Final Interviews Of Famous Athletes

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Boxing icon Muhammad Ali never shied away from sharing his thoughts and famously boasted about his achievements, his skill, and even his looks. But his confidence was well-warranted: He is arguably considered the best boxer of all time, winning a full 56 of 61 fights as well as an Olympic gold medal. However, in 1981, "The Greatest," as he called himself, decided to retire and shortly after was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (per CBS Sports).

However, Ali remained involved in sports and was a member of a roundtable discussion with other famous athletes during the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. According to interviewer Jim Gray of Sports Illustrated, the appearance was his final televised interview. Gray noted that even though the roundtable was filled with a number of other great icons, such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, and Michael Phelps, they still seemed in "awe" of Ali. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ali showed some of his trademark joking competitiveness by telling Leonard he better "apologize" if he even "dreams" of another fight. 

Moreover, though Ali was known for his self-focused bravado, some of his last words in the interview were actually to give encouragement to another athlete — none other than Michael Phelps. "I'm the Greatest. You're the latest. It's up to you now," he said. Ali then handed Phelps the Olympic torch, and added, "Go win all those medals."

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9kG1wcnBoZLOqusClZKKmpJq%2Ft7XEsKpmp5Zis6K5zq6qZpmknbmmwMSsZg%3D%3D