'The Greatest' left a lasting impression among Chinese

During that visit, Ali continued to try to help dispel the Chinese prejudice against boxing. He visited the Beijing Sports Institute and practiced with Wang Shouxin, a boxer from the early years.

Ali made his third and last trip to China in 1993 when China hosted the Beijing International Professional Boxing Championships, the first pro event ever staged in China. He also visited Shanghai during that trip, including a visit to the Shanghai Sports Institute.

According to news reports, Ali held boxing training sessions during his visit and has been credited with helping to revive and develop the sport in China.

After Xiong Zhaozhong became the first Chinese professional boxing champion at the World Boxing Council minimum-weight event in 2012, Ali took him in as his apprentice.

"At the WBC annual meeting, Ali sent his wife to look for me and said he would accept me as his apprentice because he once promised that he would do so when China produced the first professional boxing champion," Xiong told a People's Daily reporter.

"I was deeply moved by his character in keeping the promise. In my heart, I always regard him as my master," Xiong recalled.

Zou Shiming, a Chinese Olympic boxer, expressed his regret and sadness over Ali's death on his Weibo account: "I planned to go visit my idol, Muhammad Ali, after winning a professional bout… But now, I can only pray he is at peace in heaven, and free from illness and pain."

In a sports.qq.com survey, more than 60 percent of respondents said they felt sorry to hear the passing of the world heavyweight boxing champion, while more than 20 percent said they were shocked by the news and some 7 percent said they were kind of prepared due to his poor health of late.

Chinese are almost equally divided when reflecting on Ali, remembering his bravery, speed and strength in the boxing ring, the iconic moment of his lighting the Olympic torch in Atlanta in 1996, his fight as a spokesman for African Americans and for being an all around great humanitarian and fearless senior.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com.