ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607220079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: Associated Press
THE CHOICE of Muhammad Ali brings strong reaction - most of it positive - from Olympic fans and boxers alike.
As boxers bobbed and weaved Saturday, teammates and fans cheering them in dozens of languages also saluted the surprise choice of Muhammad Ali to light the Olympic flame.
``It was a great moment,'' said French boxer Jean-Louis Mandengue. ``When you get a gold medal. you're a champion for life.''
And yet Ali is not just an athlete, Mandengue said.
``As a boxer, as a man, as a black man, as a showman - he's a hero,'' said the young light heavyweight.
Ali, born Cassius Clay, won the light heavyweight gold medal in 1960 and turned pro, winning the world heavyweight title three times. He put on a show in the ring and out, issuing taunts to opponents in singsong rhyme and describing his boxing style aptly: ``Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.''
His name change after a conversion to Islam, and especially his refusal to enter the Vietnam War draft in 1967, made him controversial in the United States. The draft decision, made when he was the undefeated champion, exiled him from the ring for years.
``I've never liked him - he's a draft dodger,'' said Allen Farmer, a 44-year-old former Marine and Vietnam veteran, who was at Alexander Memorial Coliseum to root for U.S. boxers.
He added: ``I'm not taking anything away from him as an athlete.''
Others recall another Ali: the one who traveled the world, promoting Muslim principles and meeting with kings and heads of state.
``They say I'm the world's most recognizable man,'' Ali recently was quoted as saying. ``Well, God did that for a reason, man, to help me preach his word.''
``Muhammad Ali is one for the whole world,'' said Alex Babyev, coach of the Kazakhstan boxing team. ``I live in the former Soviet Union, but I've met him
The choice of Ali was an emotional one.
``It was sad. He was shaking. I got ill when I saw him,'' said Swedish boxer Roger Petterson, who nonetheless called Ali the right choice. The former champion suffers from Parkinson's syndrome, which caused his left arm to shake as he lit the flame with his right.
``I was surprised that I got so choked up,'' said fan Alex Eggleston of Rochester, N.Y.
``I was mesmerized,'' said Fernando Vargas, a U.S. boxer who could not attend the late-night opening ceremony because he was due to fight Saturday, but watched on television. ``Who isn't he an idol of?''
The choice of the person to light the stadium cauldron was kept secret until Ali emerged from darkness to take the torch from U.S. swimmer Janet Evans. She had received it from former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and a Greek athlete, Voula Patoulidou, who carried it together.
``I think it's a tribute to the sport,'' said Jerry Dusenberry, president of USA Boxing, the sport's amateur governing body here.
Hank Johnson, a 50-year-old Atlanta fan, agreed, noting that many consider Ali to be the top fighter of all time. ``We need another Ali,'' he said.
Fabricio Nievas, an Argentine lightweight, echoing the name Ali gave himself back when he was only a boxer, said: ``It was the best choice - because he's the greatest.''
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Former world and Olympic champion Muhammad Aliby CNBlights the flame Friday night during the opening ceremonies as U.S.
Olympic swimmer Janet Evans watches.