Muhammed Ali first took up boxing at age 12, after another kid stole his bike. His amateur career went extremely well and he dominated the tournaments he entered. He was trained by Chuck Bodak and was known for his exceptional discipline and dedication to the sport. Many of his fights, such as the fights against George Foreman and Joe Frazier, are famous in boxing history. Ali became the heavyweight champion of the world at the young age of 21.
Ali's Motivational Quotes:
Braggin' is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say.
Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
A man who has no imagination has no wings.
Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.
It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.
To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If not pretend you are.
What you are thinking is what you are becoming.
Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.
It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
Life is a gamble. You can get hurt, but people die in plane crashes, lose their arms and legs in car accidents; people die every day. Same with fighters: some die, some get hurt, some go on. You just don’t let yourself believe it will happen to you.
Bio:
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. January 17, 1942 – 3 June 2016) was an Olympic and World Champion boxer, who also had a unique personality, based on self-belief and strong religious and political convictions. In 1999, Ali was crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated. He won the World Heavyweight Boxing championship three times and won the North American Boxing Federation championship as well as an Olympic gold medal.
"I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round. " – Muhammad Ali
Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942. He was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., (who was named after the 19th-century abolitionist and politician Cassius Clay). Ali would later change his name after joining the Nation of Islam. He subsequently converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.
Early boxing career
Standing at 6'3", Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. Rather than the normal boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on his quick feet and ability to avoid a punch. In Louisville, October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. He won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated such boxers as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug Jones, and Henry Cooper. Also among Clay's victories included Sonny Banks (who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous fights, and who had been Clay’s trainer prior to Angelo Dundee).
Ali won a disputed 10 round decision over Doug Jones, who, despite being lighter than Clay, staggered Clay as soon as the fight started with a right hand, and beat Clay to the punch continually during the fight. The fight was named "Fight of the Year" for 1963. Clay's next fight was against Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay down with a left hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was stopped in the 5th round due to a deep cut on Cooper’s face.
Despite these close calls against Doug Jones and Henry Cooper, he became the top contender for Sonny Liston’s title. In spite of Clay's impressive record, he was not expected to beat the champion. The fight was to be held on February 25, 1964, in Miami, Florida. During the weigh-in before the fight, Ali frequently taunted Liston. Ali dubbed him "the big ugly bear”, and declared that he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," Ali was ready to dance around the ring, as he said, "Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see."
Ali's unique style of boasting, rhyming, and expressing confidence brought him considerable media attention as he moved toward a chance to fight for the world heavyweight boxing championship. When he began to write poems predicting his victories in different fights he became known as "The Louisville Lip." Both the attention and his skill as a fighter paid off. In February 1964 he fought and defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world.
This was a typical buildup for a fight for Ali, who increasingly enjoyed playing to the crowd and creating a buzz. It was good news for fight promoters, who saw increased interest in any fight involving the bashful Ali.
Vietnam War
In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were inadequate. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified 1A. He refused to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, because "War is against the teachings of the Holy Koran. I’m not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali also famously said, "I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong" and "no Vietcong ever called me nigger."
Ali was essentially banned from fighting in the United States and forced to accept bouts abroad for most of 1966.
From his rematch with Liston in May 1965, to his final defence against Zora Folley in March 1967, he defended his title nine times. Few other heavyweight champions in history have fought so much in such a short period.
Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell in a unification bout in Toronto on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out and Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper and Brian London by stoppage on cuts. Ali’s next defence was against German southpaw Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.
Ali returned to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome. A year and a half before the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing one kidney, 10 feet of his small intestine, and with a shrivelled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams in three rounds.
On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, "What’s my name, What’s my name." Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 of 15 rounds on two judges' scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN on the sports channel's "Ali Rap" special, speculated that the fight only continued because Ali chose not to end it, choosing instead to further punish Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty."
Ali's actions in refusing military service and aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning the outspoken but popular former champion into one of that era’s most recognisable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion — if not outright hostility — made Ali a target of outrage, and suspicion as well. Ali seemed at times to even provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism.
Near the end of 1967, Ali was stripped of his title by the professional boxing commission and would not be allowed to fight professionally for more than three years. He was also convicted for refusing induction into the army and sentenced to five years in prison. Over the course of those years in exile, Ali fought to appeal his conviction.
"Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?" – Muhammad Ali – explaining why he refused to fight in Vietnam
In 1970, Ali was allowed to fight again, and in late 1971 the Supreme Court reversed his conviction.
Muhammad Ali's comeback
In 1970, Ali was finally able to get a boxing license. With the help of a State Senator, he was granted a license to box in Georgia because it was the only state in America without a boxing commission. In October 1970, he returned to stop Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali was unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier.
The Fight of the Century
Ali and Frazier fought each other on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as "The Fight of the Century", was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard left hook in the 15th. Frank Sinatra — unable to acquire a ringside seat — took photos of the match for Life Magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people.
Ali fought valiantly. The 2 ½ year exile had cost Ali his legs. He could no longer dance. He lost that night in the Garden, but months later he won his biggest fight, the Supreme Court, reversed his conviction and upheld his conscientious objector claim. Ali was free of the specter of jail, and free to travel to box anywhere in the world.
Several matches followed, including an unexpected loss to ex-Marine, Ken Norton; a win in their next bout; an uninspired win against Joe Frazier.
But these matches were but window dressing for the biggest match of Ali’s career.
Rumble in the Jungle
In 1974, Ali gained a match with champion George Foreman. The fight took place in Zaire (Congo) – Ali wanted the fight to be there to help give an economic boost to this part of Africa.
The pre-match hype was as great as ever.
"Floats like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see." – Muhammad Ali – before the 1974 fight against George Foreman
This match would give Ali another chance at the world title against Frazer.
Promoter Don King got the government of the African nation of Zaire to guarantee the unheard of sum of 10 million dollars for the fighters. In Kinshasa, Ali derived strength from the African people. They adored him. They yelled, Ali Bomaye! (Ali kill him).
Going into the fight, Ali was 3-1 underdog. His fight doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, had a jet ready to spirit Ali away to a hospital in Spain after the fight. But Ali had other ideas.
Because of the heat, Ali realized he couldn’t dance from Foreman for the whole fight. He invented, "The Rope-A-Dope," a strategy that allowed Foreman to pound on him until Foreman tired. His corner men yelled at him to get off the ropes, but Ali persisted with his strategy for seven rounds and then in the eighth round, when Foreman was spent, Ali came off the ropes and scored a shocking knockout!
After the legendary "Thrilla In Manila," the match against Frazier, who some have deemed, the greatest boxing match ever, Ali fought and lost to young Olympic Champion Leon Spinks. He subsequently regained his title against Spinks, thus becoming, at that time, the only man in heavyweight history to win the crown three times.
Following this win, on July 27, 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing. His retirement was short-lived, however; Ali announced his comeback to face Larry Holmes for the WBC belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time. The fight was largely motivated by Ali's need for money. Boxing writer Richie Giachetti said, "Larry didn't want to fight Ali".
It was around this time that Ali started struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) ordered that he undergo a complete physical in Las Vegas before being allowed to fight again. Ali chose instead to check into the Mayo Clinic, who declared him fit to fight. Their opinion was accepted by the NAC on July 31, 1980, paving the way for Ali's return to the ring.
The fight took place on October 2, 1980, in Las Vegas Valley, with Holmes easily dominating Ali. In the eleventh round, Angelo Dundee told the referee to stop the fight, making it the only time that Ali ever lost by stoppage. The Holmes fight is said to have contributed to Ali's Parkinson's syndrome. Despite pleas to definitively retire, Ali fought one last time on December 11, 1981, in Nassau, Bahamas, against Trevor Berbick, losing a ten-round decision.
Ali ended his career 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 defeats.
Muhammad Ali in retirement
Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 1980s, following which his motor functions began a slow decline. Although Ali's doctors disagreed during the 1980s and 1990s about whether his symptoms were caused by boxing and whether or not his condition was degenerative, he was ultimately diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson’s syndrome caused by head trauma and has affected professional boxers. By late 2005 it was reported that Ali's condition was notably worsening. According to the documentary 'When We Were Kings' when Ali was asked about whether he has any regrets about boxing due to his disability, he responded that if he didn’t box he would still be a painter in Louisville, Kentucky.
Speaking of his own Parkinson's disease, Ali remarks how it has helped him to look at life in a different perspective.
"Maybe my Parkinson's is God’s way of reminding me what is important. It slowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk. Actually, people pay more attention to me now because I don’t talk as much."
Despite the disability, he remained a beloved and active public figure. Ali rode on a float at the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.S. Constitution’s 200th birthday commemoration. He also published an oral history, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times with Thomas Hauser, in 1991. Ali received a Spirit of America Award calling him the most recognised American in the world. In 1996, he had the honour of lighting the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1999, Ali received a special one-off award from the BBC at its annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony, which was the BBC Sports Personality of the Century Award. His daughter Laila Ali also became a boxer in 1999.
On September 13, 1999, Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on November 9, 2005, and the prestigious "Otto Hahn peace medal in Gold" of the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work with the US civil rights movement and the United Nations (December 17, 2005).
On November 19, 2005 (Ali's 19th wedding anniversary), the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the centre focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.
According to the Muhammad Ali Center website in 2012,
"Since he retired from boxing, Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavours around the globe. He is a devout Sunni Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year."
Muhammad Ali died on 3 June 2016, from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson’s disease.
Facts:
Nickname: The Greatest. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" described his style.
He became interested in boxing after reporting the theft of his bike to a policeman who gave boxing lessons at a local community center.
As an amateur boxer, Cassius Clay won 100 of 108 fights, including six Kentucky Golden Gloves championships.
Rhyming was one of his trademarks. "They all fall in the round I call," "rope-a-dope," "rumble in the jungle," and "thrilla in Manila."
His book, "GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali," weighs 75-pounds, and is covered in silk and Louis Vuitton leather. It has 792 pages, is 20-by-20-inches, and has 600,000 words and more than 3,000 images. GOAT stands for "Greatest of All Time." Ten thousand were published. The first 1,000 were signed and sold for $7,500. The other 9,000 sold for $3,000 each.
He was the first ever heavyweight fighter who won the crown three times.
He made his professional debut with a win over Tunney Hunsaker on October 29, 1960.
He was banned from boxing for 3 years because he refused to serve in the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War.
In 1996, he was honored with the responsibility of lighting the Olympic fire.
Muhammad Ali’s fight on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden against Joe Frazier is known as 'Fight of the Century'. This fight lasted the full 12 rounds. It was his first professional defeat.
He retired from boxing in 1981 with a 56-5 record.
Muhammad Ali has various nicknames like the Greatest, the Champ, and the Louisville Lip.
He was afraid of flying and skipped the 1960 Rome Olympics.
He died on June 3, 2016, at the age of 74 years after a long battle with Parkinson disease.
Muhammad Ali's ring record
| Between the ropes | ||||||||||
| Won | Lost | Draw | Bouts | KO | W | WF | D | KO'd | L | LF |
| 56 | 5 | 0 | 61 | 37 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Fight by fight | |||||
| Year | Date | Opponent | Location | Res./Rd. | Title |
| 1960 | Oct. 29 | Tunney Hunsaker | Louisville, KY | W/6 | --- |
| Dec. 27 | Herbert Siler | Miami | KO/4 | --- | |
| 1961 | Jan. 17 | Anthony Sperti | Miami | TKO/3 | --- |
| Feb. 7 | Jimmy Robinson | Miami | TKO/1 | --- | |
| Feb. 21 | Donnie Fleeman | Miami | TKO/7 | --- | |
| Apr. 19 | Lamar Clark | Louisville | KO/2 | --- | |
| Jun. 26 | Duke Sabwedong | Las Vegas | W/10 | --- | |
| Jul. 22 | Alonzo Johnson | Louisville | W/10 | --- | |
| Oct. 7 | Alex Miteff | Louisville | TKO/6 | --- | |
| Nov. 29 | Willi Besmanoff | Louisville | TKO/7 | --- | |
| 1962 | Feb. 10 | Lucian Banks | New York | TKO/4 | --- |
| Feb. 28 | Jack Wagner | Miami | TKO/4 | --- | |
| Apr. 23 | George Logan | Miami | TKO/4 | --- | |
| May 19 | Billy Daniels | New York | TKO/7 | --- | |
| Jul. 20 | Alejandro Lavorante | Los Angeles | KO/5 | --- | |
| Nov. 15 | Archie Moore | Los Angeles | TKO/4 | --- | |
| 1963 | Jan. 24 | Charles Powell | Pittsburgh | KO/3 | --- |
| Mar. 13 | Doug Jones | New York | W/10 | --- | |
| Jun. 18 | Henry Cooper | London | TKO/5 | --- | |
| 1964 | Feb. 25 | Sonny Liston | Miami | TKO/7 | Won-World-H |
| 1965 | May 25 | Sonny Liston | Lewiston, ME | KO/1 | Ret-World-H |
| Nov. 22 | Floyd Patterson | Las Vegas | TKO/12 | Ret-World-H | |
| 1966 | Mar. 29 | George Chuvalo | Toronto | W/15 | Ret-World-H |
| May 21 | Henry Cooper | London | TKO/6 | Ret-World-H | |
| Aug. 6 | Brian London | London | TKO/3 | Ret-World-H | |
| Sep. 10 | Karl Mildenberger | Frankfurt, Germany | TKO/12 | Ret-World-H | |
| Nov. 14 | Cleveland Williams | Houston | TKO/3 | Ret-World-H | |
| 1967 | Feb. 6 | Ernie Terrell | New York | W/15 | Ret-World-H |
| Mar. 22 | Zora Folley | New York | TKO/7 | Ret-World-H | |
| 1970 | Oct. 26 | Jerry Quarry | Atlanta | TKO/3 | --- |
| Dec. 7 | Oscar Bonavena | New York | TKO/15 | --- | |
| 1971 | Mar. 8 | Joe Frazier | New York | L/15 | For-World-H |
| Jul. 26 | Jimmy Ellis | Houston | TKO/12 | Won-NABF-H | |
| Nov. 17 | Buster Mathis | Houston | W/12 | Ret-NABF-H | |
| Dec. 26 | Jurgen Blin | Zurich, Switzerland | KO/7 | --- | |
| 1972 | Apr. 1 | McArthur Foster | Tokyo | W/15 | --- |
| May. 1 | George Chuvalo | Vancouver, B.C. | W/12 | Ret-NABF-H | |
| Jun. 27 | Jerry Quarry | Las Vegas | TKO/7 | Ret-NABF-H | |
| Jul 19 | Alvin Lewis | Dublin | TKO/11 | --- | |
| Sep. 20 | Floyd Patterson | New York | TKO/7 | Ret-NABF-H | |
| Nov. 21 | Bob Foster | Stateline, NV | KO/8 | Ret-NABF-H | |
| 1973 | Feb. 14 | Joe Bugner | Las Vegas | W/12 | --- |
| Mar. 31 | Ken Norton | San Diego | L/12 | Lost-NABF-H | |
| Sep. 10 | Ken Norton | Inglewood, CA | W/12 | Reg-NABF-H | |
| Oct. 20 | Rudy Lubbers | Jakarta, Indonesia | W/12 | --- | |
| 1974 | Jan.28 | Joe Frazier | New York | W/12 | Ret-NABF-H |
| Oct. 30 | George Foreman | Kinshasa, Zaire | KO/8 | Reg-World-H | |
| 1975 | Mar. 24 | Chuck Wepner | Cleveland | TKO/15 | Ret-World-H |
| May 16 | Ron Lyle | Las Vegas | TKO/11 | Ret-World-H | |
| Jul. 1 | Joe Bugner | Kuala Lampur, Malaysia | W/15 | Ret-World-H | |
| Oct. 1 | Joe Frazier | Quezon, Phillippines | TKO/14 | Ret-World-H | |
| 1976 | Feb. 20 | Jean Coopman | San Juan, P.R. | KO/5 | Ret-World-H |
| Apr. 30 | Jimmy Young | Landover, MD | W/15 | Ret-World-H | |
| May 24 | Richard Dunn | Munich, Germany | TKO/5 | Ret-World-H | |
| Sep. 28 | Ken Norton | New York | W/15 | Ret-World-H | |
| 1977 | May 16 | Alfredo Evangelista | Landover | W/15 | Ret-World-H |
| Sep. 29 | Ernie Shavers | New York | W/15 | Ret-World-H | |
| 1978 | Feb. 15 | Leon Spinks | Las Vegas | L/15 | Lost-World-H |
| Sep. 15 | Leon Spinks | New Orleans | W/15 | Reg-World (WBA)-H | |
| 1980 | Oct. 2 | Larry Holmes | Las Vegas | TKO'd/11 | For-World (WBC)-H |
| 1981 | Dec. 11 | Trevor Berbick | Nassau, Bahamas | L/10 | --- |