“People do say I’m cocky. Some say I need a good whoopin’. Some say I talk too much. But, anything that I say I’m willing to back up.”

That’s a line from Muhammad Ali, the original “people’s champion”, before the 1974 fight against George Foreman in Zaire that turned Ali from a champion into a legend.

Usman Khawaja has, tongue firmly in cheek, often referred to himself as the people’s champ over the past few years, ever since he decided to speak up more loudly on issues outside the cricket sphere, and also since his return to the Australian Test side in January 2022.

Usman Khawaja.Credit: Getty Images

Ali is a hero of Khawaja’s, not only for his boxing skill but for his willingness to be confident and outspoken in a way that many black athletes have taken up since.

There were many times in Ali’s career when that confidence and outspokenness infuriated the boxing establishment or wider, white society. But at the same time it inspired those aforementioned younger, aspiring athletes to walk unafraid.

When he made his comeback four years ago, and for most of the time since, Khawaja has been a popular figure across Australia, even if not everyone has agreed with some of his public words or positions.

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