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Muhammad Ali - Short
Biography
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Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., in
the year 1942, American boxer Muhammad Ali is considered, one of
the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. Graceful
footwork and powerful jabs marked Ali’s style.
Clay was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He took to boxing at the
age of twelve. How he took to boxing has an interesting tale
behind it. It is said that when Clay was twelve, his bicycle was
stolen. A police officer suggested to him to learn boxing,
perhaps in order to be better equipped to handle unwanted
people, and Clay took him seriously. So seriously that by the
time he was eighteen, Clay had blazed a record of 108 wins and
only eight losses in amateur contests. An Olympian record indeed
and it included six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, the 1959
International Golden Gloves heavyweight title, and a gold medal
as the light heavyweight champion at the 1960 Olympic Games in
Rome, Italy. |
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The Greatest
After capping the Olympics gold, Clay became a professional boxer.
His victory trails continued even in this new role, with Clay having
recorded 19 professional wins within the next four years. That was
when he earned a chance to take on the then heavyweight champion,
Sonny Liston. Clay, who was twenty-two then was considered an
underdog, vowed that he would knock Liston out in the eighth round.
As it turned out, he did so in even shorter time and was crowned the
world heavyweight champion. He lost no time in declaring himself the
greatest.
In 1965, he defended his title in another encounter against Liston.
The bout lasted only 2 minutes 12 seconds. During the first round
Ali caught Liston with a hard blow, so quick that it was dubbed the
“phantom punch” because few fans saw it. Clay, who had by now become
Mohamed Ali after he converted to Islam, defended his title five
more times before 1967. In 1978 Ali became the first boxer to win
the world heavyweight championship title three different times. |
Muhammad Ali |
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A blunt outspoken person, Muhammad Ali frequently found himself in the midst
of many a controversy. During the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali refused to be
inducted into the United States Army on the grounds that he was a
black Muslim minister and therefore a conscientious objector against
the war. He was accused of draft evasion, convicted and stripped of
his heavyweight title. He was also banned from fighting in the
United States. He filed many appeals and was finally allowed to
return in 1970. He took on Joe Frazier, who was then the world
champion, but lost the fight. However, in the year 1974, Frazier
(who had by then lost his title) and Muhammad Ali battled for twelve rounds
at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. Finally Muhammad Ali was
declared winner; he had gained the right to challenge Foreman for
the heavyweight title. He beat him and regained the lost world
title. In the year 1975, Muhammad Ali took on Frazier again, in Manila,
Philippines. He defended his stand as winner at the end of the
15-round battle.
Muhammad Ali defended his world title six times between 1976 and 1978, when
he lost to Leon Spinks in Las Vegas. He retired from boxing the
following year, emerged in 1980 to challenge the title holder Larry
Holmes, lost to him and to another challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981
and then took off his gloves for good. When he retired, his
professional record read 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses.
After retirement from the ring, Muhammad Ali got involved in various
charities and humanitarian missions around the world. He was
inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in
1996 he was awarded the honor of lighting the Olympic torch in
Atlanta, Georgia, to mark the beginning of the Summer Olympic Games.
His rich life has been encapsulated in an autobiography, The
Greatest: My Own Story, which appeared in the year 1975. Truly,
Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest sportsmen of his times. |
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