Cheaters Never Win

Fight the good fight of faith... 1 Timothy 6:12

One of the pictures hanging on the wall in my office is of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston after having knocked him out in the first round of their second heavyweight title bout in Lewiston, Maine in May 1965. I wasn't even born when the fight occurred. But the picture reminds me of something I try not to forget.

For as long as I can remember, Muhammad Ali has been one of my heroes. I inherited my affection of Ali from my Father. My Dad absolutely loved Muhammad Ali. Pop not only loved his skills in the ring, but his humanity outside of it. During his college days, my Father was a baggage handler at New York's Kennedy Airport. One afternoon, he helped Muhammad Ali and his entourage with their luggage. Ali gave my Dad a $100 tip, (back in the 1950s), and he never forgot his act of kindness. I did some research and discovered that $100 in 1950 had purchasing power of $1000 today! That act of generosity made a huge impact on my Dad, and on me. As time went on, I became a student of the man--and my affection has now ripened to admiration. Of all the outstanding attributes that Ali possessed, one stands out vividly in my mind, which is why the picture of that fight hangs in my office.

In 1964, Ali had defeated Liston to win the Heavyweight Title at the age of 22. At the time, no one knew who Ali was. Liston was considered the biggest and baddest fighter of his day. Most of his fights only lasted one round, and he inflicted serious, life threatening damage to the people who challenged him. Most people assumed that Ali would be murdered in the ring.

Liston also had an advantage that most people didn't know. Liston was a cheater. During the fourth round of their first fight, Ali began complaining that he could not see. Between rounds, his trainer Angelo Dundee noticed that a strange substance was in his eyes. It was some kind of poison. Dundee deduced that once Liston realized that he could not beat his young challenger, he decided to cheat. Whatever they put on his gloves, it caused Ali's eyes to burn and he wanted to quit.

Dundee told Ali not quit, but to dance until he could see again. For almost two rounds, Ali could not see. When he finally regained his vision, Ali almost knocked Liston out. In the seventh round, Liston remained in his corner, and Ali won. However, many people thought Ali's victory was a fluke. So the next year they had a rematch, and Ali knocked him out in the first round.

The photo taken by Neil Leifer of Ali looking at Liston after he knocked him out is the one that hangs on my office wall. I don't know what Ali said to Liston, if anything. But it looks like he's saying, "I know you're a cheater, but I won anyway.” Or he may have said “I would have knocked you out last time, but you cheated.” I don’t know what he said to him. But it looks like he said something. But even if he didn’t say anything, seeing Ali tower over the crumpled figure of Liston is a constant reminder to me of the superiority of virtue. Cheaters never win.

That picture also reminds me that in the battles of life, our adversaries don't always fight fair. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays wrote that:

If you are ignorant, the world is going to cheat you.

If you are weak, the world is going to kick you

If you are a coward, the world is going to keep you running

Some of us are in battles right now, and our opposition is not fighting fair. But just because the opposition may be cheating doesn't mean you have to. Paul reminds us not only to fight, but to fight a good fight.

How you fight is just as important as fighting itself. Ali was so good that even a cheater couldn't beat him.

And you can be too.

Expect the world to cheat.

But keep your gloves on and keep fighting.