But now, having set up a rugby and leisurewear clothing company called Cotton Traders when they retired from playing, they have come up smelling of roses. Ali is quoted as saying: "I'd like to be remembered as a black man who won the heavyweight title and who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him and who helped as many of his people as he could - financially and also in their fight for freedom, justice and equality."A few of the women in Ali's life might have a thing or two to say about whether the boxer "treated everyone right". And it would be interesting to see Joe Frazier's reaction when Ali claims that he "helped as many of his people as he could". The light-skinned Ali famously called Frazier "a gorilla", in frequent attacks that had distinctly racial overtones.Many people will feel that where Muhammad Ali is concerned, such quibbles are misplaced. The man was and is a legend - witty and garrulous outside the ring; graceful and brutal within it.
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He transcended sport in a way that no other athlete has achieved before or since.Muhammad Ali has, quite rightly, built a potent mythology. And that mythology is precisely what fans will be thinking of when they pull on their "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" sweatshirt.The 'Ali by Adidas' range, part of the A/W 2005 Adidas Originals collection, is available from November 2005. Ali by Adidas pays tribute to the legacy of the greatest sports icon of all time."Fashion design, though, represents a remarkable renaissance for a man whose life has been shattered by motor neurone disease - a direct result of his extended career in boxing. His direct involvement with creating the line of clothing - short of creating the iconography and history behind many of the items - must have been minimal. Items such as the white robe and shorts, replicated from that famous night in Kinshasa, will become a must-have for Ali fans.In fact, to look at the Adidas Ali line, you might be forgiven for thinking that The Rumble in the Jungle was the only fight Ali ever had The sales patter, too, is uniformly upbeat.
Erich Stamminger, the CEO of Adidas America, was effusive: "We at Adidas are honoured to have had the opportunity to work with Muhammad Ali on this line. Having worked with the sporting goods giant Adidas on their "Impossible is Nothing" advertising campaign last year, the greatest boxer ever to grace the ring has put his name to a new range of clothing which retraces the steps of his monumental career. "Throughout my life," says Ali, "I have pushed the boundaries of what is expected. I am excited about my new partnership with Adidas as it will inspire in a completely new way, not only my existing fans, but a new generation as well." The Adidas collection certainly taps into an increasing desire in the general public to be involved with the Ali brand. If anything, Ali has become more popular as the years have gone on, as films such as When We Were Kings - documenting his famous Rumble in the Jungle of 1974 - and Ali have reached out to people too young to have seen Ali fight.Adidas clearly feel they have struck gold. He became a fighter when somebody stole his bicycle in 1954. He became a boxing superstar when he defeated Sonny Liston for the second time in 1965.
