e talked about leaving the stadium in Kinshasa as the dawn was beginning to break. Hundreds of fans were still in the stands and the ring had all these people in it, squaring off and acting out how Foreman had gone down...Invariably fighters arrive at the arenas in the last afternoon or in the early evening leaving daylight, and after the night's activity they come into darkness. In the car Ali kept remarking on it. It seemed so symbolically appropriate that on this occasion he should be coming out of darkness into light. Photograph by Tony Triolo Text by George Plimpton In 1974, Muhammad Ali regained the heavyweight title after being suspended from competition for more than two years for being a consciencious objector to the Vietnam War. He finally retired in 1981, after more than 10 title defenses, with a career record of 56 wins, 5 losses, and 37 KOs. In 1994, Sports Illustrated named him the most influential sports figure of the last 40 years. At 54, Ali is afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, but he made an appearance at the 1996 Olympic Games to light the torch at Opening Ceremonies.
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