Vola come una farfalla, pungi come un'ape

Sei articoli da leggere sulla straordinaria e drammatica vita e la pazzesca carriera sportiva di Muhammad Ali, nato Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.

I crossed the yard, climbed the couple of steps on the side of the Winnebago, and prepared to knock. Ali opened the door before I got the chance. I’d forgotten how huge he is. His presence filled the doorway. He had to lean under the frame to see me.

I felt no nervousness. Ali's face, in many ways, is as familiar to me as my father's. His skin remained unmarked, his countenance had nearly perfect symmetry. Yet something was different: Ali was no longer the world’s prettiest man. This was only partly related to his illness; it was also because he was heavier than he needed to be. He remained handsome, but in the way of a youngish granddad who tells stories about how he could have been a movie star, if he'd wanted. His pulchritude used to challenge us; now he looked a bit more like us, and less like an avatar sent by Allah.