I Shook up the World — In Remembrance of “The Greatest.”

The fighter stands in the center of the ring, he’s young and handsome, his body trained for the fight. He shakes his fists frantically, as the words cascade out of his mouth bold and bright — “I shook up the world, I shook up the world!”

Ali, after defeating Sonny Liston to become World Heavyweight Champion — AP Images

This is my first memory of Muhammad Ali. Although I was too young to watch his fights as they happened, my Father like many others, introduced me to the man who would come to simply be known as “The Greatest.”

I remember watching Ali’s fights on ESPN Classic with my two older brothers. My Dad would serve as our narrator, giving us the context of what we were watching Ali do in the ring.

It seemed then, much like it does now, that Muhammad Ali was more than just a man. More than a boxer. He was a mythical hero, a legendary figure that moved and inspired everyone who knew of him.

And that he was. As many have already pointed out, and will continue to in the days and weeks to come, Ali’s greatness was not just because of what he did in the ring but more so what he was able to accomplish outside of it. As an African-American male, it means so much to me.

Within the context of American history and the time period in which Ali ruled the athletic world, I cannot adequately articulate how necessary he was. Ali is the standard bearer. He — along with several other African American athletic pioneers during this time period — are the reason we get to have Jordan, Tiger, Griffey Jr., and Lebron.

Ali along with Bill Russel, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul Jabar — June 1967 (AP Images)

Throughout the years, I've often gone back to watch Ali’s greatest work. The majority of it is outside of the ring; speeches and interviews especially. To me, that says so much about the kind of man he was. We live in a very different world now. Most of us, our athletic heroes included, are not overtly subjected to the types injustices that Ali faced on a daily basis. As I watch those clips, I’ve always wondered what things would be like if guys like Ali hadn’t been there to speak up and take the stands that they did? In today’s ultra “me first” culture, it’s hard to comprehend how someone was willing to sacrifice everything they’d worked for and EARNED because their convictions for justice were too great.

Last night Muhammad Ali physically left us all for good. But he’s not gone. His message still reverberates loud and clear because Ali shook up the world, and boy did he shake it.