Biography
American light-heavyweight gold medalist, the only man to win the
heavyweight championship of the world three times. He began boxing
professionally on 10/29/1960 and became world champ in 1964 by knocking
out Sonny Liston. His title was declared vacant after he refused military
obligation as a Muslim and a conscientious objector. He later changed his
name and reentered the ring in 1970, fighting with singular grace and
beauty for 25 years. Muhammad Ali earned a reputation as a man dedicated
to his goals and beliefs. A consummate showman, he used to call himself
"the Greatest," and many of his fans believe that the nickname
fits.
Clay's great grandfather was an Irishman who had married a black girl.
Ali was raised in a middle-class neighborhood, the eldest of two sons born
to Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa (Grady) Clay. Ali's father
supported his family as a sign and mural painter, while his mother worked
as a domestic. Ali worshiped with his family on Sundays at Mount Zion
Baptists Church and attended school with brother Rudolph. He was a rather
poor student, which he blames on his preoccupation with boxing as a boy.
Ali has confessed that he wished he had put forth more effort
academically, because he has struggled as a slow reader his entire life.
It was due to a stolen bicycle that Ali began to box, at age 12. When
he reported the theft, Policeman Joe Martin invited the boy to train with
Fred Stoner, who taught him to move with the speed and grace of a dancer.
While still in high school, he won 100 out of 108 matches and earned six
Kentucky and two national Golden Glove championships, as well as two
Amateur Athletic Union Championships. Ali mastered his renowned skill at
ring chatter; talking a poetic jive while in the fight, geared to distract
and frustrate his opponent, and at age 18, he won the boxing Olympic gold
medal in the light heavyweight category at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Upon
returning to Louisville, he signed a lucrative fifty-fifty split contract
turning him into a professional boxer. With arrogance and wit he spouted
off catchy jive talk such as his famous chant, "float like a
butterfly, sting like a bee." Still known as Cassius Clay, Ali fought
Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship title, beating him to
become the world's heavyweight champion at age 22, 5/25/1965.
While in Miami, he met Malcolm X who gave voice to Ali's disgust with
racism. At one time he was refused service at a soda fountain counter
because he was black and in outrage, he threw his Olympic gold medal into
a river. Joining the Nation of Islam, he was given the name Muhammad Ali
by Elijah Muhammad, his new title meaning "beloved of Allah." It
was the beginning of his social and political activism.
In June 1965, Ali defended his title by once more defeating Liston by a
knockout punch that was so powerful that it lifted Liston's left foot
clear off the mat. Despite his popularity in the sports world, he was
loathed by many Americans when it became known that he had become a
Muslim. When he took a stance as a conscientious objector to America's
involvement in the war in Vietnam, he was called everything from traitor
to coward. When he refused to accept the draft, in May 1967 Ali was
stripped of his title and boxing license by the World Boxing Association
and charged for violating the Selective Service Act by the government.
Even boxing fans and sports journalists joined the outcry, to which Ali
commented, "I'm giving up my title, my wealth, maybe my future. Many
great men have been tested for their religious beliefs. If I pass this
test, I'll come out stronger than ever."
Sentenced to five years in prison and released on appeal, Ali's
conviction was overturned three years later and he returned to the ring.
After defeating Jerry Quarry in November 1970, he met Joe Frazier in New
York 3/08/1971 – who gave him his first professional defeat. By the end
of his career, Ali had fought Joe Frazier twice more. These three bouts
have been one of the most widely discussed series in the sport because of
their intensity and duration.
In 1974 Ali avenged his loss to Frazier with a unanimous decision
victory. This retaliation did not earn Ali the title, however, since
newcomer George Foreman had dethroned Frazier as the champion. Ali
arranged to fight for the title against Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on
10/30/1974, a bout billed as the Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman was favored
as he was young, strong and known as the hardest hitter in boxing. Ali
rested on the ropes and danced around Foreman for eight rounds, biding his
time and conserving his force. When he finally made his move, he sent
Foreman to the canvas – and regained the title.
He met Joe
Frazier for the third time and defeated him after 14 rounds in
Manila, October 1, 1975. Although Ali lost a title defense early in 1978 to
Leon Spinks, he later defeated Spinks in a rematch to win his title for
the third time. On 6/26/1979, at the age of 37, Ali retired as champion
with a professional record of 59 victories and three defeats.
In July 1964, Ali met a beautiful half-black woman. She was Sonji Roi,
a model and a cocktail waitress. On 8/14/1964, they were married in Gray,
Indiana. For their honeymoon, they went on a tour of Africa. The fairy
tale marriage didn't last more than a year as a result of their conflicts
with each other on Ali being extremely loyal to the Nation of Islam. His
second wife Khaliah [Belinda] filed for divorce in 1976. A year later, he
married Veronica, one of the four poster girls who promoted the Rumble in
the Jungle. Ali lived a lavish lifestyle, needing to support high
maintenance. He had four wives, two mistresses and nine kids (one adopted)
that ranged from college age to infancy. Kids are one of his great
pleasures, his own or any.
Ali stops and goes out of his way to pick up a child or ask about
people's children. Khaliah, one of his daughters, has successfully built
up her boxing career following in the footsteps of her champion father.
Now, Laila too has followed suit, taking up boxing as a career.
He lives with his fourth wife, Yolanda, who also acts as his manager,
in Berrien Springs, Michigan. At home, he spends many hours signing Muslim
handouts and photos of himself, replying to fan mail, reading the Koran
and praying. Islam means to him submitting to the will of God and being at
peace. He feels that there is truth in all religions imbued with love.
In 1981, Ali appeared to be sluggish and weak in motor skills, moving
slowly and trembling. Originally misdiagnosed as having a thyroid
condition, it was another year before he was found to have Parkinson's
disease at UCLA, and started treatment. The disease was caused, said his
doctor in 1987, by injuries sustained in his 61-event boxing career. He
became more involved in political activism and philanthropy and his
illness matured him and made him a serious man, to whom people listened as
he slowly formulated the words.
In the '90s, he lived comfortably on a farm in Michigan with his fourth
wife, Lonnie. He travels frequently, usually in the company of his
longtime friend and personal photographer, Howard Bingham, for book
signings of Bingham's book of photographs, "Muhammad Ali: A Thirty
Year Journey." People flock to him, one of the most popular and
beloved figures of the sports world of the 20th century. Financially, he's
comfortable for his later years. In addition to his 200-acre farm in
Berrien Springs, MI, Ali owns his Deer Lake training camp and much of the
mountain on which it was built – the camp is now being used as a home
for abused children – as well as sizable tracts of land in Virginia. He
has several vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and a Winnebago motor home.
At the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in August 1996, he lit the torch, an
emotional moment for a nation of fans who saw him not only as a champion
but as a very real and vulnerable man, his arm shaking visibly as he
raised the torch.
In December 2001, a movie commemorating the life of Muhammad Ali was
released, starring Will Smith in the title role. Smith was born 9/25/1968,
Philadelphia, PA.
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