Biography of Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is the "Quintessential American." In his stand for religious and racial
freedom, for his humility, generosity, braggadocio, deep and abiding physical and mental
courage, though always larger than life -- Ali exhibited many typical and deep-rooted
American traits. He struck a number of positively resonant notes in the American psyche,
that make him now a revered person (Walter). Muhammad Ali is a widely known
person, not only for being one of the all-time greatest fighters in history, but also for
being one of the most prominent and influential persons of the twentieth century.
Muhammad Ali was not always called by that name, born on January 17, 1942 in
Louisville Kentucky, named after his father, Cassius Clay. Twelve year old Cassius was
turned on to boxing after his brand-new bike was stolen at an annual Black bazaar called
The Louisville Home Show; Joe Martin, a policeman who taught young boys how to box,
was in the basement of that event. Cassius complained to him that he was going to beat
the person who stole his bike and Officer Martin decided to push the frustrated youngster
towards boxing. Six weeks later Cassius would win a three minute, three round split
decision in his very first match (Ehrmann).
Muhammad's had two very special things about him; his boxing skills and his
ability to move and motivate people and the power to stand up for what he believed in.
Cassius Clay fought Sonny Liston and won, becoming the new World Heavyweight
Champion and two days later shocked the world again by announcing that he had joined
the Nation of Islam, becoming Muhammad Ali.
1964 was a big year for Muhammad Ali, after becoming World Champ and
changing his religion ...
... middle of paper ...
... for being one of the all-time greatest fighters in history, but also
for being one of the most prominent and influential persons of the twentieth century.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Ehrmann, Johannes. "Muhammad Ali Page." 2000
http://www.float-like-a-butterfly.de/ 2 November 2000.
The Courier Journal. "The Making of a Champ, Muhammad Ali." April 2000
http://www.courier-journal.com/ali/ 2 November 2000
Sports Placement Services. "Muhammad Ali, The Greatest." June 2000
http://www.sportsplacement.com/ali.htm 2 November 2000
Walter, John C. Muhammad Ali: The Quintesenntial American. 2000
http://www.americansc.org.uk/Forum/muhammad_ali.htm 2 November 2000
"Muhammad Ali: Former Heavyweight Champion of the World African 1986
Recipient." 1996 http://www.neco.org/awards/recipients/muhammadali.html
2 November 2000
What they did not know was the self proclaimed greatest in the world was planning the one of the greatest changes in his life. Behind the scenes Cassius was studying Islam, he became good friends with Malcolm X and studied under Elijah Muhammad. Cassius took the name Muhammad Ali, saying he did not want to be called by a slave name any longer. He took Muhammed from the first prophet of Islam with the name meaning worthy of being praised, and the last name Ali which meaning is to be elevated. During a time where racial tensions were high people had a hard time accepting his new name. Often times the media would continue to call him Cassius, one didn't famed ABC sports reporter Howard Cosell, he respected Ali, because he too had changed his name from Cohen a Jewish name to Cosell, because in those time it was also a disadvantage to be Jewish. In 1965 Ai was scheduled to fight Floyd Patterson, who insisted on calling him Cassius, Patterson paid a big price for that, there is documentary footage which shows Ali giving Patterson the beating of a lifetime, making sure not to knock him out taking him through all 12 rounds repeating “now what’s my name
Remnick does not shy away from discussing the shadowy history of the boxing world (no pun intended). It's well known boxing has been affiliated with the 'mob,' but perhaps what is lesser known is Clay's absolute refusal to be in any way associated with the Mafia.
Less than two months after the 1960 Olympics, Clay, still only 18, signed a professional contract with the Louisville Sponsoring Group, made up of 10 local businessmen. The group agreed to pay him $10,000 cash and a guaranteed $4,000 a year for two years. Any money Clay made above the guarantee would be split 50-50 with the sponsors, who agreed to take care of all travel and training expenses. In a prepared statement that called Cassius Clay "one of the nation's outstanding young athletes," the group summed up how Louisville felt about the fighter's amateur career, and the hopes it held for his future: "Each of the 10 members of the group has admiration for Cassius Clay as a fine young man and confidence in his ability as a boxer. The principal purpose of the group is to provide hometown support for Cassius' professional career and to aid him in realizing the maximum benefits from his efforts."
The documentary, “Unforgivable Blackness” directed by Ken Burns casts light on the extraordinary life story of legendary boxer Jack Johnson. The documentary is about the barriers Jack Johnson had to overcome to satisfy his hunger for becoming the best and living “The American Dream.” Johnson had humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas and it was in those beginnings that glimpses of his bright future were slowly but surely beginning to show. Through out his life, he showed independence, relentlessness, ability to improvise, call attention to himself and get around rules meaning to tie him down. Jack Johnson was a self made man who had the drive to go forward and achieve what he wanted to achieve through hard work, patience and all the skills he was blessed with.
Muhammed Ali grew up in Louisville, Kentucky but he was known as Cassius Clay. He lived a normal life until the age of twelve when his bicycle was stolen during a local convention of the Louisville Service Club. Clay wanted to report the crime and went to find a police officer. He found Joe Martin, an officer and a boxing coach at the Columbia Gym . Clay told Martin “I’m going to whip the person who stole my bike.” Martin then proceeded to tell Clay that if he wanted to do that he should come to the gym and learn how to fight properly. Clay was a small man when he started boxing as an amateur; he weighed only eighty-nine pounds. Clay would soon become the man to see at the Columbia Gym. Joe Martin’s wife said that Clay was an overall nice guy. He was polite and always did what he was asked to do. He carried his Bible with him all the time, read when he could, and loved it. Throughout his amateur career and high school, Clay worked at the Nazareth College Library. Clay also was viewed as a kid obsessed with boxing. Clay got bigger and stronger as his talents grew. Sometimes, to keep in shape, Clay would race the city buses to school. Bettie Johnson, a school counselor said “Clay wasn’t a good student, and if he had not been a boxer, he would not have stood out in any way but he went to school like he was supposed to.” Clay never had any problems with his attitude in school, but as a senior he wrote a paper about Black Muslims. Clay’s paper was controversial because his teacher was a conforming Christian and his ideas about separatism and blacks being super-assertive scared her. The teacher wasn’t going to pass Clay, but the principal said “the boy will not fail, because he’s going to be an outstanding boxer.” Clay was becoming a boxing phenomenon; the first newspaper article about him was published on October 27, 1957. By then Clay had been boxing for 3 years and was clearly the number on...
Muhammad Ali: The life of The Great One Muhammad Ali had a significant impact on American Society for not only his fighting styles, but also his values he exemplified outside of the ring. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Ali is light on his feet but explosive with his hit. Ali had a total of 61 fights and of those 61 fights 56 were wins, 37 were by Knock Out and he only had 5 losses. He returned to the ring in 1970, knocking out Jerry Quarry in October.
As a son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, Jesse Owens created History in 1936 when he achieved what no athlete had done before: four Olympic Gold Medals. (jesseowens.com). During this era, the United States had limited civil rights and was approaching a World War with Hitler rising into power in Germany. Although Owens was victorious on the track, because of the color of his skin, He was looked down upon and unrecognized by even his own country. Through the excessive racism, one may ask how Owens moved forward and dealt with such negativity in a situation that should have been celebrated.
leader. He won the hearts of people because he could relate to them and their
Boxer Muhammad Ali, was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., on January 17, 1942, he was the son of Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay. He lived in Louisville, Kentucky where he experienced discrimination and racial prejudice towards himself and his family, which led him to his fascination towards boxing. Later in his life, he would win the Olympic gold medal for boxing in 1960 and became the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964, and was the first fighter to recapture heavyweight champion three times. But Clay was not only a boxer, he was also a philanthropist and social activist with astonishing effrontery, he spoke out against problems such as race, religion, and politics that cause him to become such a controversial figure.
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. later known as Muhammad Ali, was a black boxer, and was proud of it. Many African Americans were ashamed of their color, but Ali was different. He was the first boxer to win the Heavyweight Championship 3 different times. He had a great personality and was liked by the people. During his life, he made big decisions that changed the course of his life completely. Muhammad Ali's journey through life was a great inspiration for African American people, but Ali himself deserves the admiration of everyone.
When prominent boxers of the 20th century are discussed, many heavyweight champions are mentioned. Names like Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier always find their way to the front of the conversation. But it is Muhammad Ali, a three-time heavyweight champion and political activist, who always seems to find the forefront of it all. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, Ali came into the ring after his bike was stolen at the age of twelve. He brought up his anger to Officer Joe Elsby Martin Sr. who suggested he start boxing. Ali quickly became a star after winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. At 6’3”, Ali demonstrated extraordinary speed and accuracy and he quickly became a contender for the heavyweight title.
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. also known as Muhammad Ali is a famous and a very talented boxer. He was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Cassius, named after his father, grew up in a good home. He had both parents and was the older of two brothers. His father painted billboard and signs for a living while his mother was a stay at home mom.
His bold public persona described or showed what was happening in Clay's personal life. However, Clay did some soul searching and he decided to join the Nation of Islam, in 1964. The Nation of Islam was a black Muslim group. Clay went with the name Cassius X, but he later changed his name again to Muhammad Ali. Two years later, he picked a fight that did
Cassius Marcellus Clay was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942, during a time when Louisville was severely segregated. African-Americans were often considered the ‘servant’ class. The highest goal that many parents could realistically set for their children was clergymen or public school teacher. Cassius Clay’s father was a billboard painter and his mother worked cleaning houses. Being an African-American in poverty wasn’t easy; in fact, Clay was mistreated from birth. His mother recalls a specific incident in a convenience store when he was very young. “…He wanted a drink of water and they wouldn’t give him one because of his color. That really affected him.” Clay was eventually led into boxing as a way to deal with stress after having his bike stolen at the age of twelve. It was in the ring he would leave his legacy as an athlete, but out in the real world was where his fighting legacy would really leave a lasting impact. As an advocate for all people, Muhammad Ali was able to challeng...
In November 6, 2014 I called a professor, who taught me seven years ago at Taibah University in my city, through his cell phone. I asked him if he would mind to make an interview with him regarding to his major. Luckily, he agreed to make the interview and he asked me to give him brief information about the interview. So I did and then we decided how could we make the interview. He asked to send him an email contains the questions that I need to know, and then we will meet through Skype to discuss those questions. On November 20, 2014 we finished the interview. In this paper will find my interview with my professor Dr. Mohammed Ali.