They laughed when the young Muhammad Ali — then known as Cassius Clay — proclaimed himself The Greatest of All Time.Sure, he was talented: an Olympic boxing champion with powerful fists, an unorthodox style and lightning-fast speed. But most saw him as a brash, cocky braggart and clown who would eventually be cut down to size.By the time Ali died Friday night at age 74 after a painful decades-long struggle with Parkinson’s, no one questioned the label he’d so confidently given himself so long ago. But for all his accomplishments in the ring — youngest man till then to win the heavyweight title (by stopping a 7-1 favorite), first three-time champion, winner (and loser) of some of boxing’s most memorable and thrilling fights — Ali transcended the arena as few (if any) athletes before or since.

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