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One moment that shows how absurdly skilled Muhammad Ali was

Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali.
Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

In his career as perhaps the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, who died at 74 last night, had many incredible moments. One of those came in a fight against Michael Dokes, when Ali, pinned in a corner, managed this incredible feat:

This is the kind of sheer athletic prowess that made Ali so well-known: He didn’t have a particularly strong punch in the ring, but his ability to dance through his opponent’s attacks was mind-boggling. (It’s how he coined the phrase, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”) And the little shake at the end, blatantly taunting his opponent, also shows Ali’s penchant for making his performance into a big show.

There are many other great moments of Ali in the ring, so it’s hard to say if this was really his best moment. But it certainly was an incredible sight.


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