Muhammad Ali is a retire heavyweight boxing champion and claimed the title 3 times in his 21 year career. Muhammad Ali won fifty six boxing matches during his boxing career and has only lost five matches and knocked out his opponents thirty seven times. Muhammad Ali has appeared on the cover of sports illustrated thirty eight times just behind retire basketball player Michael Jordan. In 1964 he joined the islamic religion and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
Ali had a profound impact on how blacks were viewed in society in the late 20th century. Ali practiced Islam despite coming from a Christian background and believed that black was truly beautiful. Ali fought against Frazier in 1971 at Madison Square Garden during their heavyweight title fight. Ultimately, Frazier ended up winning the fight, but Ali gained a newfound respect among the public which was critical in shaping the racial relations between whites and blacks. Farhood demonstrated to the audience his overwhelming knowledge and passion for boxing through his in-depth presentation and analysis of the material.
Marqusee, Mike. Redemption song: Muhammad Ali and the spirit of the sixties. Verso, 2005. Saeed, Amid. "
Muhammad Ali’s legacy will never be forgotten, as he showed the world that one who is doubted or different, can still be the
Ali's charm, humor, and unwavering confidence helped him become a global superstar. He spoke out against racial unfairness, religious prejudice, and the Vietnam War without fear, often at considerable personal risk. Ali's firm commitment to his ideals, both inside and beyond the ring, showed athletes' ability to impact change and challenge society's standards. His reputation as a social justice crusader continues to encourage sportsmen to use their platforms to make a good difference in the
On January 17, 1942, one of the world's greatest athletes and social activists was born. For many people, they know Muhammad Ali as an amazing boxer and all around athlete. But what some don’t know are his actions and words outside the ring that changed our country. One of his most remembered actions was when he was arrested for declining to go into The Vietnam War Draft in which he was selected. Ali refused to go because he knew that his boxing career and possibly his life would be in danger.
Muhammad Ali was a very influential person in the civil rights movement. He paved the way for equal rights in sports because he endured the hatred professionally. If he did not accept the discrimination in the manner that he did, then the sports would have rejected all colored people because they were perceived as temperamental fighters who couldn’t hold their anger in. As a result of his actions, the U.S. has improved much of their segregation laws and now has equality all over. During the times of Civil Rights, he did not know that he was making such an impact; he just wanted to be equal as every other person and he wanted to make sure others were being treated right as well.
With the guidance of Islam of Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, Ali’s powerful voice was used to advocate for racial and social justice and equality. Ali was vocal about his beliefs on race, religion, and his opposition to the Vietnam War. His refusal to be drafted was based on the principle that the Viet Cong had not wronged him personally, and how it contradicted his beliefs led to significant backlash and controversy. Ali impacted the United States by challenging white supremacy, in a sport dominated by whites, and climbed his way to the top. He fought against racism and segregation and helped in the civil rights movement.
Muhammad Ali was known outside of the boxing ring for his defiance to the U.S. government. Muhammad Ali dodged the draft for the Vietnam War, and spoke out against it. For this, he was stripped of his titles, including the Golden Gloves award, and was sent to prison. Three years later, he came back to win the Golden Gloves title again. He continued to battle until he reached George Foreman, the undefeated heavyweight champion.
The Champ Is Here Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was an activist and American professional boxer, however many knew him as the legendary Muhammad Ali. Clay altered his name to Ali after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964. Ali had a sister and four brothers. Clay lived in a time when racial segregation was at its peak. After being denied water due to his skin color and the murder of Emmett Till, Clay and a friend vandalized a local rail yard to take out their frustration.
Trials and Tribulations of Muhammad Ali There is always a base image of a celebrity when said celebrity’s name is brought up; the name Muhammad Ali may project an image of a famous boxer who had his name chanted every time he stepped inside of a ring. However, many didn’t know that he had a struggle with the name he was given at birth and the name he had been given by his teacher Elijah Muhammad. As Richard B. Muhammad and Starla Muhammad points, “His name change, stand with Mr. Muhammad and stand against White supremacy and U.S. racial hypocrisy brought hate mail and death threats.” I’ve even heard stories about how people would call him a terrorist and coward just because he changed his name into something that did not suit their standards. Having to ignore the tomatoes thrown at you (hypothetically) while preparing and training for the next fight like it will be your last is something many people did not think about when they picture Muhammad Ali’s life daily.
Muhammad Ali was the first professional athlete to openly speak out and follow his beliefs no matter the cost. With him being a black muslim there was much hatred toward him. However, he used his talent of boxing to speak out about what he believed in. His religion formed his opinion on the Vietnam War and when he was drafted, Ali refused to go fight. This banned him from 3 years of boxing and his titles were taken from him.
In this fight he used his celebrity status to speak out for others who couldn’t. With his greatness in the ring it helped out the hope of maybe African American will continue fighting. The fight for the title raised the sudden interest for the black community to rise up. Most people believed that his close friendship with Malcolm X, another civil rights activist, made Ali join the nation of Islam. According to “ aliandcivilrights.weebly.com”, “the Nation of Islam urged blacks not to cooperate with the Mass Civil Rights movement and not to coalesce with their white suppressers”, The Nation of Islam brought together numbers of blacks together to move up in the civil rights movement and fight against white race.
Muhammad Ali has significantly benefitted modern society by creating equality between African Americans and whites, helping fight for a cure for Parkinson’s disease, and increasing the popularity of the sport of boxing. Muhammad Ali was not just one of the greatest boxers of all time; he was one of the greatest examples of all time. Muhammad Ali always said he wanted to be, more than a boxer, he wanted to inspire people all over the world (“Hauser”). To do this, Ali visited a lot of organizations such as, Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics making dreams of the young kids a reality.
There is no doubt that Mohammad Ali is a great hero and beloved figure in American life. He was a person who faced America’s segregated society and while aiming to become the greatest boxer of all time. This book was set at a time where the people of colored were segregated from the white. During that time boxing was a very popular source of entertainment. The book King of the world talks about some of the pivotal figures of the 1960s.
