By Britt Nelson

The brightest light in sports history went out late Friday night as boxing legend Muhammad Ali died in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 74. The whole world woke up Saturday morning to learn of his passing and mourn.

Today’s political arena of Trump, Clinton and Sanders does not hold a candle to Ali, who was the most political sports figure of all time. Back in the 1960s nobody topped Ali. He could talk and rhyme his words as he talked and brag on himself endlessly, but he backed it all up. He was hated by establishment politicians during the 1960s but Ali was accepted and embraced by everyday people worldwide. He created a circus atmosphere everywhere he went and stole the limelight away from world and national leaders for decades.

A man for his time, Ali fit right in during the 1960s and he helped the nation adjust to law-mandated integration and the beginning of the end of a racially segregated United States of America. He was as much a part of the Civil Rights Movement as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Ali, named Cassius Clay Jr. at birth, converted to the Nation of Islam soon after first winning the world heavyweight boxing title in 1964. He also claimed a new identity – that of Muhammed Ali.

In 1960, at 18 years old, he won a gold medal in boxing during the Rome Olympics and then he turned professional. He started his boxing career at the age of 12 after someone stole his bicycle. Cassius told a local police officer in Louisville, Kentucky, that he wanted to “whoop” the thief. The officer told the young Clay he better first learn to box and he was invited to start learning the sport at the officer’s boxing training camp. The rest is history.

Ali was the first to win the heavyweight boxing title three times. Books have been written about his life. Movies and documentaries have been made chronicling his amazing life story.

In 1967, Ali’s Islamic beliefs led him to refuse to serve in the U.S. Army and fight in the Vietnam War. He was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. He was absent from boxing for nearly four years, but in 1971 his conviction for refusing military service was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court and he returned to boxing and again won the heavyweight title.

But always this man had integrity, unending compassion for others and he always paid attention to children everywhere he went throughout the world. He knew the value of freedom, trust, courage and truthfulness.

In one of sport’s greatest moments, Ali lit the Olympic flame beginning the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as his arms and hands shook from Parkinson’s disease that eventually robbed him of his abilities to walk and speak. But love never stopped pouring out from this man’s soul.

In death, Ali has again stolen the spotlight from the politicians and the candidates for president of the United States.

New York billionaire Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could learn a lot from Ali and his endearing messages of love, respect, understanding and acceptance.

Primary voters in California on Tuesday will go to the polls and choose between Democrats Clinton and Sanders. Trump’s opposition all dropped out and he is the Republican nominee for president.

There is hope that some of Ali’s spirit will rub off and guide voters in their decisions.

About the author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.