Muhammad Ali was one of the legends in the field of sports in professional boxing. His wins and accomplishments in the field saw him become nicknamed ‘The Greatest.’ With a height of 6 feet and 3 inches, he became an impressive figure in the ring. He became largely known for his powerful jab and a swift footwork. Ali converted to Islam and became an arch believer of racial justice and religious freedom. This saw him change his name from Cassius Marcellus Clay to Muhammad Ali. He rose to win several titles, had huge accomplishments, and become one of the most recognized sports figures in the past 100 years. This paper discusses Muhammad Ali’s life history, significant accomplishments, and his contributions to society.
Born as Cassius Clay, he was the elder son of Cassius Clay Sr. and Odessa Clay. He was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He moved to boxing after his bicycle was stolen at 12 years old. He reported the theft to a police officer in Louisville police as he vowed that he would beat the culprit. Martin was a boxing trainer and suggested to Clay that he should first learn how to fight. He took Clay under his wing and Clay won his first bout in after a split decision.
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Clay advanced rapidly in his career and by the age of 18, he had captured two Amateur Athletic Union National titles, two Golden Gloves titles, and had 100 victories with only eight losses. After graduation from high school, he traveled to Rome for Summer Olympics in 1960. He was able to win the light heavyweight gold medal in the competitions. This marked a significant start of his successful career. He was able to overwhelm his opponents with the use of powerful, quick jabs and an impressive foot speed.
Clay won against Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964. Before the fight, he had won 19 fights with 15 knockouts. He arrived at the fight like an underdog in Miami Beach, Florida. He was merely 22 years old and did not seem the perfect match for Liston. Clay was however confident before the fight and even predicted a knockout. The game started off and Liston did not answer the Bell at the beginning of the seventh round. This saw Clay become crowned as the heavyweight champion of the world. It was at this time where he roared the phrase, “I am the Greatest!”
Clay later converted to Islam on March 6, 1964. The Nation of Islam leader at that time bestowed on Clay the name Muhammad Ali. As a Muslim, he was first affiliated with Nation of Islam (NOI) under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad. In the group, he advocated for the black separatist ideology. He later disowned the NOI and adhered to Sunni Islam, a group that practiced Sufism and supported racial integration. The group followed the beliefs of Muhammad Ali’s mentor, Malcolm X.
The years that followed saw him defend his heavyweight championship title. He knocked out Liston in the first round of the rematch held in May 1965. He later defended his title eight times. The Vietnam War was raging in 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title. Ali went against the white establishment and refused to be drafted into the United States military. He cited religious beliefs and a strong opposition to the American involvement in the Vietnam War. This saw him become arrested, his boxing license suspended, and the heavyweight belt became revoked.
Ali was convicted of draft evasion and was sent to a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. However, he remained free as the conviction was being appealed. His popularity went down as many saw him as a draft dodger. Ali was banned from boxing for a period of three years. During this time, he spoke against the Vietnam War on different college campuses. Public attitudes turned against the war in the years that followed and support for Ali grew. In the year 1970, the Supreme Court ordered that his boxing license become reinstated. The year that followed saw the decision of his conviction become overturned. By the end of this period, Ali had not fought for a period of four years making him lose his peak performance as an athlete. However, his objections to the war saw him become an icon among many fans.
After a period of 43 months of exile in boxing, Ali was able to get back to the ring on October 1970 where he knocked out Jerry Quarry in the third round. On March 1971, he got a chance to fight for the heavyweight crown against Joe Frazier, the reigning champ at that time. The fight was highly publicized and became known as the “The Fight of the Century. Frazier had been undefeated and he floored Ali with a hard left hook at the final round. Ali was able to get up but lost after a union decision. This marked his first defeat as a pro.
Ali was able to win the next round of 10 fights before being defeated by Ken Norton. He was able to win a rematch, six months later in a split decision in the fight. He was able to gain further revenge in a unanimous decision over Frazier in a match that was non-titled. At 32 years old, the victory gave Ali a short against the then champion George Foreman. In October 1974, in a fight at Zaire, Ali fought with George Foreman. He used a rope-a-dope strategy where he would lean on ropes and absorb a range of blows from Foreman as he waited for his opponent to get tired. The strategy became successful and Ali won in a knockout at the eighth round. He regained the title of heavyweight champion after it had been stripped of him for seven years.
Ali later defended the title in 10 fights and in one memorable fight that was labeled as “Thrilla in Manila” in October 1975. He fought with his rival Frazier. By the time of the final round, Frazier had swollen eyes and could not answer the bell. Ali later defeated Norton at their third meeting after a unanimous decision in a 15-round game. Ali later lost the heavyweight championship title to Leon Spinks in 1978 after a 15-round split decision. After seven months, he was able to defeat Spinks in a unanimous 15-round decision and was able to reclaim the heavyweight crown. The win saw him become the first fight to win the world heavyweight boxing title for three times.
Ali announced his retirement from boxing in 1979. He launched a brief comeback that was somewhat unsuccessful at that time. He became overwhelmed in a knockout where he lost to Larry Holmes in 1980. He also lost to a unanimous 10-round decision where he lost to Trevor Berbick in 1981. After the fight, Ali retired for good at 39 years old. His retirement saw him have a career of 56 wins, 37 knockouts, and 5 losses.
While other fighters would mostly fight and leave the talking to their managers, Ali craved and thrived in the spotlight. He was often outlandish and provocative with his words. He became popular for trash talking, spoken word poetry, and the use of rhyme schemes. He used his poetry as a political advancement for his activism. He later became a musician and recorded hip-hop and rap music. He recorded rhythm and blues songs and had spoken word albums that saw him earn two Grammy Awards nominations. He was also an actor at some point and performed several films. He also wrote two autobiographies at the time of his career and the other after his boxing career.
Important Milestones
One of the most important milestones by Muhammad Ali were his historic matches against Liston, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. The wins in these matches saw him become the first and only person to win the World Heavyweight Champion three times. He won the championship title the first time in his fight against Liston. He defeated Liston in a knockout and became one of the youngest boxers to assume the title of a reigning heavyweight champion. He later fought against Terrell in 1967. Terrell had been an unbeaten heavyweight champion for five straight years. He later fought George Foreman where he was able to regain the heavyweight champion titled in October 1974. He won the match after Foreman failed to make it to the eight round.
Impact and Contributions to Society
Like other areas in his life, Ali pushed beyond racial boundaries and highly embraced black pride. He was an outspoken advocate civil rights advocate both during and after his career. Ali was a great advocate and a practical example of the term “Black Power.” The term had become popular in 1966 and Ali was a physical manifestation of the concept. Ali did not stick with the status quo but always strived to challenge it. He served as a great inspiration to other black people to change their situation. His changing of name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali was a manifestation of his beliefs in the blacks. He renounced his previous name stating that it was a slave name and adopted the name as it adequately represented his views.
In the months after changing his name, Ali transformed from a mere boxing champion to become a champion of the rights of his people. He publicly spoke against racial inequality and social injustices. He often gained a bad name with the media that was dominated by the whites at that time. After his retirement, he devoted much of his life towards charitable deeds and charitable work. He publicly spoke against the 9/11 attacks stating that Islam was a religion of peace and not violence. He committed to freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Ali went on from bragging in the ring and adopted a criticism of government and war. This saw him get a place in the then and current political climate.
An advocate of the Antiwar Movement
Ali’s draft status was reclassified in March 1966 and he was eligible to serve in the United States military. He made headlines across the globe after refusing to get into the armed forces. He spoke out against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War at a time when most Americans supported it. His decision to stand with the antiwar movement saw him become pilloried by the media and politicians as a traitor and coward. However, Ali was not acting from fear but rather from a strength of his inner convictions.
He paid a heavy price where he was stripped of the heavyweight title, convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, and was banned from participating in boxing competitions for three and a half years. He was also stripped of his license and passport and unable to participate in boxing within any state. Ali’s stand on the antiwar policy gave a jumpstart to the antiwar movement. It became a great encouragement to Martin Luther King who came out strongly against the conflict in Vietnam in 1967. Ali became a popular speaker on various college campuses at the time of his exile from the ring.
Parkinson’s Advocacy
In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It is possible that the disease was caused by several repeated head traumas throughout his boxing career. He advocated for publicity and treatment of Parkinson’s disease by establishing the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. He also held fundraisers to be able to support the center which offers front-line therapies. Ali did not shy away from the spotlight even after being diagnosed with the disease. He spoke out publicly even though he was limited in his ability to move and speak. At some point, he even held a twitter account where he could share his thoughts. He decided to go public with his battle with Parkinson’s disease and raised a huge awareness about his condition.
Humanitarian Acts
Despite his relentlessness in the ring, Ali was a great supporter of world peace. During the Gulf War in 1990, he went ahead to meet the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein about the negotiations of releasing American hostages. He also served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace at one point. Ali was able to make several trips to Cuba in 1996 and 1998 to improve the living conditions of people in those countries. He was able to donate approximately a million dollars towards medical aid in the country.
Ali made several visits across the globe where he advanced his agenda of world peace. He first began by visiting Africa in 1964 where he made a trip to Ghana. He later visited the Palestinian refugee camp where he showed great support for the Palestinians to liberate the homeland. He also visited Bangladesh where he was able to receive honorary citizenship in the country. He also participated in The Longest Walk in 1978 which a protest match in the United States to support the rights of Native Americans.
Ali launched the Muhammad Ali Center at his hometown in Louisville, Kentucky in the year 2005. During the launch, he stated that he intended the place to become more than a destination of his memorabilia. He intended the center to be a place where he can inspire people to believe in themselves and to be respectful about one another.
Throughout his career, Ali was honored with several titles such as Sportsman of the Year, Fighter of the Year, The Greatest, and Sportsman of the Century. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Presidential Citizens Medal which was awarded to him in 2005 by the then President George W. Bush. He later was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He even became honored with a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the year 1996, he was given the honor of lighting the Olympic Torch when it was in Atlanta. One of his other awards included the Arthur Ashe Courage Award given to him in 1997. BBC was able to honor him by awarding him as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.
One of Ali’s greatest contributions is in the sports field of boxing. He left a huge mark in boxing, a feat which is difficult to be replicated. As a boxer, he can be remembered for his graceful and quick feet and a fighting style that broke most of the traditional rules of boxing. Throughout his career, he displayed superior boxing skills that are difficult to match. His most notable accomplishments include a gold medal at the Olympics in 1960, a three-time world heavyweight champion, and 56-5 win with a massive 37 knockouts. His outspoken nature and brash style saw him gain huge fans all over the world. He is remembered for the use of poetic lines such as “Float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee.” After winning his first ever victory he declared “I am the Greatest! I am the King of the World.”
Ali was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons. He got married to his fourth wife called Yolanda in the year 1986. His battle with Parkinson’s disease saw his condition worsen over time. This saw him make a limited public appearance and was mostly cared for by his wife. He died at 74 years old on June 3, 2016, in Arizona. His contribution to the boxing field and humanitarian acts after his boxing career saw him gain huge popularity. He remains an inspirational figure for millions of people across the globe.
