Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest boxer in history. Relying on his unbelievably fast foot speed and unorthodox positioning of his hands, held low while fighting, Ali was an extremely tough fighter to beat. He was given the nickname “The Champ” after, not only dominating his fights but also predicting which round he would win the fight, months before the fight was to be held. One thing that is amazing to watch, is the training sessions that were filmed (and now found on youtube) showing the intensity and dedication put forth by Ali.
He was known for having quick feet and an even quicker mouth, talking trash and making outrageous claims while he fought. Most people would be looked at as cocky or arrogant but for Ali it was different, because he could back it up.
Anyone who knows anything about Kobe Bryant knows that the man is a gym rat. He works out and trains more than any other player in the NBA and it shows. He has been able to maintain a level of consistent play longer than any non-post player in basketball history. Kobe has also been labeled as a trash talker, cocky, ball hog, arrogant, etc. But seriously, down by two with 10 seconds on the clock who would you rather have with the ball in their hands? No one, which is my point exactly.
In this design we did a depiction of Kobe Bryant in the same pose as Muhammad Ali right after his knock out of Sonny Liston in the first minute of the 1965 bout. We have always liked the way Ali talked himself up, only to back it up in the ring, the same way Kobe does while backing it up on the court. Ali was known for the knock out punches that took the life out of his competitor. Kobe is known for his knock out punches that take the life out of entire arenas. It is with that in mind that we give you the “The Champ”.
There has been alot of talk around the office and with friends as to who the player is on the ground. Some have said Lebron James, and others have said Paul Peirce. To be honest with you we did not have any specific player in mind, but we did find it interesting that based on who the viewer likes/dislikes they all saw a different player. Wether you see one player or another it doesn’t really matter, all that matters is that they all are looking up at the same player.