In the immediate aftermath of his shocking victory over Sonny Liston to become the youngest man to defeat a reigning heavyweight champion, Cassius Clay (soon to change his name to Muhammed Ali) famously screamed to the television cameras “I must be the greatest”.

While Hurricane Fly’s surly demeanour is perhaps more comparable to Liston than Ali, if he could talk, one suspects that his frustration at the lack of appreciation for his talents may have prompted him to scream out such a question on more than a few occasions. Indeed, Hurricane Fly and Muhammed Ali may have more in common than most would suspect, as the arc of their popularity with the public has gone through quite similar phases over the course of their careers.