The athlete I looked up to the most, though, was Muhammad Ali, who fought his last fight in the boxing ring some three years before I was even born. I was drawn to his outspokenness and audacity as much as I was to his ability to back up his words. I could understand from a pretty young age that he stood for more than just being a famous boxer, that he fit the contours of greatness through a boldness of spirit. Mostly, I loved that he was this larger-than-life figure who understood sports psychology better than anyone. He told you exactly what he was going to do and then did it. He won people
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