That was my mistake; this was Muhammad Ali. He was called the Greatest and he was, but he was also the smartest." Ali no longer had the foot speed or the elusiveness to dance away from Foreman like he did against Sonny Liston a decade earlier. Instead he figured out the 'rope-a-dope' strategy whereby he just leaned back against the ropes as far as he could and covered his face and his body as best he could with his arms.

Foreman waded in and kept on throwing crunching shots that would have felled an ox. Ali somehow absorbed that punishment till Foreman was so tired that he could hardly lift his arms. Ali then came on strong and floored Foreman in the eighth round. It was the most remarkable upset of Ali's career. "It was my honour to get beaten by that man," said Foreman. "I hated him at the time because I couldn't understand. But we grew to love each other. I love him like a brother".

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A thinking man
His quality as a thinking man came to the fore at the age of 35 when he was asked at a function in the UK what he would do when he retired. His paraphrased response: "What I say is going to make you guys think. Life is short; in 30 years I'll be 65. In those 30 years if I add up the years of time I spend on sleeping, travelling, entertainment and such like, I figure I will have about 16 years to be productive. What am I going in those 16 years? I'm gonna get ready to meet God.

I want to do all I can to help people. God is watching me. I want to dedicate my life to using my name and popularity to help charities, unite people, bring peace in the world so that when I die, if there is a heaven I want to see it." One of his quotes will resonate with many. "The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth".

Michael Ferreira is a former world billiards champion