It is a testament to the life of Muhammad Ali that no one could ever be indifferent about him or what he stood for in the 74 years he was with us. The three-time heavyweight champion of the world was so much more than the best exemplar of a sport he dominated by either force of personality or pugilistic skill for close to two decades.

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., in Louisville, Ky., Muhammad Ali was a man of conscience who put his ambitions on the line by refusing to fight overseas on behalf of his country in an unjust war. He was a man of faith who stood up for his beliefs, when identifying with the Nation of Islam was to invite being marginalized. He was an unrepentantly proud African-American at a time when blacks were just emerging from second class citizenship sanctioned by American law and custom.

Muhammad Ali was a man of uncommon wit, undeniable charisma, and principled action.

He was a terror in the ring and a first-rate humanitarian outside of it.

Muhammad Ali was so famous (and reviled in some circles) that he could walk down the street of any city or country village on the planet and be recognized. World leaders and fellow celebrities were reduced to giddiness in his presence.

When Muhammad Ali developed Parkinson’s disease as the result of the many blows to the head he suffered in the ring, he didn’t retreat from public view or feel sorry for himself. Much of the country fell in love with him again, years after he left the ring, when he carried the Olympic torch in advance of the Atlanta games in 1996. After all the doubt cast upon him for refusing to fight in Vietnam when he was drafted, it was clear that Muhammad Ali truly loved his country.

In a preface to an autobiography, Muhammad Ali spelled out what he wanted to be his legacy: “I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love. And if all that’s too much, then I guess I’d settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.”

First Published June 7, 2016, 4:00 a.m.