As public opinion began turning people against the war and the Civil Rights Movement continued to gather momentum, Ali became a popular speaker at colleges and universities across the country; this itinerary was rare if not unprecedented for a prizefighter. "Frazier is too dumb to be champ." However, both "died" within 10 days. Ali then faced a rematch with Liston scheduled for May 1965 in Lewiston, Maine. Chuck D, a rapper for the band Public Enemy is the host. "[163][164], Writer Jerry Izenberg once noted that, "the Nation became Ali's family and Elijah Muhammad became his father.

[55], Adding to the atmosphere were the considerable pre-fight theatrics and name calling. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. [56][57], These early fights were not without trials. "[150], Ali said that he first heard of the Nation of Islam when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago in 1959, and attended his first Nation of Islam meeting in 1961. [85] To replace Ali's opponent, promoter Bob Arum quickly booked a former sparring partner of Ali's, Jimmy Ellis, who was a childhood friend from Louisville, Kentucky, to fight him. [143], His promoter Bob Arum said "After a fight, you'd go up to Ali's suite and you see 25 or more of these women sitting around, some were gorgeous... and (he'd) bring one into his bedroom after another". [54] Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses. Muhammad Ali achieved renown as a boxer through his speed, superb footwork, ability to take a punch, and tremendous courage. Midway through the fight, as Foreman began tiring, Ali countered more frequently and effectively with punches and flurries, which electrified the pro-Ali crowd.

But for those very reasons I enjoyed him. Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed, Muhammad Ali was crowned heavyweight champion three times, Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest boxers to have graced the sport, Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston after first round K.O. [36] He was a descendant of slaves of the antebellum South, and was predominantly of African descent, with some Irish[37] and English family heritage. [20][21][22][23] He was famous for trash-talking, and often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, anticipating elements of hip hop.[24][25][26]. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., grew up in the American South in a time of segregated public facilities. During his career and even many years after he retired, he was referred to as the most famous person on the planet. [53] He went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union national title, and the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Then, on March 8, 1971, he challenged Joe Frazier, who had become heavyweight champion during Ali’s absence from the ring. [97] After Ali's death, The New York Times declared it his least memorable fight. [5][6], On April 28, 1967, Ali appeared in Houston for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces, but he refused three times to step forward when his name was called. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. Arum also said Ali never had sex with a Caucasian woman and recalled a time when they were in Mexico and he spent half an hour convincing Ali that Mexican women weren't white so he would have sex with them. He did not mix with ordinary people. Ali seemed intent on humiliating Terrell. When asked whether he would fight in Vietnam, he replied. [221], On November 17, 2002, Ali went to Afghanistan as the "U.N. Messenger of Peace. [236] The same year, he participated in The Longest Walk, a protest march in the United States in support of Native American rights, along with singer Stevie Wonder and actor Marlon Brando. Triumphs over Floyd Patterson, George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Brian London, and Karl Mildenberger followed. [321], "Cassius Clay" and "Mohammad Ali" redirect here. The press attributed his decline in wealth to several factors, including taxes consuming at least half of his income, management taking a third of his income,[256] his lifestyle, and spending on family, charity and religious causes.

In 1996 Ali was chosen to light the Olympic flame at the start of the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

However, Clay's superior speed and mobility enabled him to elude Liston, making the champion miss and look awkward.

[148][149] After Ali met a lesbian couple who were fans of his in 1997, he smiled and said to his friend Hauser, “They look like they’re happy together”. David Walsh aptly captured this hypocrisy in his article in Global Research on June 6, 2016, “Muhammad Ali, who, in his day, was a symbol of protest and resistance, has prompted the inevitable and instinctive effort by the establishment to appropriate his legacy for their own cynical uses.”, In his statement issued on June 4 after Ali passed away, Obama said, “Like everyone else on the planet, Michelle and I mourn his passing. "[235] In 1978, following his loss to Spinks and before winning the rematch, Ali visited Bangladesh and received honorary citizenship there. [38][39] Ali's maternal great-grandfather, Abe Grady, emigrated from Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland. 'The People's Champion' is widely regarded as the greatest boxer to grace the sport in the 21 years he spent in the ring. [261], In 1998, Ali began working with actor Michael J. He has now joined the Creator (may his soul rest in peace), but his memory will live on. You know I’m bad. That year he also contributed an on-camera segment to the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert. Jones staggered Clay in the first round, and the unanimous decision for Clay was greeted by boos and a rain of debris thrown into the ring. [232] Early in his career, one of his main focuses was youth education. But there is an irony to the fact that while the Nation branded white people as devils, Ali had more white colleagues than most African American people did at that time in America, and continued to have them throughout his career. In May 2016, a bill was introduced to United States Congress by Markwayne Mullin, a politician and former MMA fighter, to extend the Ali Act to mixed martial arts. The fight was stopped when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to answer the bell for the 15th and final round, despite Frazier's protests. Muhammad Ali was often dubbed the world's "most famous" person in the media. "[200], In speaking of the cost on Ali's career of his refusal to be drafted, his trainer Angelo Dundee said, "One thing must be taken into account when talking about Ali: He was robbed of his best years, his prime years.

However a few seconds later Walcott, having been informed by the timekeepers that Liston had been down for a count of 10, stopped the match and declared Ali the winner by knockout. The fight was stopped when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to answer the bell for the 15th and final round, despite Frazier's protests. Construction of the mall, the first of its kind in the Philippines, began shortly after Ali's victory in a match with Joe Frazier in nearby Araneta Coliseum in 1975. Throughout most of the bout, however, Ali was able to circle away from Frazier's dangerous left hook and to tie Frazier up when he was cornered, the latter a tactic that Frazier's camp complained of bitterly. While still married to Belinda, Ali married Aaisha in an Islamic ceremony that was not legally recognized. News networks, such as ABC News, BBC, CNN, and Fox News, also covered him extensively. He told interviewer David Frost, "If you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whup Foreman's behind! [283] Named Sports Personality of the Century in a BBC poll, he received more votes than the other contenders (which included Pelé, Jesse Owens and Jack Nicklaus) combined. He also appeared in the documentary film Black Rodeo (1972) riding both a horse and a bull. "[158] Ali's friendship with Malcolm X ended as Malcolm split with the Nation of Islam a couple of weeks after Ali joined, and Ali remained with the Nation of Islam. Blacks were also refused entry into restaurants that led Ali — born Cassius Clay — to embrace Islam even in its distorted form as preached by Elijah Muhammad. "[25] According to Rolling Stone, his "freestyle skills" and his "rhymes, flow, and braggadocio" would "one day become typical of old school MCs" like Run–D.M.C.

Ali remained unable to obtain a license to box in any state for over three years. The Nation of Islam was widely viewed by whites and some African Americans as a black separatist "hate religion" with a propensity toward violence; Ali had few qualms about using his influential voice to speak Nation of Islam doctrine. [137] Ali biographer and friend Thomas Hauser has said this claim was of "questionable veracity". Ali conceded "They didn't tell me about that in America", and complained that Carter had sent him "around the world to take the whupping over American policies. [217] Ali has been referenced in a number of hip hop songs, including Migos "Fight Night", The Game's "Jesus Piece", Nas' "The Message, The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", the Fugees' "Ready or Not", EPMD's "You're a Customer" and Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy wit It".[217]. [267], Ali was hospitalized in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 2, 2016, with a respiratory illness. However, his condition differed from chronic encephalopathy, or dementia pugilistica (which is commonly referred to as “punch drunk” in fighters), in that he did not suffer from injury-induced intellectual deficits.

[159] Ali later said that turning his back on Malcolm was one of the mistakes he regretted most in his life.

His final record of 56 wins and 5 losses with 37 knockouts has been matched by others, but the quality of his opponents and the manner in which he dominated during his prime placed him on a plateau with boxing’s immortals. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. This made Ali the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times. He had nine children, most of whom avoided the spotlight of which Ali was so fond.



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