Ziyokufa izinsizwa kuyosala izibongo
UMuhammad Ali, umanuphulana ontinyelisa okwenyosi antante njengovemvane odlule ezandleni zomqeqeshi u-Angelo Dundee, akaphumule ngokuthula
NGOKUJWAYELE-KILE uma kwedlule emhlabeni inhloko noma insika yekhaya kumbe isikhulu esisemkhakheni othize siba sikhulu isililo. Lokhu kudalwa yizinto eziningi okubalwa kuzo ukuphenduka kwezingane izintandane, ukuphenduka kukamama umfelokazi, ukulala kwekati eziko, ukuhamba kwekhanda ebelihlale liqhamuka namasu aphusile nokunye.
Nakuba kunalezi zizathu kodwa ngolunye udaba uma ukhuluma nezinkakha zomdlalo wezamankomane ngokushona kukaMuhammad “The Greatest” Ali (74) wase-United States of America. Zithi ukwedlula emhlabeni kwaleli qhawe zikufanisa nokuphela komlando othile wezamankomane.
U-Ali owazalwa mhla zili-17 kuZibandlela ngowe-1942 wase ethiwa igama elithi Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr wedlule emhlabeni ngoLwesihlanu olwedlule ngemuva kokuxinwa isikhathi eside isifo esaziwa ngeParkinson. Uzofihlwa namuhla ngoLwesihlanu eKFC Yum Centre, eLouisville lapho azalelwa khona.
Izinkakha zalo mdlalo, leli qhawe zilifanisa nakho konke okudingwa umuntu emhlabeni. Zithi ubengusomankomane, eyisigayigayi esilwela amalungelo abantu, usomnotho, usopolitiki futhi egabe ngesitayela.
Ziqhuba zithi ukushona kwalo kuluvuse lwama ngezinyawo udumo lo mdlalo wesibhakela lwangeminyaka yama-60, yama- 70 nama-80 olwalufike naye.
U-Ali uqale ukukhombisa uthando lwesibhakela eneminyaka eli-12. Ngaphansi kwesibhakela esingakhokhelwa asiqale ngowe-1954. Wanqoba isicoco seKentucky Glolden Gloves amahlandla ayisi-6 nezimbili zikazwelonke zalesi sicoco, nese-Amateur Athletic Union. Ngowe-1960 unqobele i-USA indondo yegolide ngaphansi kweHeavyweight kuma-Olympics ayeseRome.
Isibhakela esikhokhelayo usiqale mhla zingama-29 kuMfumfu ngowe-1960. Empini yalesi silomo yokuqala sashaya uTunney Hunsaker empini eyayimizuliswano eyisi-6. Ngemuva kwale mpi asiphindanga sabheka umuva njengoba sikwaze ukuphatha amabhande afana neWorld Boxing Council (WBA), World Boxing Association (WBA) esisindo seHeavyweight.
Uma kukhulunywa ngalo somankomane kunezimpi ezine ezingasoze zalibaleka. Lapha sibala eyaziwa ngeFight of the Century ayilwa noJoe “Smokin” Frazier mhla ziyisi-8 kuNdasa ngowe-1971 eMadison Square Garden, eNew York, kubangwa ibhande leWBC neleWBA World Heavyweight. Kulena washaywa ngamaphuzu emzuliswaneni we-15, u-Ali.
Eyesibili ayilwa naye uFrazier mhla zingama-28 kuMasingana ngowezi-1974 endaweni efanayo neyaziwa ngeSuper Fight II. Lapha wanqoba kanti kwakubangwa ibhande leNorth American Boxing Federation, khona kuHeavyweight.
Eyesithathu ayilwa naye uFrazier yaziwa nge‘Thrilla in Manila’. Yalwelwa eColosseum, eCuba, eQuezon City, ePhilippines mhla lulunye kuMfumfu ngowe-1975. Kule mpi okwakubangwa kuyo sona isicoco seWBC neseWBA World Heavyweight. U-Ali wanqoba ngomngqimuzo womlalisa phansi.
Eyokugcina ngayilwela e-20th of May Stadium (Stade Tata Raphael) eZaire, eseyaziwa ngeDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mhla zingama-30 kuMfumfu ngowe-1974. Nakulena wanqoba futhi.
Okuqaphelekayo ngo-Ali kuzona zonke izimpi azilwa kwaba wukuqhamuka nezindlela ezintsha zokulwa ezazikhanga amehlo, nokumaketha izimpi zakhe ngokukhuluma ngaphambi kwempi.
Uma kukhulunywa ngamatemu afana nelithi ‘Rope a Dope’ okuwukubamba izintambo zeringi avike ngekhanda nelithi-Ali ‘Shuffle’ lokugxumagxuma uma elwa kusuke kukhulunywa ngo-Ali.
U-Elijah ‘Tap Tap’ Makhathini wazalwa kanye no-Ali ngowe-1942 futhi ongumunye wosomankomane abadala ababehlonishwa. Nakuba babelingana naleli qhawe kodwa akanamahloni okuveza ukuthi izitayela zokulwa eziningi wazifunda ku-Ali. Uqhuba uthi ukube wayengekho u-Ali ngabe akazinqobanga izicoco ezifana neseMiddleweight saseNatal, South African Black nese-Old Buck kuMiddleweight.
UThulani Magudulela weLudonga Boxing Promotions uthe u-Ali uyisibonelo sokuthi impumelelo iyalwelwa, kayizi kalula. Uthi leli qhawe laqale laphekwa kanzima esigabeni sabangakhokhelwa. Uthi yikho kanye lokhu okwenza izinto zaba lula uma selilwa kwesikhokhelayo. Uthi akufundile ku-Ali wukuthi imali ayiyona yonke into.
“Kuyavela ukuthi u-Ali waba ayikhona kungenxa yosizo lwabazali bakhe. Uma abazali bengazeseka izingane kwezemidlalo angingabazi zingafana nabantu abanjengo-Ali,” kubeka uMagudulela. Ube esethi bafanisa izinto ezingafani abathi uFloyd “Money” Mayweather ubewu-Ali omncane. Uthi uMayweather ubeka phambili inkece.
ULoyiso Mtya oqeqesha uZolani Tete nowake waba yiChief Operations Officer kuBoxing South Africa (BSA) uthe: “Noma u-Ali esewagaxe emshayweni amagilavu kodwa waqhubeka nokusebenzela umphakathi. Ngizomkhumbula ngesibindi sakhe ngowe-1966 enqaba ukungena embuthweni wezokuvikela wase-USA ngoba ayeyisola ngokugxambukela ezindabeni zaseVietnam.Wancamela ukuboshwa.
“Nizomkhumbula ngokushintsha igama aqanjwa lona ezalwa ngoba ekholelwa ekutheni liyinsila yobandlululo. Nizomkhumbula ngowe-1991 enikela e-Iraq ukuyoncenga uSaddam Hussein ukukhulula izakhamuzi zase-USA ngesikhathi seGulf War. Angimangalanga ngowezi-2002 igama lakhe lifakwa kuHollywood Hall of Fame, bekumfanele,” kuphetha uLoyiso.
UZola Koti wodumo lokuqeqesha uMzonke “The Rose of Khayelitsha” Fana uthi u-Ali wanika isibindi osomankomane abaningi abamnyama bokulwa nabelungu eringini nasemikhakheni eyahlukene yempilo. Uthi ukhumbula ngowe-1963 ezolwa nosomankomane womlungu elalithandwa kakhulu uHenry “Our Henry” Cooper wase-United Kingdom.
Uthi kwakunovalo kwabaningi besaba abelungu. UKoti uthi ngaphambi kwempi u-Ali wamangaza abaningi ememezela ukuthi ngeke ashaywe umlungu yena ungumuntu ompisholo.
Uthi ngempela naseringini waziwinela kalula. “Inkulu nendima ayilimile ezwenikazi lase-Afrika ekubuyiseni ukuzethemba kwabamnyama ngesikhathi ezolwa kuRumble in the Jungle, eZaire. Njengoba wayesanda kuphuma ejele abaningi babelindele ukuthi uzokwesaba ukugxeka ukuhlukunyezwa kwabamnyama. Wamangaza ezojimela eZaire ese-Afrika okuyizwekazi ngaleziya zikhathi elalisatshwa. Wayevakashela abantu ezindaweni zabo, ebanika ithemba lokuthi umuntu omnyama uyobusa ngelinye ilanga,” kubeka uKoti.
Phakathi kwezikhulu okulindelwe zihambele umngcwabo ka-Ali kubalwa uRecep Tayyip Erdogan onguMengameli waseTurkey, uKing Abdullah waseJordan, uBill Clinton owayenguMengameli wase-USA nabanye abaningi.
