I always knew Muhammad Ali for being one of America’s most towering sports figures, and for being one of the most towering sports figures ever in public life, period. But until the video below, I confess I hadn’t been aware of one of the most important things he ever did to earn that status. You can see for yourself after the jump.

Jim Brown is one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, a multi-sport star that dominated in football, baseball, track and lacrosse. He was also notably fearless, never backing down from a challenge. Muhammad Ali included.

Muhammad Ali accomplished more during his career than almost any boxer before or since. He went 56-5, and those last couple losses were a result of hanging on too long at the end of his career. He won Olympic gold. He was heavyweight champion of the world three times over. About the only thing he never did: travel to Mars and become the heavyweight champion of the infinite frontier. But it wasn’t for lack of a plan.

The Miami Marlins kicked off the first regular season game at their new stadium tonight by bringing out one of the titans of the sports world, Muhammad Ali – but it wasn’t exactly the moment Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria might have envisioned. Video after the jump.

The New York Post, citing a report from Star Magazine, reports that Muhammad Ali was rushed to the hospital last month after becoming unconscious at his wife’s home near Phoenix.

Last night, former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier died from liver cancer. On the night of March 8th, 1971, he fought Muhammad Ali in Madison Square Garden, after months of being called ugly and stupid and an Uncle Tom. Round 15 of that fight would be the most important of his career, and his life. Video after the jump.

Here’s a photo we came across on Reddit that shows a young, skinny Cassius Clay in a boxer’s pose.

Gottlieb gets his rebuttal and Mora looks better and better with each passing word.

The understatement for the first quarter of 2010 is that CBS Sports has had an okay start to 2010. First, its broadcast of Super Bowl XLV became the most watched television program in history. Then, it got to recharge the batteries through the month of February while the media world converged upon Vancouver – before [...]