Boxing legend Muhammad Ali passed on Friday June 3. Although many of us knew he had Parkinson’s, a disease which crippled his speech and mobility in later years, we were still shocked by news of his death at the age of 74.

Despite the fact that many of us weren’t even born when he had his last fight, we loved the Champion. Muhammad Ali needs no introduction and that’s the power of charismatic figures like him who transcend their careers and generations. Even if you didn’t see Ali fight, you have probably watched a YouTube clip, a film or heard a rap song about him. 

There’re also lots of quotes and books about the man many agree is the greatest boxer of all time. Like most people, I was introduced to Ali by my parents and teachers in the same way we got to know about the likes of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and once you got to "know” those icons, you just wanted to learn more about them. If there’s one thing I can say I learnt from Muhammad Ali, it is standing up for what you believe in. Can you imagine a black man defying the government and refusing to enlist in the army in 1960s America? 

Frankly, I’m surprised he lived to pursue the sport he loved although his career took a hit after his World Heavyweight Title was revoked and his boxing license suspended for four years. I share Ali’s pacifist thoughts. I hate war and all the pain and destruction left in its wake. Young children maimed and orphaned, innocent lives lost over issues that can often be resolved without any bombs dropped.

Some say war is a necessary evil to, for instance, rid the world of groups like ISIS, but then you think about it and realise that ISIS was born out of US’ invasion of Iraq. If only more people had learnt from Muhammad Ali and questioned what they were fighting for, we probably wouldn’t have nearly as many conflicts we do today. What’s even more baffling are countries selling weapons to unstable regimes and at the same time somehow expecting these wars to end. How? 

I’m glad that in many countries around the world today, mandatory conscription was scrapped. I feel bad for the few where it’s still enforced. I cannot imagine having to watch my father, brother, husband or son go off to fight, not knowing whether I would see them again and I’m pretty sure I’d pull an Ali myself if I were ever asked to sign up, notwithstanding the fact that I’m a coward paranoid as well. The only thought on my mind would be whether I’d make it out alive. 

That said, I have a lot of respect for those who give their lives to save others. It’s the ultimate sacrifice. I wish Muhammad Ali had lived longer but a part of me also felt sad over the years whenever I saw him bound to a wheelchair. Rest in Peace Muhammad Ali.