Muhammad Ali, one day in 1981, was walking near a large scene. A man was on a ledge threatening to jump, yelling “I’m no good! I’m going to jump! The Viet Cong are coming at me!” Ali went to a nearby window and helped by talking to the man. It was a tense conversation, but one that ended in Ali successfully talking the man down from the ledge, succeeding when police and psychologists on the scene could not.
Above is the video, a clip from CBS News. Ali even told reporters, upon the man being taken to a psychiatric ward, that he would visit the man there later in the week. The video encapsulates the legend of Muhammad Ali, a man who cared and who sensed a bigger purpose, helping wherever he could. It’s a video that reminds us of that calling Muhammad Ali “The Greatest” sometimes goes even beyond his boxing.