On the 3rd of June, 2016, billions of people across the seven continents bid adieu to one of the greatest athletes to ever grace the planet Earth. Born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on the 17th of January, 1942, the man the world came to recognize as Muhammad Ali was called many things by many people over the course of his life but the nickname he is most famously known by is the one that fits him the best – The Greatest. It is easy to run out of adjectives while describing Ali. He was controversial, opinionated, charismatic and fierce. He danced inside the ring with his feet and hands and danced outside of it with his oratory prowess. The boxing world christened him the best heavyweight boxer on the planet many a time and the general public heralded him as the People’s Champion. There aren’t enough words in the English language to succinctly state his influence; his impact on society as a whole can be seen and felt to this very day.
The Early Years
Clay was born in Kentucky to a family of humble means. Growing up during the period of racial segregation, he was often pained to face discrimination based on the colour of his skin. 1954 saw Clay make his amateur boxing debut. Over the course of the next six years, the lanky lad from Louisville won title after title. This title-winning odyssey culminated in him winning the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics held at Rome. He turned professional in October of that year, and his tryst with sporting immortality had begun.
Dethroning Liston and Becoming Ali
Sonny Liston was an imposing figure who had disposed of former World Champion Floyd Patterson with consummate ease. Clay, the number one contender to Liston’s title, was thought of to be a cocky whippersnapper when he mouthed off during the pre-fight build-up. Not many gave him a realistic chance of even putting up a good fight. On February 25th of 1964, Clay shocked the world by winning the fight with a 7th round technical knock-out at the tender age of 22. Soon after becoming the heavyweight champion of the world, Cassius Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. His open affiliation with the Nation of Islam became a much talked about topic in social circles but Ali, the boxer was focussed on his rematch with Liston. He won. He then faced Patterson. He won that too. Slowly but surely, the legend of Ali was beginning to grow. In a twist of fate that defined the word anti-climactic, Ali’s professional world was about to get rocked.
The Vietnam Draft
On the 28th of April, 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to answer the call of enrolment for the Vietnam War. He arrested, stripped of his title and his boxing license was suspended by different boxing commissions around the country. The decision earned him adoration from certain sections of society while others felt that he was not doing his duty as an American citizen. Ali’s reasoning behind his decision was that he had no intention of killing innocent civilians in a far-away country who had done him no harm. Ali would not box again till late 1970.
The Fight of the Century
In October of 1970, Ali fought against and beat Jerry Quarry although his conviction was overturned only the next year. Another victory, this time over Oscar Bonavena, left Ali as the number one contender to Joe Frazier’s heavyweight title. Both Ali and Frazier were undefeated in their professional careers, and to add even more buzz to the championship fight, Ali had never lost the belt to another boxer in the first place. The match was set for March 8th, 1971 at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dubbed as ‘The Fight of the Century’, the battle raged back and forth as the unstoppable force met the immovable object. At the end of 15 gruelling rounds, Frazier was adjudged the winner unanimously and Ali was handed his first professional loss.
Super Fight II
Ali and Frazier’s first bout had sparked a rivalry that enthralled the boxing world. The pair met again on January 28th, 1974. Frazier had lost his title to George Foreman but even without the belt on the line, there was a lot at stake for both men. Ali wanted to show the world that he was still operating at his peak powers while Frazier wanted to put the Foreman loss behind him. The bout was referred to as Super Fight II in media circles. Ali ran out the winner on a unanimous decision by the judges, thus avenging his title loss to Foreman. Little did either man know that there would be one more fight between them; one that would elevate both boxers into the uppermost echelons of sporting greatness.
The Rumble in the Jungle
In the African country of Zaire (now known as DPR Congo), at 4:00 AM local time and on the 30th of October, 1974, one of the greatest sporting events in history took place. The undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman, defended his title against Muhammad Ali in front of a packed house of 60,000 spectators. The 25 year-old Foreman was seen as been indestructible; his demolition of Joe Frazier on course to winning the belt had sent shockwaves through the boxing world. Ali, 32 at the time, went into the fight the underdog. He came out of it with his second heavyweight title. Using a tactic he coined ‘rope-a-dope’, Ali let Foreman tire himself out while leaning on the ropes and absorbing the heavy hitter’s offense. A weary Foreman was put to rest in the 8th round, and Ali was on top of the mountain again.
The Thrilla in Manila
Tied at one victory apiece, Ali fought Joe Frazier on October 1st, 1975 in Manila, Philippines with his world heavyweight title on the line. ‘The Thrilla in Manila’, as the fight was referred to in fight-enthusiast circles, became one of the greatest bouts any follower of boxing had ever seen. As the previous couple of fights had shown, both warriors were up to the challenge and traded rounds. By the time the penultimate round rolled around however, Ali had gained a decisive advantage and Frazier’s trainer declined to let him go out and contest the 15th. “Frazier quit just before I did. I didn’t think I could fight any more.” were Ali’s exact words, showcasing the brutal nature of the fight.
Decline, Retirement and Legacy
Leon Spinks defeated an ill-prepared Ali in 1978 for the title. Ali, instead of hanging up his gloves, decided to dig deep into the last vestiges of strength, belief and ability he had; he won the world heavyweight belt for the third time by beating Spinks in New Orleans. Age caught up with him, as did disease; Parkinson’s Syndrome affected him to great extents and subsequent public appearances were few and far between as the illness progressed. No amount of damage to his body could hurt his legacy however, and Ali is fondly remembered today as being a groundbreaking pioneer in the world of boxing as well as the voice of a generation for civil society.
Interesting Facts about Muhammad Ali
- Ali married 4 times and fathered 9 children. One of his daughters, Laila, followed in his footsteps and retired as an undefeated professional boxer.
- He was known as Cassius X for a while before having the name Muhammad Ali bestowed upon him by Elijah Muhammad.
- Ali evidently threw his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio River in protest of racial discrimination and was given a replacement at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. Speaking of the Atlanta Olympics, Ali kicked the Games off by lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony.
- Ali starred in a Broadway musical while being suspended from professional boxing owing to his refusal to partake in the Vietnam War.
- Ali appeared at the first WWF Wrestlemania event as a referee. Gorgeous George, a popular wrestler in his time, is said to have been the inspiration behind Ali’s trash-talking persona.
