My own father loved boxing with all his heart and so I learned and loved the sport by the age of 3. Muhammed Ali and Jack Johnson are my favorite boxers. Not only because of their championship inside of the ring but because of the persecution they endured as a result of their outspokenness and confidence outside of the ring. Muhammed Ali and Jack Johnson did not "stay in their place". They used their influence and wealth to uplift blacks who were taught and believed it impossible to dream. If it sounds unrelatable then it's simply because you cannot relate. There are people who hate him because he dodged the draft in Vietnam war. A war that even MLK himself denounced, for how can and why would blacks go to war for a country that oppresses our people? Our people were still marching in the street for basic rights here. Many people hate him for worshipping the very same God of Abraham they themselves bless their food to and beg for forgiveness from. Many people hate his "arrogance", his confidence, his cockiness because how dare a black face say it is the greatest at anything. When Ali went to Africa he said he would never again call another black face "ugly." The beauty of stepping from a plane and seeing a sea of faces as big as the Pacific that mirrored his own humbled him as a man and a descendent of Africa. I received the news of his passing at 630 a.m. and the person knew to wake me up with such news. It took me a while to gather these thoughts and express my sadness for his passing and celebrate his life and his home going. 16 years he said. He said he had a good 16 years to prepare himself to meet God. After boxing was over, investments were made, celebrity had waned, the only thing left after that was to get prepared to meet God. May his sins be forgiven and he enter into Jannah. Rest in Paradise Muhammed Ali. ~I.F. Kyng Art by @obeytheking