"Muhammad Ali" Documentary By Ken Burns

Above, a visit with President Reagan in the Oval Office in 1983. White House photo.

For the past three nights, I've been watching Ken Burns' Muhammad Ali documentary. It has been an interesting three nights that brings back to life "The Greatest" boxer of all time. 

It has been airing on New Mexico's PBS channel 5.1. 

Tonight is the final chapter of the documentary. I reminds me of the late 1970s when a friend of mine, Frank "Captain Rowdy" Lunney, and many of us at work were following his bout with Leon Spinks and lost. Lunney was a huge fan of Muhammad Ali.

When Spinks defeated Ali, many at work needled Lunney. Ali eventually beat Spinks in a rematch. 

It also brings to mind how revered Ali was in later years. I recall a supervisor of mine going to a Lakers game at the L.A. Forum in Inglewood, California and saw Ali there. He and others greeted him with, "Hey, Champ!" If memory serves, I think the onset of Parkinson's Disease had already affected Ali at the time.

For more on the Ken Burns documentary, go here.