Muhammad Ali Wrote His Own Eulogy And It's Just Perfect

June 4, 2016

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali - one of the world's greatest sporting figures - passed away late Friday evening at the age of 74. The former world heavyweight champion died at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, having been admitted on Thursday.

But you knew there was no way a man like Ali, who built his larger-than-life persona on the back of an incredible gift for gab and the ability to captivate an audience like none other, would go out without some final words of his own.

This is what he wrote in his 2013 autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey.

How I Would Like To Be Remembered

"I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love. And if all that's too much, then I guess I'd settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was."