There’s an episode of the West Wing where a decision is made that there was no need to inflict further punishment on a bruised and battered political opponent because the fight had already been won – the gesture being described as the punch that Ali never threw against Foreman as he was falling to the canvas.
Ali didn’t always behave in a classy fashion inside the ring, but at the single moment which defined his boxing career and in the way he asked refs to stop fights when he knew his opponent had nothing left to give he did do so – he showed the humanity which shone through his life despite the clouds which would occasionally block the sun for a while.