The Life of Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) was a former American heavyweight boxing champion and one of the 20th century’s greatest sporting personalities. In his 21-year professional career, Ali, an Olympic gold medalist, and the first champion to win the heavyweight championship three times. During his career, Muhammad Ali’s outspokenness on topics of race, religion, and politics made him a controversial figure, and the quips and taunts of the heavyweight were as swift as his fists.
Born Cassius Clay Jr., Muhammad Ali, after entering the Nation of Islam, changed his name in 1964. He declined military induction and was stripped of his heavyweight title and barred from boxing for three years during the peak of his career, citing his religious convictions. Ali’s motor skills and speech were seriously affected by Parkinson’s syndrome, but he stayed involved as a humanitarian and goodwill ambassador.
On January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., the elder son of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay, was born. It was a red-and-white Schwinn who led the future heavyweight champion to the boxing sport. A tearful 12-year-old Clay reported the robbery to Louisville police officer Joe Martin (1916-1996) when his beloved bicycle was stolen and promised to pummel the culprit.
Martin, who was also a boxing trainer, suggested first learning how to fight the frustrated youngster, and he took Clay under his wing. Clay won his first bout in a split decision six weeks later.
Two national Golden Gloves championships, two national Amateur Athletic Union titles and 100 wins against eight defeats were captured by Clay at the age of 18. He moved to Rome after graduating high school and captured the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
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In a six-round decision, on October 29, 1960, Clay won his professional boxing debut. The 6-foot-3-inch heavyweight dominated his opponents from the beginning of his pro career with a combination of short, powerful jabs and foot speed, and his relentless braggadocio and self-promotion gained him the nickname ‘Louisville Lip.’
Clay got his first title shot on February 25, 1964, against reigning heavyweight champion Sonny Liston after winning his first 19 fights, including 15 knockouts (1932-1970). Although a 7-1 underdog arrived in Miami Beach, Florida, the 22-year-old Clay taunted Liston relentlessly before the fight, promising to “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and predicting a knockout. When, at the start of the seventh round, Liston failed to answer the bell, Clay was indeed crowned world heavyweight champion. The new champ screamed in the ring after the match, “I am the greatest!” ”
Clay, who was seen around Miami with notorious Nation of Islam member Malcolm X (1925-1965), reported the reports of his conversion to Islam at a press conference the next morning. Country of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) gave the name of Muhammad Ali to Clay on March 6, 1964.
By knocking out Liston in the first round of their rematch on May 25, 1965, Muhammad Ali solidified his grip on the heavyweight championship, and he defended his title eight more times. Then, Muhammad Ali turned up for his scheduled induction into the U.S. with the Vietnam War raging. On April 28, 1967, the Armed Forces. He declined, citing his religious convictions, to serve. Ali was arrested, and his boxing license was promptly suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission and his heavyweight belt revoked.
Sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, but he stayed free while the sentence was appealed. Muhammad Ali was seen as a draft dodger by many, and his popularity plummeted. Banned from boxing for three years, Ali spoke out on college campuses against the Vietnam War.
Support for Muhammad Ali increased as public views turned against the war. The New York State Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of his boxing license in 1970, and the next year, the U.S. In a majority decision, the Supreme Court reversed his sentence.
Ali returned to the ring on October 26, 1970, after 43 months in exile, and knocked out Jerry Quarry (1945-1999) in the third round. March 8, 1971, was the day which was announced as the “Battle of the Century,” where he got his opportunity to reclaim his heavyweight crown facing prevailing champion Joe Frazier (1944-2011). In the final round, the unbeaten Frazier floored Ali with a hard left hook. In a unanimous decision, Ali got up but lost, suffering his first loss as a pro.
Before being defeated by Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali won his next 10 bouts (1943-). Six months later, he won the rematch in a split decision and, in a majority decision over Frazier in a non-title rematch, won more vengeance. The win gave a title shot to 32-year-old Muhammad Ali against 25-year-old champion George Foreman (1949-). Ali, the decided underdog, employed his “rope-a-dope” technique, leaning on the ring ropes and enduring a torrent of blows from Foreman while waiting for his adversary to tire.
The fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974, was dubbed the “Rumble in the Jungle.” The tactic succeeded, and in an eighth-round knockout, Ali won to retake the championship he had been stripped of seven years earlier.
