Black History Month: Past, Present & Future (Muhammad Ali)
The GREATEST, Muhammad Ali (1942 - 2016): Muhammad Ali (birth name Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) was a boxer, philanthropist and social activist who is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Ali was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions; he successfully defended this title 19 times. He became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. At an early age, young Clay showed that he wasn't afraid of any bout — inside or outside of the ring. Growing up in the segregated South, he experienced racial prejudice and discrimination firsthand.
Ali was drafted into the military in April 196 where he refused to serve on the grounds that he was a practicing Muslim minister with religious beliefs that prevented him from fighting. He was arrested for committing a felony and almost immediately stripped of his world title and boxing license. The U.S. Department of Justice pursued a legal case against Ali, denying his claim for conscientious objector status. He was found guilty of violating Selective Service laws and sentenced to five years in prison in June 1967, but remained free while appealing his conviction. However, during his time of inactivity, he spoke at colleges across the nation, criticizing the Vietnam War and advocating African-American pride and racial justice.
Following his suspension for refusing military service, Ali reclaimed the heavyweight title two more times during the 1970s, winning famed bouts against Joe Frazier and George Foreman along the way. Ali’s place in boxing history as one of the greatest fighters ever is secure. 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. Ali’s most-tangible ring assets were speed, superb footwork, and the ability to take a punch. But perhaps more important, he had courage and all the other intangibles that go into making a great fighter.
Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1984, Ali devoted much of his time to philanthropy, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Ali was a member of the inaugural class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In his life, he shared that during his early life he was not free to be who he wanted to be. But he wanted people to remember that he never became embittered enough to quit or engage in violence."
