穆罕默德?阿里：最偉大的拳擊手

李忱

Muhammad Ali， the charismatic three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world， who declared himself “the greatest” and proved it with his fists， the force of his personality and his magnetic charisma， and who transcended the world of sports to become a symbol of the antiwar movement of the 1960s and a global ambassador for cross-cultural understanding， died June 3 at a hospital in Scottsdale， Ariz.， where he was living. He was 74.

Mr. Ali dominated boxing in the 1960s and 1970s and held the heavyweight title three times. His fights were among the most memorable and spectacular in history， but he quickly became as well known for his colorful personality and his showy antics1） in the ring.

He claimed the heavyweight championship in 1964， with a surprising upset2） of the formidable3） Sonny Liston4）. Mr. Ali came to represent a new kind of athlete， someone who created his own style in defiance of the traditions of the past. Glib5）， handsome and unpredictable， he was perfectly suited to television， and he became a fixture6） on talk shows as well as sports programs.

One of his assistants， Drew “Bundini” Brown， captured7） his lithe8）， graceful presence in the ring， saying Mr. Ali would “float like a butterfly， sting like a bee.” The description entered the vernacular9）.

Mr. Ali appealed to people of every race， religion and background， but during the turbulent， divisive 1960s， he was particularly seen as a champion of African Americans and young people.

In 1967， after Mr. Ali had been heavyweight champion for three years， he refused to be inducted10） into the military during the Vietnam War. Despite the seeming contradiction of a boxer advocating nonviolence， he gave up his title in deference to11） the principle of pacifism.

“Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10，000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam，” Mr. Ali said in 1967， “while so-called Negro people in Louisville12） are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights？”

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. supported his decision to become a conscientious objector13） as “a very great act of courage.”

Mr. Alis heavyweight title was immediately removed， and he was banned from boxing for more than three years. He was sentenced to five years in prison， but his conviction was unanimously overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.

Mr. Alis decision outraged the old guard14）， including many sportswriters and middle Americans， who considered the boxer arrogant and unpatriotic. But as the cultures of youth and black America were surging to the fore15） in the late 1960s， Mr. Ali was gradually transformed， through his sheer magnetism and sense of moral purpose， into one of the most revered figures of his time.

A casual statement he made in 1966—“I aint got no quarrel with them Viet Cong16）”—distilled the antiwar views of a generation.

“Ali， along with Robert Kennedy17） and the Beatles in the persona of John Lennon， captured the 60s to perfection，” writer Jack Newfield told Thomas Hauser， the author of a 1991 oral biography， Muhammad Ali： His Life and Times. “In a rapidly changing world，” Newfield added， “he underwent profound personal change and influenced rather than simply reflected his times.”

Later， as Mr. Alis boxing career receded into the past， and as neurological infirmities left him increasingly slowed and silenced， he became a symbol of unity and brotherhood， someone whose very presence and image acquired an aura of the spiritual. He was greeted by thousands whenever he toured the world. He “evolved from a feared warrior，” Hauser wrote， “to a benevolent monarch and ultimately to a benign venerated figure.”

In 1996， Mr. Ali stood at the top of a podium during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games in Atlanta in what became one of the most indelible18） moments in Olympic history. Shakily holding the torch as an estimated three billion people watched on television， Mr. Ali lit the Olympic flame， marking the official beginning of the Games. He stood alone before the world， a fragile， yet still indomitable19） demigod.

Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17， 1942， in Louisville. His father was a sign-painter， and his mother was a domestic houseworker. Mr. Ali played few sports as a child， but he began boxing at age 12 to exact revenge on a thief who had stolen his bicycle. He quickly became enamored20） of the sport， and he won several national amateur boxing championships before he graduated from high school in 1960.

That year， he went to the Summer Olympics in Rome and came back with the gold medal in the light-heavyweight division， defeating a three-time European champion from Poland. He was only 18.

Mr. Ali then became a professional fighter， signing a contract with 12 wealthy supporters who called themselves the Louisville sponsoring group， or syndicate21）. After working briefly with light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore22）， Mr. Ali joined forces with trainer Angelo Dundee23）， whom he had met several years earlier. Dundee took Mr. Ali to Miami Beach， Fla.， to train at the fabled Fifth Street Gym on a then-run-down street corner.

In the ring， Mr. Ali had an unconventional， almost casual style， lightly bouncing on his feet while keeping his hands low at his sides. Some sportswriters considered it an almost suicidal approach， but Dundee trusted in Mr. Alis foot speed and quick reflexes， which enabled him to evade punches.

Because of his unusual stance and constant movement， Mr. Alis punches arrived from unexpected angles， carrying devastating power. As other fighters hunkered24） in the center of the ring， with their fists doubled in front of their faces， Mr. Ali danced around them， seemingly at play.

Before retiring in 1981 with a record of 56-5， he was already showing signs of slurred speech and general sluggishness， which only grew worse with time. His condition25） was initially called Parkinsons syndrome， which many thought—correctly or not—was caused or exacerbated26） by the thousands of punches he absorbed throughout his career.

Judged purely for his boxing skills， Mr. Ali ranks among the greatest heavyweights ever， alongside Joe Louis， Jack Johnson， Jack Dempsey and Rocky Marciano27）. But he possessed a quality that reached beyond his accomplishments in the ring to make him recognized by millions the world over.

Even in his diminished physical state， Mr. Ali was admired not just as a supreme athlete but as a hero， as a symbol of understanding and hope. Presidents sometimes called on him to make diplomatic visits abroad， and in 1990 he helped return several U.S. hostages held in Iraq. President Obama said in a statement that he keeps a photograph of Mr. Ali and a pair of his boxing gloves in his private study at the White House.

A 1996 documentary about Mr. Alis 1974 battle with George Foreman28）， When We Were Kings， won an Academy Award for best documentary. A Hollywood feature film about his life， starring Will Smith， was released in 2001. His name was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Mr. Ali issued a plea for peace after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11， 2001. He continued to travel and make public appearances， often for charity， until shortly before his death. Even in the presence of presidents， popes and other world leaders， Mr. Ali was always the most famous person in the room. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom， the nations highest civilian honor， by President George W. Bush in 2005.

Mr. Ali often visited prisons and hospitals and， throughout his life， used simple sleight-of-hand29） tricks to connect with children and adults all over the globe， until his deteriorating physical condition led him to curtail his public appearances.

From a boxing ring in Manila to villages in Zaire to the Olympic Games in Atlanta， he had a radiant presence that seemed more in keeping with that of an international religious leader than a retired athlete. More than almost any other figure of his age， Mr. Ali was recognized and honored as a citizen of the world.

“Look at all those lights on all those houses，” Mr. Ali told Esquire30） magazine writer Bob Greene in 1983， while flying into Washingtons National Airport. “Do you know I could walk up to any one of these houses， and knock on the door， and they would know me？

“Its a funny feeling to look down on the world and know that every person knows me.”

極富魅力的三次世界重量級(jí)拳擊冠軍得主穆罕默德·阿里于6月3日在其居住的亞利桑那州斯科茨代爾市的一家醫(yī)院去世，享年74歲。他曾自稱是“最偉大的拳擊手”，并用拳頭、人格力量和迷人的魅力證明了這一點(diǎn)。他超越了體育界，成為20世紀(jì)60年代反戰(zhàn)運(yùn)動(dòng)的象征，成為跨文化理解的全球大使。

20世紀(jì)六七十年代，阿里稱霸拳壇，并三次獲得重量級(jí)拳擊冠軍。他的比賽是史上最讓人印象深刻、最令人嘆為觀止的比賽。不過，他很快也因?yàn)槎嗖实娜烁窈腿瓝魣?chǎng)上吸引眼球的搞怪動(dòng)作而為人們所熟知。

1964年，他出人意料地?fù)魯×肆钊寺勶L(fēng)喪膽的索尼·利斯頓，成為重量級(jí)拳擊冠軍。阿里開始成為新一類運(yùn)動(dòng)員的代表，他敢于挑戰(zhàn)過去的傳統(tǒng)，創(chuàng)立了自己的風(fēng)格。他善于言辭、儀表堂堂、不按常理出牌，完美契合上電視節(jié)目的需要，因此他既是體育節(jié)目的?？停步?jīng)常亮相于脫口秀節(jié)目。

阿里的助理之一、外號(hào)“邦迪尼”的德魯·布朗捕捉到了阿里在場(chǎng)上輕盈、優(yōu)雅的姿態(tài)，說他“輕盈如蝶舞，出拳如蜂蜇”。這句話已進(jìn)入了日常用語。

無論對(duì)于哪個(gè)種族、哪個(gè)宗教、哪個(gè)背景的人來說，阿里都有著強(qiáng)烈的吸引力。不過在動(dòng)蕩分裂的20世紀(jì)60年代，他尤其被視為非裔美國(guó)人以及年輕人的英雄。

1967年，阿里拒絕在越南戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)期間應(yīng)召入伍，那時(shí)他成為重量級(jí)拳擊冠軍已有三年。盡管拳擊手提倡非暴力看起來有些矛盾，但為了遵從反戰(zhàn)主義的原則，他放棄了冠軍稱號(hào)。

“他們憑什么要我穿上軍裝，到離家一萬英里的地方，向越南棕色皮膚的人們投擲炸彈、射出子彈？”阿里在那年說道，“而與此同時(shí)，路易斯維爾那些所謂的黑人還被當(dāng)做狗一樣對(duì)待，連基本的人權(quán)都沒有?！?/p>

對(duì)于阿里拒服兵役的決定，馬丁·路德·金牧師表示支持，并稱之為“有勇氣的壯舉”。

阿里立即被取消了重量級(jí)冠軍的稱號(hào)，并在三年多的時(shí)間內(nèi)被禁止參加拳擊比賽。他還被判了五年監(jiān)禁，但1971年，美國(guó)最高法院一致表決推翻了對(duì)阿里的定罪。

阿里的決定激怒了保守派，其中包括許多體育新聞?dòng)浾吆兔绹?guó)的中產(chǎn)階級(jí)，他們認(rèn)為這位拳擊手驕傲自大、缺乏愛國(guó)心。但20世紀(jì)60年代末期，隨著青年文化和美國(guó)黑人文化的蓬勃興起，阿里憑借自己純粹的魅力和道德目的感，逐漸轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)樗莻€(gè)時(shí)代最受人敬重的人物之一。

他曾在1966年的一次非正式聲明中說：“我和那些越共的人之間又沒有仇?！边@句話概括出了一代人的反戰(zhàn)心聲。

托馬斯·豪澤是1991年阿里口述傳記《穆罕默德·阿里的一生》的作者。作家杰克·紐菲爾德曾對(duì)他說：“阿里、羅伯特·肯尼迪以及披頭士樂隊(duì)的約翰·列儂完美刻畫出了20世紀(jì)60年代人們的特點(diǎn)。”紐菲爾德補(bǔ)充道：“在急速動(dòng)蕩的年代，阿里個(gè)人經(jīng)受了巨大的改變，他不僅反映了他的時(shí)代，更影響了他的時(shí)代?！?/p>

后來，阿里結(jié)束了他的拳擊生涯，又因神經(jīng)方面的病癥漸漸變得行動(dòng)遲緩、沉默寡言，他成了團(tuán)結(jié)一致和手足情誼的象征。只要他一出現(xiàn)，他的出場(chǎng)和形象就有了一種精神光環(huán)。每當(dāng)他去世界各地訪問，他都會(huì)受到數(shù)千人的歡迎。豪澤在書中寫道，他“從一名令人畏懼的勇士逐漸變成一位與人為善的君主，并最終成為一個(gè)善良可敬的人物”。

1996年亞特蘭大夏季奧運(yùn)會(huì)的開幕式上，阿里站上了點(diǎn)火臺(tái)，這一幕成了奧林匹克歷史上最難忘的瞬間之一。在觀看直播的約30億觀眾的注視下，阿里顫抖著舉起火炬，點(diǎn)燃了奧運(yùn)圣火，宣告奧運(yùn)會(huì)正式開幕。他獨(dú)自站在全世界面前，雖然虛弱，卻仍是不可戰(zhàn)勝的英雄。

1942年1月17日，原名為小卡修斯·馬塞勒斯·克萊的阿里出生于路易斯維爾，父親是廣告牌畫工，母親是家政服務(wù)人員。阿里小時(shí)候很少做運(yùn)動(dòng)，但在12歲時(shí)，為了報(bào)復(fù)盜竊他自行車的小偷，他開始學(xué)習(xí)拳擊，并很快就迷上了這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)。到1960年高中畢業(yè)時(shí)，他已經(jīng)數(shù)次贏得全國(guó)業(yè)余拳擊賽冠軍。

那年，阿里參加了羅馬夏季奧運(yùn)會(huì)，并打敗了一位曾三次獲得歐洲賽冠軍的波蘭選手，奪得輕重量級(jí)組金牌。那時(shí)的他只有18歲。

之后，阿里成為一名職業(yè)拳擊手，并與12位富有的支持者簽訂了合約。這些人自稱路易斯維爾贊助組或辛迪加。在與輕重量級(jí)冠軍阿奇·穆爾短暫合作后，阿里加入到幾年前曾謀面的安吉洛·鄧迪教練的隊(duì)伍中。鄧迪把阿里帶到了佛羅里達(dá)州的邁阿密灘市，在傳奇的第五大街拳館訓(xùn)練。拳館就位于街角，那條街道當(dāng)時(shí)還十分破敗。

拳擊場(chǎng)上，阿里的非傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)格幾乎稱得上隨意，他雙手低垂在身體兩側(cè)，同時(shí)輕盈地跳躍。一些體育新聞?dòng)浾哒J(rèn)為這種打法近乎自殺，但鄧迪相信，阿里的腳步速度和快速的反應(yīng)能力足以讓他躲過拳頭。

阿里的姿勢(shì)不同尋常，步伐不斷移動(dòng)，因此出拳的角度出其不意，力量驚人。別的拳擊手蹲在場(chǎng)中央，雙拳護(hù)于面前，此時(shí)的阿里卻圍著他們跳來跳去，像在做游戲。

1981年退役前，阿里創(chuàng)造的最高紀(jì)錄是56勝5負(fù)。那時(shí)他已表現(xiàn)出口齒不清、整體上呆滯的跡象，而且這些癥狀日益嚴(yán)重。他的病最初被稱作帕金森綜合征，雖然不知這種說法是否正確，但很多人認(rèn)為這是他職業(yè)生涯中挨的數(shù)千次拳頭造成的，也有人說這些拳頭加重了他的病情。

單純就拳擊技巧而言，阿里在史上最偉大的重量級(jí)拳王中占有一席之地，此外還有喬·路易斯、杰克·約翰遜、杰克·登普西以及洛基·馬西亞諾。但阿里擁有超出其賽場(chǎng)成就的品質(zhì)，并因此為全世界范圍內(nèi)的數(shù)百萬人所熟知。

即使身體狀況每況愈下，阿里依然受人敬仰，在人們心中，他不只是最杰出的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，更是英雄，是理解和希望的象征。總統(tǒng)們有時(shí)也會(huì)給他打電話，要他到國(guó)外進(jìn)行外交訪問。1990年，他協(xié)助解救了幾名困于伊拉克的美國(guó)人質(zhì)。奧巴馬總統(tǒng)曾在一次聲明中提到，他在白宮的私人書房里保留了一張阿里先生的照片以及他的一副拳擊手套。

1996年紀(jì)錄片《一代拳王》講述的是1974年阿里與喬治·福爾曼之間的較量，該片獲得了奧斯卡最佳紀(jì)錄片獎(jiǎng)。還有一部描述阿里生平的好萊塢故事片于2001年發(fā)行，該片由威爾·史密斯主演。1990年，阿里入選國(guó)際拳擊名人堂。

2001年“9·11”恐怖襲擊后，阿里發(fā)起和平倡議。直到去世前不久，他都在四處奔波，公開露面，大都是為了慈善事業(yè)。甚至在總統(tǒng)、教皇和其他世界領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者面前，阿里都一直是在場(chǎng)最著名的人物。他曾于2005年被喬治·W·布什總統(tǒng)授予總統(tǒng)自由勛章，這是美國(guó)給予平民的最高榮譽(yù)。

阿里一生常去監(jiān)獄和醫(yī)院探訪，用一些簡(jiǎn)單、敏捷的戲法與全球的大人、孩子進(jìn)行交流，直至因日益惡化的身體狀況而不得不減少公開露面的次數(shù)。

不管是馬尼拉的拳擊場(chǎng)，還是扎伊爾的村莊，或是亞特蘭大奧運(yùn)會(huì)，無論在哪里，阿里都光芒四射，更像是國(guó)際宗教領(lǐng)袖而不是退役運(yùn)動(dòng)員。與同時(shí)代的幾乎任何人相比，阿里都更為人們認(rèn)可，被尊為世界公民。

“看那些房子上的燈光，”阿里于1983年在飛往華盛頓國(guó)家機(jī)場(chǎng)的途中對(duì)《風(fēng)尚》雜志的撰稿人鮑勃·格林說道，“你知道嗎？我可以徑直走向其中任何一棟房子，然后敲開門，里面的人都認(rèn)識(shí)我?！?/p>

“俯瞰世界，知道每個(gè)人都認(rèn)識(shí)我，這真是件有趣的事?！?/p>

1.antics [??nt?ks] n. [復(fù)] （旨在嘩眾取寵的）滑稽動(dòng)作；奇怪的行為；古怪的姿勢(shì)

2.upset [??pset] n. （比賽、競(jìng)爭(zhēng)等中的）意外擊?。灰馔饨Y(jié)果

3.formidable [?f??（r）m?d?b（?）l] adj. 令人望而生畏的

4.Sonny Liston：索尼·利斯頓（1932～1970），世界知名重量級(jí)職業(yè)拳擊手，外號(hào)“魔王”。

5.glib [ɡl?b] adj. 能說會(huì)道的

6.fixture [?f?kst??（r）] n. （某處的）?？?/p>

7.capture [?k?pt??（r）] vt. （用畫面、音樂、文字等）捕捉住（氣氛、特點(diǎn)等）；成功地描述

8.lithe [la??] adj. 柔軟的，易彎曲的

9.vernacular [v?（r）?n?kj?l?（r）] n. 本國(guó)語；日常用語

10.induct [?n?d?kt] vt.〈美〉征召……入伍

11.in deference to：遵從；有鑒于，考慮到

12.Louisville：路易斯維爾，美國(guó)肯塔基州中北部城市，位于俄亥俄河畔，是穆罕默德·阿里的出生地。

13.conscientious objector：（出于道德或宗教上的原因而）拒服兵役者

14.old guard：（某一事業(yè)的）保守派

15.to the fore：（突然）處于顯著地位

16.Viet Cong：越共（越南戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)時(shí)南越民族解放陣線及其游擊隊(duì)的非正式名稱）

17.Robert Kennedy：羅伯特·肯尼迪（1925～1968），第35任美國(guó)總統(tǒng)約翰·肯尼迪的弟弟，曾任美國(guó)司法部長(zhǎng)和紐約州參議員，是著名的反對(duì)越戰(zhàn)的民主黨人。

18.indelible [?n?del?b（?）l] adj. （記憶、印象等）不可磨滅的；難忘的

19.indomitable [?n?d?m?t?b（?）l] adj. 堅(jiān)韌不拔的；不氣餒的

20.enamored [??n?m?（r）d] adj. 迷戀的

21.syndicate [?s?nd?k?t] n. [經(jīng)]辛迪加；企業(yè)聯(lián)合組織

22.Archie Moore：阿奇·穆爾（1916～1998），美國(guó)著名輕重量級(jí)職業(yè)拳擊手

23.Angelo Dundee：安吉洛·鄧迪（1921～2012），美國(guó)拳壇的傳奇教練，共培養(yǎng)出15位世界冠軍拳擊手。

24.hunker [?h??k?（r）] vi. 蹲

25.condition [k?n?d??（?）n] n. 疾病

26.exacerbate [?ɡ?z?s?（r）be?t] vt. 使惡化；使加劇

27.四人皆為美國(guó)著名職業(yè)拳擊手，都曾獲得世界重量級(jí)拳王稱號(hào)。

28.George Foreman：?jiǎn)讨巍じ柭?949～），美國(guó)著名職業(yè)拳擊手，曾獲世界重量級(jí)拳擊冠軍。

29.sleight-of-hand：敏捷而熟練的手法

30.Esquire：《風(fēng)尚》月刊，美國(guó)一本供男性閱讀、文風(fēng)精致、格調(diào)高雅的大開本雜志，創(chuàng)辦于1933年。