Sports

MUHAMMAD ALI considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time as well as one of the world's most famous individuals renowned the world over for his boxing and political activism. In 1999 he was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and is considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. He carried his hands at his sides rather than the orthodox boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face. Instead he relied on his extraordinary reflexes and footwork to keep him away from his opponents' blows. Early Boxing Career In Louisville October 29 1960 Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. He won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker who was the police chief of Fayetteville West Virginia. From 1960 to 1963 the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0 with 15 knockouts. He defeated such boxers as Tony Esperti Jim Robinson Donnie Fleeman Duke Sabedong Alonzo Johnson George Logan Willi Besmanoff and Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout) Doug Jones and Henry Cooper. Among Clay's more impressive victories were against Sonny Banks (who knocked him down earlier in the bout) Alejandro Lavorante and Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had won over 200 previous fights). Cassius became the number one contender for Sonny Liston's title. Liston was greatly feared and some have said that he was the Mike Tyson of his era. Almost no one gave the young boxer a chance of beating Liston. The date was fixed for February 25 1964; during the weigh-in the boisterous Ali declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." and to sum up his defense he quoted "You can't hit what you can't see" First title fight Clay however had a plan. Misreading Clay's exuberance as nervousness Liston was over-confident and unprepared for any result but a quick stoppage. In the opening rounds Clay's speed kept him away from Liston's powerful head and body shots as he used his height and reach advantage to effectively beat Liston to the punch with his jab. By the third Clay was clearly on top and had opened a large cut under Liston's eye. Liston regained some ground in the fourth as Clay was blinded by a foreign substance. It is unknown whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts or applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose. Partially-sighted Clay passively sought to escape Liston's offensive. He was able to keep out of range until his sweat cleaned the ointment from his eyes responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth he was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. The end came after that round when Liston retired on his stool later claiming his shoulder had become dislocated. Clay leapt out of his corner proclaiming himself "King of the World" and demanding the writers eat their words! Clay was duly crowned the heavyweight champion of the world. Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali Following his ascension to champion he also became famous for other reasons: he revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam (often called the Black Muslims at the time) and changed his name to Cassius X discarding his surname as a symbol of his ancestors' enslavement as had been done by other Nation members such as Malcolm X. He was soon given the name Muhammad Ali by the leader of the Nation Elijah Muhammad who revealed the name to Ali as "his true name " although only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time. The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a Muslim and he retained the name even after his later conversion to Sunni Islam. Ali defends his title Ali would reconfirm his abilities when he knocked out Liston in the first round of their rematch in Lewiston Maine on May 25 1965 albeit controversially as few observers saw the "phantom punch" that floored Liston. Because boxing insiders knew that Liston's career had been in part sponsored by organized crime interests there were whispers that Liston had taken a dive. However film analysis and eyewitness accounts indicate that Ali did land a short hard right cross too quickly for most spectators to see accurately. Ali himself suspected at first that Liston could have gotten up from the punch but stayed down; hence the famous photo of Ali standing over the fallen Liston and shouting at him to get up. No evidence or testimony supporting a fix has ever been produced. It is possible that Liston was out of shape for the fight and had little faith that he could dent Ali's style any more than he had in Miami; so when Ali knocked him down he simply lost his will to continue. However Liston did seem to rise on wobbly legs (referee Jersey Joe Walcott possibly because of Ali's antics and scornful rebuke of Liston hesitated at first to count Liston out) and Liston apparently offered no defense as Ali resumed the fight for a few seconds before Walcott retroactively declared the fight over. That November Ali met and defeated former champion Floyd Patterson. Patterson had been a childhood hero of Ali's and as such Ali was terribly hurt by the fact that Patterson refused to acknowledge the new name he had taken his conversion to Islam and Patterson's insistence that Ali was a bad role model for children. Ali resolved to humiliate Patterson in the ring and Patterson well past his prime was helpless to do anything about it. The referee stopped the fight in Round 12 after Patterson had taken a terrible beating. Vietnam puts a pause in Ali's career It was also in this same year that he refused to serve in the American army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector because "War is against the teachings of the Holy Koran. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali also famously said "I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong" and "no Vietcong ever called me nigger." Ali was stripped of his championship belt and his license to box and was sentenced to five years in prison. Four years later The Supreme Court overturned the conviction due to a technical error.[1] One of his previous fans was outraged. Allegedly one day while Ali was standing next to his car a man walked up to him. He acted as if he wanted to talk but then moved to stab Ali in the chest. Allegedly Ali defended himself also with a knife wounding the attacker. The man was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. Ali then was sent to Russia to help the poor and disabled. He returned to the United States within a few months of his sentence. In 2000 Ali's best friend photographer Howard Bingham collaborated with journalist Max Wallace on a behind-the-scenes chronicle of this period Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. the United States of America published by M. Evans & Company. Ali himself wrote the foreword for the book which contains many never before heard anecdotes about this period including the fact that Ali was so broke after giving up his title that he resorted to pumping gas at a Chicago gas station. Ali on the cover of Esquire MagazineAli's actions in refusing military service and aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod of controversy turning the outspoken but popular former champion into one of that era's most recognizable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion—if not actual hostility—made Ali a target of outrage and suspicion as well. Ali seemed at times to even provoke such reactions with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism. In 1969 Ali fought Rocky Marciano in computerized fight known as The Superfight: Marciano vs. Ali. This fight was under the promotion of Murry Woroner a Miami boxing promoter who ran a fantasy boxing radio show filled with fantasy matches with the blow by blow by Murry Woroner himself. The Comeback In 1970 Ali was finally able to get a boxing license. With the help of a State Senator he was granted a license to box in Georgia. In October of 1970 he returned to stop Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali was unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December of 1970. Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th round paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier. The Fight of the Century Ali and Frazier fought each other on March 8 1971 at Madison Square Garden. This fight known as The Fight of the Century is one of the most famous and was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time since it featured two skilled undefeated fighters both of whom had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown. The fight lived up to the hype and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard left hook in the final round. Frank Sinatra took photos of the match for Life Magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing afficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast