‘THE GREATEST’ is now with his maker and in eternal bliss.

Having won the 1960 Olympic light-heavyweight gold in the year in which Pakistan also won its first Olympic gold — ending India’s hockey dominance, Muhammad Ali became the most recognisable face of the world of sports following his first heavyweight title win against the ‘Big Bear’ Sony Liston in 1964.

Tall, handsome, witty, honest and modest he had — as a sportsman — become a symbol of pride, kindness and compassion turning a brutal form of sports into a skill and entertainment as he danced, dodged and shuffled throwing punches at his opponents reminding them of not only his prowess in the ring but also his adopted faith which he chose to adopt after a life-changing incident.

Having won the Olympic gold, he ventured once to a restaurant with his friends but was refused for being black and was told that it was for whites only.

Despite his reminders to the restaurant owner that he was a champion gold medallist of his country, he was denied entry and that too in his homeland.

Cassius Marcellus Clay, the son of a billboard painter from Louisville, Kentucky dashed straight for home, picked his medal and having reached the Ohio River, he threw the medal into the river declaring that he was no more Cassius Clay.

He joined ‘The Nation of Islam’ — a breakaway black sect protesting against racism and discrimination against the non-whites — before later adopting a new name and identity as Muhammad Ali.

When called to be inducted in the US army to fight in Vietnam, he refused, telling the draft commission that he will not fight the Vietcong, that “they have never called me a nigger. I am as a Muslim a ‘Conscientious Objector’ and the Holy Quran does not permit me to kill”.

He was punished, stripped of his heavyweight title and remained in exile for three years at his peak and yet he did not budge, defending his faith and his conviction in what he believed was right.

Once free to fight again, Ali stunned the world by winning the title two more times — becoming the only man in history to have won the title thrice.

I feel very lucky to have met two of the greatest figures of the 20th century, first Ali by coincidence and then Nelson Mandela by invitation.

It was in 1991 that I was invited to South Africa along with Sir Garfield Sobers, Richie Benaud, Sunil Gavaskar and E.W.Swanton, a reputed British journalist, to attend a banquet to celebrate the merger of white and black cricket boards into United Cricket Board.

Dr Ali Bacher organised a meeting then with Mandela, who had come out of prison after 27 years. That indeed was a memorable moment to sit in Mandela’s house in Soweto and interview him. A conversation was later aired all over the world. It certainly, for me, is a long story and an unforgettable experience.

I don’t, however, forget the day when Ali had his first professional fight against Liston.

A friend had come to see me in London and asked me to place a one pound bet in the bookie shop on Clay to win the fight against Liston, the favourite, and also a pound that Queen Elizabeth will give birth to a son.

Minimum wages in UK then was eight to ten pounds a week and I had gone to London with only five pounds which the State Bank of Pakistan allowed to people going abroad. I didn’t think much of my friend’s suggestion but he insisted.

Clay knocked Liston out and a son Edward was born to the Queen. My friend and I walked out of the betting shop richer than those who earned weekly wages.

Meeting with Ali, however, was by chance in a Pakistani restaurant in Warren Street London in the late 1970s.

My friend, who was studying aeronautics, had come to London and I had taken him to lunch. While there, we were awed by the presence of Ali who entered the place along with a couple of Pakistanis.

We got up to greet this great champion, who then took the table next to us and struck a vibrant conversation with all those who were present.

His was a magnetic presence and we were in awe as words of wisdom flowed from his never stopping conversation.

When I introduced myself to him as a journalist, he raised his voice and told me: “Remember to tell the truth, write the truth, speak the truth and Allah will look after you.”

“I’ve been told that Pakistan has film star who is named Mohammad Ali. Is this true?” he asked me.

I told him that Ali, the film actor, was my childhood friend to which Ali, the boxer, told me he would love to meet his namesake — and he did that when visiting Pakistan in 1987-88.

The whole world mourns the passing away of a great man who loved life and people. The world was his oyster but he remained a down to earth and a dignified individual who loved people and life around him — a gift no doubt for all of us who enjoyed the sight of him entertaining whether in the ring or outside it.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2016