Casius Clay (Muhammad Ali)
Contents
- Muhammad Ali’s Early Years and Amateur Career
- Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Champion of the World
- Muhammad Ali’s Return to the Ring
- Muhammad Ali’s Later Years and Legacy
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)
was an American former heavyweight champion boxer and one of the greatest
sporting figures of the 20th century. An Olympic gold medalist and the first
fighter to capture the heavyweight title three times, Ali won 56 times in his
21-year professional career. Ali’s outspokenness on issues of race, religion
and politics made him a controversial figure during his career, and the
heavyweight’s quips and taunts were as quick as his fists. Born Cassius Clay
Jr., Ali changed his name in 1964 after joining the Nation of Islam. Citing his
religious beliefs, he refused military induction and was stripped of his heavyweight
championship and banned from boxing for three years during the prime of his
career. Parkinson’s syndrome severely impaired Ali’s motor skills and speech,
but he remained active as a humanitarian and goodwill ambassador.
Muhammad Ali’s Early Years and Amateur Career
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.,
the elder son of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. (1912-1990) and Odessa Grady Clay
(1917-1994), was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a red-and-white
Schwinn that steered the future heavyweight champion to the sport of boxing.
When his beloved bicycle was stolen, a tearful 12-year-old Clay reported the
theft to Louisville police officer Joe Martin (1916-1996) and vowed to pummel
the culprit. Martin, who was also a boxing trainer, suggested that the upset
youngster first learn how to fight, and he took Clay under his wing. Six weeks
later, Clay won his first bout in a split decision.
Did you know? Muhammad Ali
has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated 38 times, second only to
basketball great Michael Jordan.
By age 18, Clay had
captured 2 national Golden Gloves titles, 2 Amateur Athletic Union national
titles and 100 victories against eight losses. After graduating high school, he
travelled to Rome and won the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer
Olympics.
Clay won his professional
boxing debut on October 29, 1960, in a six-round decision. From the start of
his pro career, the 6-foot-3-inch heavyweight overwhelmed his opponents with a
combination of quick, powerful jabs and foot speed, and his constant
braggadocio and self-promotion earned him the nickname “Louisville Lip.”
Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Champion of the World
After winning his first 19
fights, including 15 knockouts, Clay received his first title shot on February
25, 1964, against reigning heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (1932-1970).
Although he arrived in Miami Beach, Florida, a 7-1 underdog, the 22-year-old Clay
relentlessly taunted Liston before the fight, promising to “float like a
butterfly, sting like a bee” and predicting a knockout. When Liston failed to
answer the bell at the start of the seventh round, Clay was indeed crowned
heavyweight champion of the world. In the ring after the fight, the new champ
roared, “I am the greatest!”
At a press conference the
next morning, Clay, who had been seen around Miami with controversial Nation of
Islam
member Malcolm X (1925-1965), confirmed the
rumors of his conversion to Islam. On March 6, 1964, Nation of Islam leader
Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) bestowed on Clay the name of Muhammad Ali.
Ali solidified his hold on
the heavyweight championship by knocking out Liston in the first round of their
rematch on May 25, 1965, and he defended his title eight more times. Then, with
the Vietnam War raging, Ali showed up for
his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967. Citing
his religious beliefs, he refused to serve. Ali was arrested, and the New York State Athletic Commission
immediately suspended his boxing license and revoked his heavyweight belt.
Convicted of draft evasion,
Ali was sentenced to the maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine,
but he remained free while the conviction was appealed. Many saw Ali as a draft
dodger, and his popularity plummeted. Banned from boxing for three years, Ali
spoke out against the Vietnam War on college campuses. As public attitudes
turned against the war, support for Ali grew. In 1970 the New York State Supreme Court ordered his boxing
license reinstated, and the following year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned
his conviction in a unanimous decision.
Muhammad Ali’s Return to the Ring
After 43 months in exile,
Ali returned to the ring on October 26, 1970, and knocked out Jerry Quarry
(1945-1999) in the third round. On March 8, 1971, Ali got his chance to regain
his heavyweight crown against reigning champ Joe Frazier (1944-2011) in what
was billed as the “Fight of the Century.” The undefeated Frazier floored Ali
with a hard left hook in the final round. Ali got up but lost in a unanimous
decision, experiencing his first defeat as a pro.
Ali won his next 10 bouts
before being defeated by Ken Norton (1943-). He won the rematch six months
later in a split decision and gained further revenge in a unanimous decision
over Frazier in a non-title rematch. The victory gave the 32-year-old Ali a
title shot against 25-year-old champion George Foreman (1949-). The October 30,
1974, fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, was dubbed the “Rumble in the Jungle.” Ali, the
decided underdog, employed his “rope-a-dope” strategy, leaning on the ring
ropes and absorbing a barrage of blows from Foreman while waiting for his
opponent to tire. The strategy worked, and Ali won in an eighth-round knockout
to regain the title stripped from him seven years prior.
Ali successfully defended
his title in 10 fights, including the memorable “Thrilla in Manila” on October
1, 1975, in which his bitter rival Frazier, his eyes swollen shut, was unable
to answer the bell for the final round. Ali also defeated Norton in their third
meeting in a unanimous 15-round decision.
On February 15, 1978, an
aging Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks (1953-) in a 15-round split decision.
Seven months later, Ali defeated Spinks in a unanimous 15-round decision to
reclaim the heavyweight crown and become the first fighter to win the world
heavyweight boxing title three times. After announcing his retirement in 1979,
Ali launched a brief, unsuccessful comeback. However, he was overwhelmed in a
technical knockout loss to Larry Holmes (1949-) in 1980, and he dropped a
unanimous 10-round decision to Trevor Berbick (1954-2006) on December 11, 1981.
After the fight, the 39-year-old Ali retired for good with a career record of
56 wins, 5 losses and 37 knockouts.
Muhammad Ali’s Later Years and Legacy
In 1984, Ali was diagnosed
with Parkinson’s syndrome, possibly connected to the severe head trauma
suffered during his boxing career. The former champion’s motor skills slowly
declined, and his movement and speech were limited. In spite of the
Parkinson’s, Ali remained in the public spotlight, traveling the world to make
humanitarian, goodwill and charitable appearances. He met with Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) in 1990 to negotiate the release of American
hostages, and in 2002, he travelled to Afghanistan as a United Nations
Messenger of Peace.
Ali had the honour of
lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta. In 1999, Ali was voted the BBC’s “Sporting Personality of the
Century,” and Sports Illustrated named him “Sportsman of the Century.” Ali was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a 2005 White
House ceremony, and in the same year the $60 million Muhammad
Ali Centre, a non-profit museum and cultural centre focusing on peace and
social responsibility, opened in Louisville.
Ring Magazine named Ali
“Fighter of the Year” five times, more than any other boxer, and he was
inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Ali has been
married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. He married his fourth
wife, Yolanda, in 1986. Ali died at the age of 74 on June 3, 2016.
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| Olyimpics USA team |
With affection,
Ruben
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