King of the World "Don't count the days; make the days count." This broadening statement is a famous quote from the former boxing Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali. This quote by Ali emphasizes his work ethic and witty word play that he often exemplified inside and outside of the ring. Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. The life of any African American in this time period was difficult, especially in the segregated South. Ali, along with many others, faced discrimination and racism. Consequently, Ali had to fight to become successful. Throughout Clay's schooling he experienced inequity, prejudice, and even bullying from the other students. In order to overcome …show more content…
Unhinged and weeping, Clay reported his stolen property to the nearest Louisville police officer and future trainer, Joe Martin. Martin owned a local gym where Clay began honing his boxing skills. Soon after, Clay exhibited his freshly found talent in many amateur boxing matches. Clay had already been the victor of two national Golden Gloves titles and two Amateur Athletic Union national titles by the time he was eighteen. In 1960, Clay travelled to Rome, Italy to participate in the Olympics with the United States Olympic boxing team. Clay found much success in Rome managing to overwhelm his opponents with his height, footwork, and lightning speed. Clay's win over a Polish heavyweight opponent, Zbigniew Pietrzkowski, secured his gold medal. After his return home, Cassius Clay was considered an American hero making his transition from amateur to professional boxing expeditious. Following Clay's first professional nineteen fights, he was finally offered a shot at the heavyweight title. Moreover, Clay was a 7-1 underdog in his upcoming match against the heavy-handed heavyweight champion of the world, Sonny Liston. Regardless of what others perceived his chances of winning as, Clay made it clear that he was filled to the brim with self-belief and positivity. Clay treated Liston with little respect, as he did most of opponents before a fight, calling Liston names and even predicting the round of his demise. After his victory over Liston, Clay was seen celebrating inside of the ring screaming, "I am the greatest." As Ali progressed in his boxing career, he continued to have success inside the ring defeating opponents such as Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. In 1981, Ali officially retired from