Exactly. I don't think Ali had his career as the top priority when he protested/spoke-out. And I think his success was ultimately enhanced, not hindered, by his moral positions.
Still ended up being the biggest superstar and highest paid.I am well aware of Ali's career.Frazier and Foreman were the stay in line type while Ali was the activist and Nation of Islam guy and Ail was a bigger superstar and got paid more than both of them.Ail was far more popular and got much bigger purses after he came back from being stripped. Will Smith and others makes movies and documentaries about Ail,not the stay in line Foreman and Frazier.
well, how are we measuring success? Sure his life story is better than most boxers as a result and his purses likely bigger as it made him a hero and enemy of many, but objectively speaking it hurt his career and record. Objectively, he was not as successful as Joe Louis for instance. And he potentially could've gone to be ranked the best boxer pound for pound had he kept his head down, if we're talking about careers.
Money Mayweather is likely the highest grossing boxer of all time, but he's far from having the best boxing career. It's like measuring Newton's or Einstein's success by the money they earned instead of their achievements.