Muhammad Ali, Boxer
Sun, 11th July, 2010
Muhammad Ali, Boxer
Who He Is
In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Muhammad Ali Sportsmen of the Century. Not Boxer of the Century. Sportsman of the Century. Not of the year. Not Even of the decade. Of the century. He is one of the greatest sports heroes in history. Period.
But it is not just because of these accolades that Ali is one of our heroes. In and out of the ring, he was our superhero: bold, confident, abrasive opinionated, a man of conviction and a model for children and adults everywhere.
What Made the Man
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky to Odessa Grady Clay and Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. His love affair with boxing began when he was 12 years old. His bicycle was stolen from in front of a department store. A very upset young Clay found a policeman, Joe Elsby Martin, Sr., coach of the Louisville city boxing program, Clay told Martin what had happened and that he wanted to whip whoever had stolen his bike. Martin was quick to respond that Clay should learn to fight if he really intended to whip someone. The 89-pound boy showed up at Louisville Columbia Gym the very next day. From that fateful day in 1954, Clay approached boxing with a more determined and committed attitude than most of the other young fighters. He was victorious in 100 out of 180 matches during his amateur career, winning six Kentucky Golden Gloves Championships, two National Golden Gloves Championships and two National Amateur Athletic Union titles before he reached the age 18. He also took a light heavyweight gold medal from the 1960 Olympics in Rome, just a few months after he turned 18.
Clay’s distinctive and unusual style of fighting would eventually lead him to become one of the best, if not the best, heavyweight boxers of all time. He won his professional fight on October 29, 1960, in Louisville, and from 1960 to 1963, his record was 19-0, with 15 knockouts. In 1964, Clay was the No. 1 contender for Sonny Liston’s title. He beat Liston in the seventh round and shocked the world even further by announcing the next day that he had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Cassius X. Soon after, Elijah Muhammad, gave Clay his true Islamic name: Muhammad Ali.
After defending his title against Liston, whom he knocked out in the former seventh round, on May 25, 1965, in Lewiston, Maine, and the defeating former champion Floyd Patterson in November of that same year, Ali defended his title another eight times. The force that eventually stopped him was not another fighter, but rather the Professional Boxing Commission, which took the championship title away from him near the end of 1967 because of his refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War. Eventually regarding his boxing license, Ali fought his first match against the undefeated champion, Joe Frazier, on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. Frazier beat him in points, knocking him down with a hard left hook in the last round. However, a few years later, Ali beat Frazier in points at their 1974 rematch.
The Rumble in the Jungle, would prove to be the most important one of the Ali’s career. The fight against George Foreman and was one of the first matches to be promoted by Don King, It was set for October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali beat Foreman by knockout in the eighth round to regain the championship title.
In 1975, Ali won what many of his fans felt should have been his last fight before retirement. He fought Joe Frazier on October 1 in Quezon City, Philippines, and won by a technical knockout after 14 rounds, when Frazier’s trainer refused to let him continue fighting. The fight, coined The Thrilla in Manila, became the fifth Ali match to be named Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine.
Ali finally retired permanently after he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Trevor Berbick on December 11, 1980, in the Bahamas. He left the world of professional boxing with a career record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses.
After retirement, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in the early 1980s. Ali has managed to accomplish much since stepping out of the boxing ring. He has donated millions of dollars to organizations. He was able to negotiate the release of 15 hostages in Iraq. He also asked the U.S. government to come to the aid of the refugees in Rwanda. It has been estimated that Ali has helped to feed more than 22 million people who are afflicted by hunger.
On November 19, 2005, the doors of the $60 million nonprofit Muhammad Ali Centre opened in downtown Louisville. In addition, he has received the following awards:
1. Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1986)
2. United Nations Messenger of Peace Award (1998)
3. BBC Sports Personality of the Century Award (1999)
4. Living Legend Award, Library of Congress (2000)
5. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005)
Amongst all his activities, boxing has always remained an important part of Ali’s life. According to the documentary When We Were Kings, when asked about whether he had regrets about boxing because of the disorder he developed, Ali said that if he had not become boxer, he would still be a painter in Louisville. But Muhammad Ali remains a boxer at heart, and he will remain in the hearts of other throughout the world long after he is gone.
The Resources
For a deeper look inside the life of the man who called himself The Greatest, make sure to read his daughter’s first book, More than a hero: Muhammad Ali’s Life Lessons Presented Through His Daughter’s Eyes, Atria, 2000.
Who He Is
In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Muhammad Ali Sportsmen of the Century. Not Boxer of the Century. Sportsman of the Century. Not of the year. Not Even of the decade. Of the century. He is one of the greatest sports heroes in history. Period.
But it is not just because of these accolades that Ali is one of our heroes. In and out of the ring, he was our superhero: bold, confident, abrasive opinionated, a man of conviction and a model for children and adults everywhere.
What Made the Man
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky to Odessa Grady Clay and Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. His love affair with boxing began when he was 12 years old. His bicycle was stolen from in front of a department store. A very upset young Clay found a policeman, Joe Elsby Martin, Sr., coach of the Louisville city boxing program, Clay told Martin what had happened and that he wanted to whip whoever had stolen his bike. Martin was quick to respond that Clay should learn to fight if he really intended to whip someone. The 89-pound boy showed up at Louisville Columbia Gym the very next day. From that fateful day in 1954, Clay approached boxing with a more determined and committed attitude than most of the other young fighters. He was victorious in 100 out of 180 matches during his amateur career, winning six Kentucky Golden Gloves Championships, two National Golden Gloves Championships and two National Amateur Athletic Union titles before he reached the age 18. He also took a light heavyweight gold medal from the 1960 Olympics in Rome, just a few months after he turned 18.
Clay’s distinctive and unusual style of fighting would eventually lead him to become one of the best, if not the best, heavyweight boxers of all time. He won his professional fight on October 29, 1960, in Louisville, and from 1960 to 1963, his record was 19-0, with 15 knockouts. In 1964, Clay was the No. 1 contender for Sonny Liston’s title. He beat Liston in the seventh round and shocked the world even further by announcing the next day that he had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Cassius X. Soon after, Elijah Muhammad, gave Clay his true Islamic name: Muhammad Ali.
After defending his title against Liston, whom he knocked out in the former seventh round, on May 25, 1965, in Lewiston, Maine, and the defeating former champion Floyd Patterson in November of that same year, Ali defended his title another eight times. The force that eventually stopped him was not another fighter, but rather the Professional Boxing Commission, which took the championship title away from him near the end of 1967 because of his refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War. Eventually regarding his boxing license, Ali fought his first match against the undefeated champion, Joe Frazier, on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. Frazier beat him in points, knocking him down with a hard left hook in the last round. However, a few years later, Ali beat Frazier in points at their 1974 rematch.
The Rumble in the Jungle, would prove to be the most important one of the Ali’s career. The fight against George Foreman and was one of the first matches to be promoted by Don King, It was set for October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali beat Foreman by knockout in the eighth round to regain the championship title.
In 1975, Ali won what many of his fans felt should have been his last fight before retirement. He fought Joe Frazier on October 1 in Quezon City, Philippines, and won by a technical knockout after 14 rounds, when Frazier’s trainer refused to let him continue fighting. The fight, coined The Thrilla in Manila, became the fifth Ali match to be named Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine.
Ali finally retired permanently after he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Trevor Berbick on December 11, 1980, in the Bahamas. He left the world of professional boxing with a career record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses.
After retirement, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in the early 1980s. Ali has managed to accomplish much since stepping out of the boxing ring. He has donated millions of dollars to organizations. He was able to negotiate the release of 15 hostages in Iraq. He also asked the U.S. government to come to the aid of the refugees in Rwanda. It has been estimated that Ali has helped to feed more than 22 million people who are afflicted by hunger.
On November 19, 2005, the doors of the $60 million nonprofit Muhammad Ali Centre opened in downtown Louisville. In addition, he has received the following awards:
1. Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1986)
2. United Nations Messenger of Peace Award (1998)
3. BBC Sports Personality of the Century Award (1999)
4. Living Legend Award, Library of Congress (2000)
5. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005)
Amongst all his activities, boxing has always remained an important part of Ali’s life. According to the documentary When We Were Kings, when asked about whether he had regrets about boxing because of the disorder he developed, Ali said that if he had not become boxer, he would still be a painter in Louisville. But Muhammad Ali remains a boxer at heart, and he will remain in the hearts of other throughout the world long after he is gone.
The Resources
For a deeper look inside the life of the man who called himself The Greatest, make sure to read his daughter’s first book, More than a hero: Muhammad Ali’s Life Lessons Presented Through His Daughter’s Eyes, Atria, 2000.