as a Black Muslim. The subsequent legal battle proved to be a test tougher than fighting Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman combined. The struggle that followed Ali's principled stand, one of the pivotal moments of the Sixties, reverberated across lines demarcated by generation, class, race, and religion. This was the beginning of a divided and controversial period of American history, one that would mobilize young and old, blacks and whites, liberals and conservatives. At the forefront of this era, Ali's decision to fight the draft was a challenge not only to the status quo, but a catalyst for those who wished to change the system."

Although Ali was a boxer he was basically a kind and gentle man, easy to get along with lots of adoring friends with whom he was very generous as his star rose and the money rolled in. He did not own a gun or knife to protect himself. He did not get in or pick fights even though he loved the "manly art of self-defense." All of his braggadocio, poetry reading and crazy antics and publicity stunts were for the purpose of increasing revenues at the gate. But when he learned about the teachings of the Nation of Islam, led by the honorable Elijah Muhammad, Ali was willing to risk it all to follow what he believed to be the true teachings of God for the black people. Of course, we would disagree with that because he believed in the Koran and we believe in the Holy Bible. I was at a loss to understand why Ali believed the Islamic religion did not believe in violence when our present war with Iraq is with those who believe in the Koran, from which they derive their Islamic faith. After some dialogue with various people on the Internet I finally realized that just as the Bible, with its many versions, KJV, NIV, RSV, also has many interpretations from which come the many denominations of Christendom. Some believe the Bible teaches the concept of a just war while others do not. Those who believe in the "Just War" concept use verses and stories from the Old Testament to prove that God often approved of war and even commanded Israel to go out and kill their enemies, leaving nothing, not even women or children were to be spared. I Sam 15:1-5. What they do not realize is that the "god" of the Old Testament is a different god than Jesus Christ of the New Testament who told the Jews that their Father was the Devil or Satan. John 8:44. And so it is with Ali in reading the Koran. He evidently has read passages which teach non-violence. Which teach you are not to harm your neighbor and that it is against the law to kill. Since I am not an expert in the Koran I cannot cite verses to support my assertions but there were a couple of people who wrote to me saying that they believe the Muslims who do not believe in killing support their position on the basis of passages from the Koran which teach that it is wrong to kill. And those Muslims who believe in taking up the sword to destroy their enemy are using other passages, much like Christians do to support their various beliefs. Perhaps in the future we can find some specific texts in the Koran which help to clarify and explain this further.

Early in his boxing career, Ali met one of the most gifted and popular speakers and promoters of the Nation of Islam, one Malcom Little, an ex-con and drug dealer, better known as Malcolm X. A movie was also made on his life starring Denzel Washington. As a reward for tripling the membership of the Detroit Temple in less than six months, Malcolm was named minister of New York's Temple number 7, the largest nation of Islam temple in the country. For ten years his devotion to the nation and its founder was absolute. His charismatic personality and flare for promotion brought thousands of new followers into the movement. Within minutes of standing on a street corner he would be surrounded by throngs of young blacks attracted by his appealing message. His autobiography explained his success: "At the bottom of the social heap is the black man in the big-city ghetto. He lives night and day with the rats and cockroaches and drowns himself with alcohol and anaesthetizes himself with dope, to try and forget where and what he is. The Negro has given up all hope. He's the hardest one for us to reach, because he's the deepest in the mud. But when you get him, you've got the best kind of Muslim. Because he's the most fearless. He has nothing to lose, even his life, because he didn't have that in the first place." Pg. 60. Greatest Fight.

The American public knew little about this movement until Mike Wallace produced a five-part TV series called "The Hate that Hate Produced." This was a highly inflammatory series which awakened the consciousness of the American public to what was going on in the inner cities. Although it was not true, the series implied that this group was a threat preaching hate for the white man and preparing the blacks for a race war. Attention was focused on Malcolm X, as the leader, instead of Elijah Muhammad. Because of his charismatic personality, the movement became a national phenomenon overnight, swelling the ranks close to 250,000 members. Cassius Clay was attracted to this movement because its teachings embodied much of his own feelings about the white's oppression of the black man from the days of slavery and outlined a program to help black young people to better themselves, as Ali and Malcolm had done.

In fact, Malcolm was becoming a leader in his own right. The higher his star rose the more nervous and concerned Elijah and his supporters became. But Malcolm showed no inclination to end his opposition to what he called the "pseudo-Islamic" sect of Elijah Muhammad. He had first become disenchanted with his former leader when he learned that secretaries had become pregnant by their leader and let go without support. Malcolm, unlike Ali, was very faithful to his wife, obeying the 7th command to the letter. He also was becoming more sympathetic with Martin Luther King, with whom he shook hands in the U.S. Senate, realizing the potential utility (use) of a civil rights bill. He also saw that the struggle of American blacks was the same as those of Africans and the brothers and sisters in Third World nations. To aid them he tried to form two new groups, Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He even met Muslims who were not black. He was changing rapidly in many areas and on many fronts just before he died.

The FBI was not the only one who was tracking Malcolm's every move. On Nov. 30, 1964, an FBI informant inside Washington's Mosque No. 4 told the bureau that a general announcement had gone out to the Fruit of Islam: Malcolm should be attacked on sight. And this from the leader who taught non-violence. A week later, Louis X (soon to become Louis Farrakhan) wrote in 'Muhammad Speaks' that Malcolm would not escape vengeance. He invited Malcolm to picture his own head rolling along the sidewalk." "King of the World," pg 218.

The average John Q. White American citizen, in the mid 60's had no interest in these matters. They couldn't have cared less about the differences between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad and where Ali, the boxer, stood on the matter. But those involved in black nationalism, who admired Ali as a fighter and independent soul, were disappointed that Ali chose not to support Malcolm X. One poet saw him as "just angry (at the injustices inflicted upon blacks) than intellectually (sociopolitcally) motivated." Pg 216.

Obviously they did not know how Ali's mind worked or his motivations. First of all Elijah's sexual indiscretions did not bother Ali, as it did Malcolm, because his own father was a womanizer and he had followed his example. Secondly, just as he was loyal to his own father and never spoke against him, Ali's loyalty to Elijah, whom he saw as his Spiritual mentor and father, was unwavering even when Elijah banned him from speaking once. Ali also may have realized that Malcolm's life was in danger and decided to distance himself from the fallen hero to protect himself. In addition, when Ali was on a month's tour in Africa he was surprised and thrilled that wherever he went "my true people" recognized him, shouting out "Ali, Ali" in the remotest villages. He realized, for the first time, that he had become an international symbol or icon to the black nations of the world, probably the most famous black person in the world. He no doubt felt this had been made possible because of Elijah Muhammad. In contrast, he saw no future with Malcolm X to help him carry out his mission.

When Malcolm X fell out of favor with Elijah MUHAMMAD and was banned from speaking indefinitely Ali began to distance himself from Malcolm. Eventually Malcolm severed his connection with the Nation of Israel to form his own organization. This caused jealousy and threats on his life which were eventually carried out when he was shot to death on Feb. 21, 1965 in New York.

HOW MUHAMMAD ALI DEFEATED GEORGE FOREMAN IN 1974 IN ZAIRE.

Do you know how long it take a fighter to prepare for a heavy weight boxing match? Most heavy weight champions train four to six months before a fight. Some even take a year. George Foreman started his training four months ahead of time. But Ali said he only needed two months because of his self-control. When he went to the grocery store he denied himself the usual tasty meats such as, pork, greasy foods, ham or bacon (the Muslim religion forbade these foods the same as the books of Moses) Ali usually fought every two or three months. So, he never allowed himself to get out of shape, mentally or physically. Whenever he went to the grocery store he would walk or run. "I believe my diet makes me faster--and even my worst critics will admit that I am the fastest heavy weight in the history of boxing." On one video Ali said that his punch had been recorded at 4/100ths of a second.

But four months had gone by since his last (second) fight with Frazier and he had picked up a little weight eating banana pudding, homemade ice cream, nibbling on cookies, Sara Lea cakes and drinking all kinds of soda pop. So he began to be very strict on himself. "I have to get the sugar out of my blood. All sugar is outlawed. I eat fresh vegetables, good lamb, veal, squib, fish, good cosher chicken and kosher beef. I drink nothing but distilled water and fruit juices. In the morning I have poached eggs, wheat toast and grapefruit or orange juice. I prefer unsweetened grapefruit because it keeps the fat off my stomach. All this makes me feel great mentally. It makes me know I've got the discipline I need. I'm in control of my own diet. After I get my appetite under control I want sparring partners whose style is similar to Foreman's."

Ali obtained every one of Foreman's fight films. He checked out his record and his opponents and how he beat them. "I look for a clue, a key that'll give me new insight when we meet." He used three sparing partners whose style will match foreman's. When he gets to the training camp in Zaire he takes a week "just to get the thought in my mind that a fight's coming up. Going into this match is a business and I've got to take it seriously. Everything I've built for myself and my family depends on it. I have to think about George. I concentrate on him so much that I can feel his presence around me. I shadow box with him."

He gets with two of his close friends and trainers he always has with him to prepare for his fights. Angelo Dundee, his manager, Bundini a second trainer and corner man, and a man named Blood, both of whom go with him everywhere and who are in his corner shouting out encouragement and instructions, etc. He gets with them to map out his strategy. "I must have a plan when I am in training and I follow it as close as possible. I have a time to run, time to get back to my cabin, time to eat, to rest, to go to the gymnasium. I must clock myself so I spend a certain time in the boxing ring, certain time jumping rope, certain time at the heavy bag. All these things must be worked out before I get down to business."

After a week he starts getting up at five o'clock to run. It's still dark outside. He is alone except for his trainers and sparring partners. The first three days he runs a mile to get adjusted to the idea of running and then each day thereafter he adds a mile a day to get the feel of the road and to build up his legs and ankles and to constantly jar his heart into condition.

"This is the key for me. My defense depends on my legs. When I've lost (a fight) it was because my legs gave out. I couldn't dance." Remember his theme or motto: "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." His dancing made him look like he was jumping. He recalls the times he couldn't jump out of his opponent's range fast enough and got hit. So, he prepares to go 15 rounds with George Foreman. George was training too but the difference was that he was overconfident. Up to that time he had never lost a fight, 37 knock outs in 40 fights. His usual method was just to go out in the first round or two and club his opponents half to death with his powerful punches. In contrast Ali was preparing himself by building up his stamina, especially his legs, eating the right foods and denying himself any sex. If he ran three miles and was not tired he did not consider it had done him any good. So he would keep going another mile or two until he began to getting tired. "I push myself on the road so that no matter how hard my fight is, I won't get as tired in the ring as I do running. When I am doing my exercises, I don't start counting until I start paining. And the minute I start paining I keep pushing under that pain. Then the next day, after I rest, it might take twenty sit ups instead of ten to give me a cramp. Later it might take thirty. But if I tried to do thirty the first day, I would break my back. So, it's conditioning." This is progressive training and growth. And the same is true of the Christian experience. If we are not growing we are stagnating. Suffering and pain are part of that growth but most Christians do not welcome or embrace suffering as part of their character development. The cry and complain and get very upset at the Lord if they have to suffer. But without this suffering there can be no growth.

Ali's Muslim manger, Herbert, "masterminded" the fight in Zaire for a purse of $10 Million, $5 Million for Foreman and $5 Million for Ali. Don King was the boxing promoter who was able to work with Herbert, Ali and George Foreman to finally put it all together. King told Ali and his friends how he pulled it off: "I told him I was sure he'd win. I told him he's eight years younger (24 to Ali's 32), punches harder, and can't lose. He had to feel assured that he's going to win or I couldn't have gotten him to sign for any price." Ali then asked King, what else he told George. "I'll tell you frankly what I told him. I said 'George, Ali is on his last legs right now. It would be better for you to knock him off and get credit than to watch someone else do it.'" "The Greatest," pg 372.

Ali took three sparring partners to Zaire: Larry Holmes, 21, a tall crafty boxer whose sharp punches gained him 12 straight knock outs on his record, with no losses. Roy Williams, Pennsylvania State Champion, an inch taller than Ali, a tough, rugged fighter with sledge-hammer fists. And maybe Bossman Jones. Ali's manager, Angelo Dundee, and his trainers were afraid George would seriously injure Ali so they asked for Bossman to come and fill them in on Foreman, because he was the last sparing partner to work with George. He is told, "Ali can give you a thousand-dollar-a-week job throughout the fight, plus all the food you can eat." So, as he sat down with Ali and his crew he asked them, "y'all want me to tell you the truth?" He senses that some of them might get angry at what he is going to tell them, but when they tell him to go ahead and lay it on the line he begins to explain what Ali is really up against. He tells them that George's road work is different than Ali's in that he runs up the mountains, whereas Ali runs in the valley. "He runs up hills and mountains. I don't know how he does it. I never seen nobody like George."

The reason for this, he tells them, "is because he figures he may have to go the full 15 rounds with Ali." Angelo tells him that Ali is the best boxer of all time. Bossman agrees, but says "George can box too, even though he's a slugger. He says that he's never really had to box because he tags you and then he goes for the quick kill. He don't give you no chance to get your breath.. George is the first one I been in the ring with who I know can kill you. He may never kill nobody, and I hope he never does, but he's got the power to kill, and he knows it." Bundini asks about George's weaknesses. "He can go months without a woman. I never seen it in a prizefighter, but George won't touch a woman...won't even talk to a woman when he's training." So, then they ask him what he does talk about. "Money is all. All he talks about is making even more money when he takes over Ali's place in the eyes of the people." What does this tell us about the motives of each of these fighters? From everything I read in the books and especially from the documentary "When We Were Kings," Ali was there to help the African people feel better about themselves, to inspire them, lift their spirits and give them hope for a better life. To believe in themselves that they are worthy of God's blessings and a wonderful future life.

In contrast, George was there for the money and the glory. But the Lord had a plan for George he had never even considered for a fleeting second of his young, 24 year life. In the documentary, it shows a man trying to conduct an interview with George, who never said much anyway. When he was asked, "Will you keep on fighting even if you lose this fight with Ali," George responded with a sort of shocked and dirty look, then said, "Pardon?" The interviewer didn't understand what he meant and was momentarily non-plused. George just kept staring at the guy and said nothing. Finally the man realized what he meant and said, "So, you don't think you are going to lose?" George just shook his head and walked away with disdain that any one would even have the nerve to ask such a question. So, Foreman went into that fight very over-confident. This was amazing in light of the fact that Foreman had publicly stated that this fight could end up being his toughest one, but that he doubted it. Why did he have this cocky attitude? Because he was so big and strong and had never lost a fight. But Ali said that Foreman had never really faced a strong opponent like himself. And Ali was right.

Now, let us draw a lesson from George's wrong and very dangerous attitude. Have we, as Christians, underestimated the enemy? Most Christians don't have a clue as to what they are up against anyway. They are like Foreman, in a sense, in that they don't think they can lose because they belong to the right church and have the right doctrine and pay their tithe and do good works, etc. So, they are doing all the "right" things, like the Jews of old, but for all the wrong reasons. And, like George Foreman, they are headed for a knockout punch they are not expecting.

Next they ask Bossman where his loyalty lies, because they don't want any double agents in the camp. They ask him if the fight were tomorrow who he thinks would win. He tells them that he believes George would win. Some get up to push him out of the room but Ali raises his hand saying, "Let him talk." "Ali is the best boxer alive," Bossman says. "I believe it. But in order to beat George, he's got to get his left jab back. In order to get his left jab back, he's got to leave women alone. He can't train with sex on his mind." When they demand for him to tell them who he would bet on to win, Bossman is cornered. He takes a deep breath and looks at the unfriendly faces around the room and says quietly, "I bet on George." The room is in an uproar as they cuss at him and try to push him out the door again. Ali holds up his hand again and says, "Wait a minute! Leave him alone! Angelo, get Bossman a ticket to Africa. I need him." Above all else, Ali admired him for being totally honest with him.

As the time for the big match approaches Ali's assistant, Bundini, drives the sparring partners like a slave master. "Lay it on him! Lay it on him, Holmes! Don't back off!" "Come on, Bossman, mix it up! Earn your money!" Ali enjoys the crowds who pack the hall every day as if it were the real thing. He drives himself by going three rounds of shadowboxing, five rounds on the speed bag, four skipping rope, three on the heavy bag. Then he goes into the ring with his sparring partners, feeling the kind of exhaustion and fatigue he knows he will experience in the coming fight of his career. He drives himself through nine hot three-minute rounds of boxing and declares to himself that he's ready. My friend, do you think you are ready?

Why in the world do you think I am going to all this trouble to research all this detailed information out? Because, friend of mine, I want you to think about the "Big fight" we are going to soon be in during these final days and the coming Time of Trouble. The Lord is trying to get us ready. Did you know that? "Oh, really?" you may ask. "What do you mean?"

Well, He is allowing trials and temptations to come to you from time to time, sometimes weekly. The question is, are you thanking Him for them? The Bible tells us to "Give thanks" to the Lord for all things. I Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:20. Jesus is your personal trainer and He is the one who is in charge of your preparation for the Time of Trouble. He knows what you need so do not complain but thank Him for all things, as Job did, even though he did not understand what was going on.

At the time of this famous boxing match the dictator of Zaire was Mobutu who Norman Mailer compared to Hitler and Mussolini. His commentary in the documentary, "When We Were Kings," is the most interesting and insightful. He said that just a few weeks before the fight, Oct. 4, 1974, some white foreigners had been killed in their cars in Kinshasa (Current pop is 4.5 million). This was very bad news for tourism and for the positive message and publicity the dictator wanted to send to the world who would become aware of him and his little African nation.

Determined to change this bad image of his country into a safe and peaceful place, Mobutu decided to send a message to the criminal element of his nation, especially, Kinshasa, the capital. He rounded up, and arrested 1,000 of the worst criminals in the city. Of these he selected, at random, 100 or 10% of these criminals and executed them. "All criminals have connections," Mailer explained. By taking this harsh action "Mobutu was sending a message to them and it was this: 'None of your connections will help you. I am Jehovah and I will blast you out of existence if you fool around with me.'" Mailer said that he made his point because by Oct 30th Kinshasa was the safest city in Africa, maybe even the whole world.

If you read everything written about Ali you will find out he truly was revered as a Messiah figure, especially to the black people of Africa and other nations, the USA as well. Ali has probably been the most famous and recognized face in the world during this century. As soon as he arrived in Kinshasa, Zaire, the people began to flock around him. The crowds chanted "Ali Bomaye," (meaning, hit him, knock him down) especially the morning of the fight. To them Ali was like a king coming to take his throne, be their king and set them free. At least free in a spiritual sense. And this applied to all the black people all over the world.

In some ways, for them at least, it was like Christ's Triumphal Entrance to Jerusalem. But in Ali's dressing room the mood was somber, depressing. His entourage, like the disciples of old were scared. They felt Ali was sacrificing himself to further the cause of lifting the spirits of black people around the world and the $5 Million, which they knew would also be used for the same cause. Actually, Ali explained about the money. "I'm going home with no more than one million, three hundred thousand. Half of the five million, ($2.5 Million) goes to the government, then half a million for expenses and one-third to my manager. I'm left with one million three. That ain't no money. You give me a hundred million today, I'll be broke tomorrow. We got a hospital we're working on, a Black hospital being in Chicago, costs fifty million dollars. My money goes into causes. If I win this fight, I'll be traveling everywhere." "The Fight," pgs 77, 78. But they really did fear for his safety because Foreman had the power to seriously injure Ali. As for Ali, he was happy and ready to go into the ring. If he had any doubts or fears it didn't show, but he sensed the mood of his staff and decided to confront it.

Norman Mailer says in his book and in his comments in the film "When we were kings," "A sorrow was in the room." Pg 169, "The Fight." In Foreman's dressing room it was different. Just before going out to the ring a few minutes later Foreman joined hands with his boxing trust, Dick Sadler, Sandy Saddler, and Archie Moore, who was himself or later became an SDA. Moore said later that as they prayed he found himself thinking he should pray for Muhammad Ali's safety. "I was praying, and in great sincerity, that George wouldn't kill Ali. I really felt that was a possibility." "The Fight." Pg. 176. He wasn't alone in this fear. Ali's wife, Belinda, was really afraid for her husband. Ali seemed to be the only one who had no fear.

"What's wrong with you all?" He asked them as he danced around the room, throwing jabs and punches, shadow boxing. "We're gonna dance and dance and dance." Before they left for the arena, Ali went into a bath room off the dressing room with Herbert Muhammad, his friend and manager, to pray and recite verses from the Koran. Finally the moment had arrived for all 20 of Ali's group to emerge from the gray cement-brick corridors into open air, into surrealistic bliss and green air of stadium grass under electric lights.

The nation of Zaire had been awaiting this event for three months. Some 60,000 strong, they began their familiar chant, "Ali bomaye," which basically means, "knock him down" or "finish him or even kill him" in its most extreme meaning. It was definitely an Ali crowd, giving him the psychological advantage. Foreman arrived a few minutes later, ready to stare Ali down with his meanest looks. But he was in for a surprise. Zack Clayton, the referee was waiting for them. As he begins his instructions Ali tells in his auto-biography how he leans "close to George's ear, and says: "'Chump,' I say with all the contempt I can muster. 'You're gonna get yourself beat tonight in front of all these Africans." The ref tells Ali not to talk...to listen to the instructions which include, "no hitting below the belt. No kidney punches..." Ali adds, "Never mind that stuff, sucker." I speak low. "I'm gonna hit you everywhere but under the bottom of your big funky feet, Chump! You got to go, sucker." The ref warns Ali again. George bites his lips and his eyes glare but Ali pays no attention. "You heard about me since you were a little kid with mess in your pants! Tonight"----I say it loud--"I'm gonna whip you til you cry like a baby." Page 403. Mailer's version of this was shorter with the added words, "Now you must meet me, your master." "The Fight," pg 177.

At the bell, Ali charged across the ring and was the first to land a punch, a lightning-strong right straight as a pole into the stunned center of Foreman's head. Foreman had not been hit that hard in years. Foreman was enraged and charged but Ali tied him up by grabbing him around the neck and pushed his head down, wrestled it down crudely and decisively to show foreman he was rougher and tougher than he had been told. Fifteen seconds go by and they circle each other. Suddenly Ali hits him again. Foreman charged Ali again and once more he holds him around the neck. Ali connects with at least 12 right hand leads, which is unheard of in the first round. He was sending Foreman a message. "I can do whatever I want with you and you cannot stop me." This was intended to enrage Foreman and it worked. The rest of the fight Foreman threw his hardest and best punches at Ali, connecting with many, missing some. But Ali's strategy was working. Foreman was punching himself into exhaustion. I have watched the original footage in "When We Were Kings," at regular speed and in slow motion. Ali's jabs and punches are so lightning fast you cannot even see them. On an earlier movie "THE GREATEST," Ali explains that the reason why people cannot see his punches is because they are thrown in 4/100ths of a second, which is as fast or faster than the blink of an eye. In fact, if you blink your eye you will miss it. After his first round attempt to knock George out did not work he changed his strategy. He could not run or dance for 14 more rounds. His legs would not last and he would be exhausted. So, he decided to go to the ropes. Later it would be called "Rope a Dope."

Ali was not the favorite in this fight. In the USA the odds were 4 to 1 against Ali and 3 to 1 in Europe and Tokyo. England was 2 to 1. A lot of people would lose their shirt on this prize fight. In his auto-biography Ali tells how one of George's punches sends him into the dream room. But he has been there before and knows what to do; "keep on talking and punching and don't let George know you have hurt him." Ali continues his "rope a dope" strategy until the last 30 seconds of the 8th round. Ali's version of what happened is much shorter than Mailer's in his book, "The Fight," or his comments in the video. Ali told Angelo about the 5th round that George was exhausted...finished, and that he could take him out any time he wanted. "Well, do it," Angelo told him. "No, I want to play with him a little more." Now, that is confidence in one's ability and Ali had it. His bragging and acting was not just a stunt or show to gain publicity. He knew that he could back up what he was claiming he could do.

Do you realize that most people who believe they have a calling are very confident of themselves and are not afraid to tell how they feel and speak their mind and give out their message? If you want the ultimate example, look at Jesus Himself. From day one he was in charge and later cleansed the temple, not just once but twice. He knew who he was and was not ashamed of it. He told the leaders of the nation that if they did not accept Him they would die in their sins. "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins." John 8:24.

Never once did Jesus ever utter a discouraging word or back down from His claims that He was the Messiah and that He had come to save His people from their sins. Never once did He doubt that He would be successful in His mission. Beloved, we can have that same confidence if we will only believe and trust in our Beloved Redeemer.

As the fight progressed, most of the people ringside, watching the fight, knew George was losing and they were all shocked. Foreman was exhausted. He had punched himself out. His legs were like rubber and his breathing was heavy in the 95 degree heat. With only 30 seconds left in the round, Ali began his final and successful attack with the accumulated knowledge of what could and could not be done at any instant in the ring. First of all, still lying back on the ropes, he hit Foreman with a right and left, then came off the ropes to hit him with another combination left and right. Foreman was now reeling. As Foreman went by, Ali hits him again on the jaw with a right. Ali then positions himself so that Foreman is next to the ropes, cutting off the ring. Foreman is trapped.

"Now Ali struck him a combination of punches fast as the punches of the first round, but harder and more consecutive, three capital rights in a row struck Foreman, then a left, and for an instant on Foreman's face appeared the knowledge that he was in danger and must start to look to his last protection. His opponent was attacking, and there were no ropes behind the opponent. What a dislocation: the axes of his existence were reversed! He was the man on the ropes! Then a big projectile exactly the size of a fist in a glove drove into the middle of Foreman's mind, the best punch of the startled night, the blow Ali save for a career. Foreman's arms flew out to the side like a man with a parachute jumping out of a plane, and in this doubled-over position he tried to wander out to the center of the ring." "The Fight," 207, 208. And there he fell and did not rise in time but was counted out. It was all over and MUHAMMAD Ali was once again the heavy weight champion of the world.

Archie Moore explained that Ali upset George's plans right from the start by showing no fear. "What I remember most about that fight was, Ali rushed out at the opening bell, showing no fear, and struck George on top of the head. Plans upset; do you know what I mean? Right at the start, George knew he had something different to contend with. But George only knew one way to fight, so he swung and he swung, and he pinned Ali up against the ropes, determined to wear him down. At first, that seemed like a fine strategy. Everything we'd planned was designed to get Ali on the ropes, where George could hit him. But once George got him there, and when Ali stayed there, George didn't know what to do...George threw some rather lethal punches in the direction of Ali's cranium....(but) Ali protected his body with his forearms and elbows. He was able to avoid the devastating experience of George hitting him in the head by leaning way back against the ropes. And when George's blows did land, Ali took them with a marvelous show of disdain and managed to convince George that George couldn't punch. Then George got tired. Ali had him thinking, and worrying, and he'd wasted too much ammunition on Ali's arms. And when George got tired against a skilled warrior like Ali, that was the beginning of the end. In fact, that was the end."

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High...: Dan. 7:25.

Now let's listen to what George Foreman himself had to say about that fight: "Muhammad amazed me; I'll admit it. He out thought me; he outfought me. That night, he was just the better man in the ring. Before the fight, I thought I'd knock him out easy. One round, two rounds. I was very confident. And what I remember most about the fight was, I went out and hit Muhammad with the hardest shot to the body I ever delivered to any opponent. Anybody else in the world would have crumbled. Muhammad cringed; I could see it hurt. And then he looked at me; he had that look in his eyes, like he was saying I'm not gonna let you hurt me. And to be honest, that's the main thing I remember about the fight. Everything else happened too quick. I got burned out....I was throwing the most punches, but I knew that in some way I was losing. ..I remember the punch that knocked me down, too. I was going after him. I was tired but still didn't respect his punching power, so I was chasing with my hands down. Muhammad was near the ropes. I missed with a right hand, turned around with my hands down, and he moved with speed that he wasn't supposed to have at that point in the fight after taking all those blows. He moved, threw a right hand. And boom! Right on the button. It caught me off balance, and I went down. I could have gotten up, but I'd been taught, when a man gets knocked down, he looks to his corner. So I looked to my corner, and they were signaling for me to wait. Then they signaled for me to get up, but it was too late....but to be honest, against Muhammad, he was such an intelligent boxer, even if I'd gotten up, that night I think he would have won. He was just a little too sharp for me then."

Foreman had never lost a match, so for awhile he had a very hard time accepting that he had really lost. He made excuses and complained. He went over the fight in his mind a thousand times. Finally, he was able to accept it. "And then, finally, I realized I'd lost to a great champion; probably the greatest of all time. I was drugged all right. Muhammad gave me a dose of that big right hand. He won fair and square, and now I'm just proud to be part of the Ali legend. If people mention my name with his from time to time, that's enough for me. That, and I hope Muhammad likes me, because I like him. I like him a lot." "Muhammad Ali," His life and Times, Thomas Hauser, pg 278.

Some texts come to mind regarding Foreman saying that he knew that he was losing no matter how hard he kept on fighting. Also, the crowd was with Ali and against Foreman which worked against George emotionally. In his spirit he knew he was going to lose...was only a matter of time. "He knows that he has but a short time." Rev. 12:12.

And then the part about him going after Ali with his hands down and being caught off balance, not ready for the knock out punch and then going down and waiting so long to get up that it was too late. This reminded me of the story of Haaman in the Bible and Daniel's enemies who had indications they were losing before they fell and were destroyed. And then I also thought of all the lost, as a group, in this final segment or age (Aion in the Greek) of time, when they will cry out in despair. "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Jer. 8:20. This is what is going to happen to the majority of God's professed people.

They are the foolish virgins who have not made the proper preparation for the Time of Trouble, just like George was not prepared to do battle with Ali. The only difference, and it is a very big difference, is that Ali vs Foreman was just a prizefight. A one time event that they both survived and could go on with their lives. But there is far more at stake in the fight we are about to enter upon.

Beloved, we are talking about age lasting loss and disaster that cannot even be measured. We are talking about waking up outside of the walls of the New Jerusalem and having to go through the Lake of Fire. "But Pastor Clute, I thought you believe in UR...Universal Restoration?" Of course I do. But I am talking about the loss of being with Jesus and the saints for 1,000 years. And of having to suffer the horror and guilt and remorse of realizing you are lost for this age and the age to come because of your own pride, stubbornness and rebellion...refusing to listen. "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 8:11, 12.

MUHAMMAD Ali, was more than just a folk hero during the sixties, when he won the Olympic Gold Medal and the heavy weight championship of the world. Many considered him to have been the greatest prize fighter of the 20th century. Ali possessed an astonishing range of skills, with fast hands and beautiful legs, a fighter who made a brutal sport contain the illusion of beauty. His fights were turned into ballet, choreographing a bloody sport into an art form where violence and control and courage met to forge a champion. Ten times he climbed through those red velvet ropes to fight for the heavy weight championship of the world and ten time he won.  He came to understand that boxing was just another form of Hollywood entertainment. So, early on he decided to turn himself into an actor on the way to earning the heavy weight belt. He was willing to risk being labeled an arrogant braggart and show-off. But he knew this would draw the attention of the world to the message he ultimately wanted to give to his own race, to encourage and lift them up from their depression and feelings of unworthiness, to make them realize they were valuable and could achieve something in life if they set a goal and worked toward it.

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