Muhammad Ali: The Man, the Myth, and the Legend
Muhammad Ali is one of the most decorated athletes in American history. For decades he dominated the boxing world going against any and every opposition that came before him. His stamina and charisma has yet to be matched by any athlete since him. The Vietnam War drove many Americans into the vicious battle. Many served faithfully but Muhammad Ali refused to serve his country in that way. His career was threatened and he was on the verge of being named one of the great villains of American history simply because he refused to fight in a war that his religion did not believe in and that most Americans would find in bad taste just years later.
Muhammad Ali started off as Cassius Clay of Louisville who goes to a local store in search of merchandise and leaves his bike sitting unchained outside of the store. When he comes back the bike is gone and Clay is furious. He hunts for the nearest police officer in hopes of getting his bike back somehow, but the police officer could not help him and Clays vow to beat up the culprit (Ezra 7). Clay ironically took up boxing several months after the ruling of the Brown v. Board of Education court case. The story of Clay meeting Joe Martin is one of the defining moments in the man that would become Ali’s boxing career (Ezra 7). Without that moment in history you can validly argue that Muhammad Ali might have never became the legend that we know today.
Clay was born to Odessa Grady Clay and Cassius Clay Sr. on January 17th, 1942. His mother had roots going back to an Irishman named Abe Grady while his father claimed to be related to Henry Clay, a great politician of the American Whig party (Edmonds 13-14). Cassius Clay was sheltered from the type ...
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...r communism" (Edmonds 82)
Ali was convicted for refusing to join the armed services and was able to be bonded out for a total of $5,000. During this time the court decided to take away Muhammad Ali’s boxing license and without that he was unable to support himself financially. Ali began to find work in any way that he could, he worked at stores, spoke at universities, and made money almost any way he could. By the 1970s the United States population had begun to realize why Ali refused to go to Vietnam. Despite becoming one of the most hated Americans in the country he was able to resurrect his career by fighting in smaller venues and getting more buzz around his name. He was able to become a great icon of peace and courage for young people to believe in. To this day Ali still maintains the same courage and beliefs that he had when he was the champion of the world.
Ali proved to be a strong-willed individual that did leave a huge impact on America, but what impact had increased as time continued and his faults have been somewhat forgotten. Those believing that Muhammad was more of a hero than Jackie Robinson most likely feel that Ali’s action of standing up against the United States government, when he was drafted, was an act of courage and bravery. The main reason why Ali didn 't wish to go to war in Vietnam was because he believed he shouldn 't be fighting for a country that ultimately didn 't support his own people within its own borders. Ali has developed into a figure of courage after the time that his happened. In the 1960s when this originally happened, Ali had more enemies as a result of his religious and social views and ideas than fans. Today we see that what he did may be considered heroic, but back when it actually occurred, Ali was seen as a nuisance to America. He was spreading word and influencing people to act against their own country in a time of war. Since Muhammad Ali’s retirement from boxing the course of time has faded criticism of Ali and left mostly just the positive parts of his life and career. As a society we’ve buried the controversial side of Ali’s existence in our minds and history simply remembers his greatness as an athlete. Robinson had an impact on
“Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee ahhhh! Rumble, young man rumble ahhhh!” Those were the words echoed time and time again from Cassius Clay and his corner man David Brown. Better known as Muhammad Ali, he has a legacy of being the greatest fighter whoever lived.
Remnick goes into some detail about Ali's private live, including his religious conversion, his connection with Malcolm X, and his brief marriage to and divorce from Sonji Roi. He lets us in behind-the-scenes on some sports-writers, as well as on Norman Mailer, Angelo Dundee (Clay/Ali's trainer), and the bout between world champion Floyd Patterson and contender Sonny Liston. His primary focus, however, is on Clay/Ali's fight with Liston after Liston defeated Patterson.
Muhammad Ali was a man in great need around the beginning of the 1800’s, in time of great need when the French were evacuating Egypt. Muhammad Ali stood up and brought a sinking empire out from the dirt, he was determined to create an empire that was superior to all others. To do this, he knew there was significant changes to be made. One of these changes was, “the Mamluks from re-establishing their corrupt tax-farming system”. (Shillington 284) Another accomplishment of Muhammad Ali was establishing a stable army that was based off the Europeans systems. This actually established him as a modern day advancer of militaristic tactics.
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on the 17th of January, 1942. His father was a painter and his mother worked as a servant. The Clay’s had always been a lower-class family. At the age of twelve, his bike was stolen and he reported it to a police officer, saying that he wanted to fight the thief.
Ali's impact on today's society is enormous because of his success in everything he does. You can visit the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and learn about Ali the poet, Ali the boxer, and Ali the dreamer (Visitor). The Muhammad Ali Center also offers an exhibit where you can learn about Ali's life. The Muhammad Ali Center is a non-profit organization and donations support the vision, preserve the legacy, and promote a global community. Ali has inspired many people through his boxing and through his peace work. He is a role model in whom one can find humor, equality, and good character.
Muhammad Ali is one of the most influential and electrifying athletes in American history. Ali was an extremely controversial and polarizing figure during the early stages of his boxing career. Universally praised for is godly boxing talents, Ali played an exceptionally pivotal role in religious freedom, and racial justice across America in the 1960's. Despite severe backlash from the American public Muhammad Ali never backed down from his beliefs through his resilience and perseverance, Ali shattered the social roles and expectations of that time, as well as separating himself from the social pressures of the American world. All in all Muhammad Ali is a clear candidate for being a "hero".
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.
Standing at 6'3" with a milk chocolate completion. With short curly hair,Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest boxers American has every produce. He is also my hero, the reason why he's my hero is because he kinda STOPPED slavery. Also he help kids get off the street in his home town. And finally he has helped feed over 22 million people who went hungry.
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., known as Muhammad Ali, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 17, 1942. Growing up in the segregated south he experienced racial discrimination and prejudice firsthand. Ali’s father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., supported a wife and two sons by painting billboards and signs. Ali’s mother, Odessa Grady Clay, worked on occasion as a household domestic. (“The Importance of Muhammad Ali”)
Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who voiced his political ideologies in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and protest the War. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame to project his humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title . He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racia...
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, also known as Muhammad Ali was considered one of the greatest sports figures in the history of boxing. Clay was born in Louisville, Kentucky in January 17, 1942. As his parents cheered him on, his family did too. Clay had 7 children and 4 wives. But his parents are not deceased but his family lives on. But not only was he the greatest boxer, he was a hero to his hometown, his family, and the black community, he never gave up on being the best, and helping his community.
Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who used politics in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights movement and protest the war. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame for humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title. He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racial barriers.
His mother did her job raising a young and promising man who didn’t get into trouble a lot. They are a lot of children who had what Ali had or even better, but sometimes taking the wrong turn can change a lot in one's life. When he was not in school, he was training, and when he was not training, he was going to church with his mother. When he was older he did the same things. When he was going the wrong way, his brother and trainers helped him stay focused. How did this help him in the long term? I think it gave him more time to trainer and work of his boxing so that he could become a great fighter. For some boxers they were in there to get famous and get rich, but for Ali that was not what he wanted. He wanted to become the greatest of all time and having a family that looked out for him was what he need
Muhammad ali is one of the greatest boxers ever. Many of us have heard of him.