Mr Ben Ali himself feigned ignorance of such things despite the rising smell, and the rising cost to the country of such shenanigans.

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During this campaign, Ali portrayed himself as "Le candidat des jeunes, '" the youthful candidate.

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Once Foreman had worn himself out, Ali exploded off the ropes and sent George to the canvas for a ten count and a new regime in boxing began.

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Mr Khatami's predecessor, Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, has positioned himself between the factions, as conciliator.

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In typical Ali-style verbiage, he puts himself forward as the obvious choice.

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In his youth Harry was himself a promising boxer who sparred with Muhammad Ali.

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Even the televised speeches by Saif al-Islam and Mr Qaddafi himself, while more chilling in tone, echoed performances by Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

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And it was seized from the French in 1798 by Ali Pasha, an Albanian who entertained such intrepid visitors as Lord Byron and Edward Lear and built himself a fine triangular castle nearby.

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Ali would lean back on the ring ropes, cover his face with his forearms and let his opponent wear himself out in a flurry of punches.

CNN: From Charles Bierbauer