The Role Of Muhammed Ali In The 1960's

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Not many people know that the 1960s was home to the most dominant basketball franchise in history, the first football world champions, and the most influential boxer of all time. This decade changed the world of sports forever and how people viewed it, by bringing in athletes that would shock the world with their abilities. The Boston Celtics, Green Bay Packers, and Muhammed Ali changed the world of sports forever with not only their dominance, but also their character on and off the field. The 1960s era Boston Celtics were the most dominant sports team of all time. In ten years, the Celtics achieved sixty-eight NBA playoff game victories (Powers). These playoff wins led them to nine NBA title appearances and nine NBA championships …show more content…

Muhammad Ali, known as Cassius Clay at the time, started off his career strong, making it to the 1960 Summer Olympics and winning a gold medal at the event (“Muhammad Ali Biography”). This gained Clay (Ali) much more attention and in 1964, he knocked out Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world (“Muhammad Ali Biography”). Muhammad Ali had already become the greatest boxer of all time, but only he knew it. It was not until he made a life changing decision would Ali truly become the popular boxer he is today. On March 6, 1964, it was announced that Cassius Clay had converted to the Islamic religion and had changed his name to Muhammad Ali (“Muhammad Ali Biography”). Not only that, but Ali had been drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, and denied it because of his anti-war beliefs, which ultimately stripped him of his title belt (“Muhammad Ali Biography”). This shocked the the country, as people didn’t believe that Muhammad Ali rather fight for his beliefs than fight in the squared circle. This showed that Ali was a man that would stand up to anybody to protect what he believed in. Muhammad Ali was not only the best boxer to ever step into a ring, but was a great influence on the world, teaching people to always fight for what you believe