Introduction
He is the embodiment of religious freedom, a strong propagator of racial justice and a man who triumphed over many obstacles to become one of the most celebrated sportsmen in the world. He is none other than Muhammad Ali, the man who BBC credited as the ‘Sports Person of the Century,’ the man who not only won the world with his capacities as a heavyweight champion, but also shunned and inspired the world at the same time when he started to practice Islam.
Early life
Born on January 17th, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, Muhammad Ali was christened as Cassius Marcellus Clay Junior. Coached by Joe E. Martin, he was directed towards boxing at an early age, particularly after a thief stole his bicycle when he was only 12 years old. Then, Martin taught him how to ride. During the last four years of his amateur career, he was trained by boxing cut man Chuck Bodak and went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles and a gold medal in Light Heavyweight in the 1960 Summer Olympics. Held in Rome, this Summer Olympics was the beginning of his full fledged boxing career.
From being an amateur to a Professional
Cassius Clay made a debut in the professional area on 29th October 1960. He not only won a six round over Tunney Hunsaker, but went on to win almost all his fights. Known for vocally belittling the opponents he was able to fight most of his opponents, becoming the top contender for Sonny Liston in 1963.
Winning over Sonny Liston
What gave the biggest push to the career of Clay was his fight with Liston. The heavyweight championship, which was fought on February 25th 1964, stunned the world, which was till then rooting for Liston, the man with an intimidating demeanor and dominating presence in the ring. Known for his ties with the mob, Liston had just taken over Floyd Patterson, former heavyweight champion and meanwhile, Clay had been beaten by Jones and Cooper. But Clay proved to be an underdog winning the title by 7-1.
Popularity and exile
Clay became a legend when he decided to convert into Islam soon after the match. He changed his name to Muhammad Ali and fought a rematch with Liston in Lewiston where he won again. He then met Terrell, who was considered to be the toughest competition of Ali since Liston. He was unbeaten and called Ali as “Clay” much to his annoyance who considered that his slave name. The two fought one of the ugliest fights ever.
But soon, Ali was stripped off his title after he refused to draft for the Army service because of his conflicting views on Vietnam. Consequently, he was denied a license for boxing in each state and didn’t fight from March 1967 to October 1970. But that didn’t deter his spirits and after gaining a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission, he fought with Joe Frazier and rewrote his name in history.
The Legend
Muhammad Ali signifies a number of things. Being an African American, he overcame the odds to become one of the most beloved boxers in the world. He didn’t fight during the best period of a sportsman’s life because of his views on Vietnam, went on to embrace a different religion and turned into a Sunni Islamist in 1975. Truly, with his magnetism and powerful personality, he took over the world!
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