Kamloops- Reaction continues to pour in after Muhammad Ali passed away late Friday night at the age of 74. His impact inside and outside the ring continues to be monumental. BCLions.com spoke with a few members of the squad after Saturday morning practice to get their thoughts and stories on The Greatest.
“He was during my time. By taking a stand in what he believed in he helped change the world. He had an effect globally.” – Wally Buono
“He came up in one of our meetings the other night when we did a segment on interesting people. Oddly enough, this gentleman later passed away. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Toronto when he was part of halftime entertainment at an Argos game. I appreciate the experience of having him in my life and the influence he has been on me.” – Marcello Simmons
“My prayers go out to his family. To anybody who had the opportunity to meet him or have a personal conversation with him, the reviews have been tremendous. Most people talk a lot but are afraid to follow through, but he did that in all facets. He represented what it was to be confident in your own skin and stand for what you believe in and follow through on it. That’s something I want to instil and pass on to my kids. His legacy speaks for it itself. My mom’s oldest brother was around in Ali’s prime and always talks about the movement and how things were compared to now. Everyone stood behind one another and going to battle with one another. Right now we have a lot of individualism and greed in our society, but to see people stand behind him and support him, you understand the impact he has had in our community and all over the world.” – Ryan Phillips
“My parents were still in Congo during Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman. They used to tell us how crazy it was when he came down and fought. He got the country riled up and met our President. Everybody was behind him. He’s changed the world in so many ways. Last night you could just see all the people on social media thanking him for what he’s done. He didn’t mind standing alone for his beliefs and what the consequences were. For him to potentially go to jail and lose his title belt, it was just a tremendous example of who he was.” – Rolly Lumbala
“The Greatest: That sums it up. He took a lot of heat from what he believed in and stood up for and I give him credit for that. There wasn’t much political correctness with him. Right now people take a stand without be willing to suffer the consequences, but he was willing to do that. The Vietnam, war he was willing to face the consequences for that. I know lots of people who met him and saw him live. They all say he was very nice, cordial and charismatic. He was the same way in the ring. I remember watching him fight on ABC sports, but you have kids at camp here who never did but they still understand his legacy. That’s what’s more important than anything.” – Mark Washington