A young Ali understood the message George was trying to convey. Whether the crowd boos him or cheers him, as long as they buy tickets to see him box, that will be relevant. And the relevance would eventually lead him to fortune and fame.
Therefore, Ali started acting like a pro wrestling ‘heel’ before every fight. However, unlike in wrestling, he would back up his idiosyncratic statements in the ring. And as he kept on winning, his haters became fans.
Ali later progressed in the sport of boxing and became a global icon for his anti-war stance and fight against racial injustice in the US and other parts of the world. But the cult of Ali was started by a pro wrestler most people were unaware of.