Our house was just a mile up the road from Ali's camp in Deer Lake when my brother and I were kids, so sometimes our mom and dad or uncles would take us to watch him train. He was always extremely gracious and gentle (which you might not expect from his boisterous TV clips), and of course, very funny. That the reigning heavyweight champ would kid around with a couple hayseeds like us and let us take photos with him will stick with me. He was an amazing and complex individual.
The Times ran a great piece today. Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/sports/muhammad-ali-dies.html