HUSL Today Salutes

Muhammad Ali

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville Kentucky on January 17, 1942. In his early years, Ali was trained by Fred stoner who guided him through 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, 2 national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses.

 Ali won his first professional bout on October 29, 1960. In his first title on February 25, 1964, Ali beat Liston and  became the youngest boxer (age 22) ever to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion, a mark that stood until the mid 1980s. Ali also won the rematch in May of 1965.  In March 1967 after defending his title several times,  Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to be drafted into the Army for religious reasons and had his professional boxing license suspended.

Ali famously said in 1966: "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me nigger."

In the mean time, Ali appealed his case and fought Jerry Quarry in Georgia, the only state without a boxing commission.  Nicknamed "The Greatest," Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches. After the 1970 decision of the NY Supreme Court ruling that Ali had been unjustly denied his boxing license, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th round. His next bout was "The Fight of the Century" against Joe Frazier on March 8, 1971. The fight would result in Ali's first professional loss. After fighting Ken Norton twice losing the first time and winning the rematch, Ali went on to win the non-title rematch  against Joe Frazier on January 28, 1974.

He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents on television and in person some time before the match, often with rhymes. Ali once said "Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wild Life."  He descibed his own fighting style as "float like a butterfly sting like a bee."

More after the jump.

On October 1, 1975, Ali defeated George Forman (thanks for the grill, man) in a match that was promoted by Don King as "The Rumble in the Jungle" as it took place in Kinshasa, Zaire. The fight is the subject of the Academy Award Winning film When We Were Kings and is also featured in the docudrama Ali.

After facing Chuck Wepner, Ron Lyle and Joe Bugner, Ali defeated Frazier one last time in the battle promoted by Don King as "The Thrilla in Manilla."

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

He suffered only five losses (four decisions and one TKO by retirement from the bout) with no draws in his career, while amassing 56 wins (37 knockouts and 19 decisions). Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, which he described as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", and employing techniques such as the rope-a-dope. Ali's strategy to get into his opponent's head was legendary. His personality is larger than life and I think his first words were "I am the greatest!" He is the first boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times.

At home I am a nice guy: but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far.

Ali retired following a victory against 1976 Olympic champ Leon Spikes on June 27, 1979, but returned in 1980 to face current champion Larry Holmes in an attempt to win a heavyweight title an unprecedented four times. It became Ali's only loss by anything other than a decision. Ali's final fight, a loss by unanimous decision after 10 rounds, was to up-and-coming challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981.

In 1984 Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a condition common among boxers. In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC. In 2001, Ali a movie starring Will Smith as Ali premiered to mixed reviews.  Check the scene recreating the Ali v. Foreman match. Gotta love Will Smith.

After his retirement, Ali became devoted to humantarian efforts around the globe. On November 17, 2002, Muhammad Ali went to Afghanistan as "U.N. Messenger of Peace". He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the United Nations. On January 8, 2005, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.  He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on November 9, 2005. A few days later, on November 19, 2005, the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth. Ali is also a recipient of the "Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold" of the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) for his work with the US civil rights movement and the United Nations (December 17, 2005).



Although I appreciate Ali's contributions to the boxing world, his personality is what captivated me. His iconic status has been secured in our nation's history. Peep the funny footage below.



Sidenote: Although this is the end of salute to athletes week, do not intepret this as a proclamation that these are the only athletes worthy of salutes! Stay tuned for next week's theme!

HUSL Today Salutes Muhammad Ali!!

Source: ali.com