As a child, Cassius Clay's bicycle was stolen. The boy approached the policeman and asked him to find the thief. “And as soon as you find him, I’ll beat him!” - said Cassius Marcellus Clay. The cop replied that before you hit someone, you need to learn how to do it. Fate or not, that policeman also worked as a trainer in a teenage boxing club. The very next day, the future legendary fighter Mohammed Ali began boxing. Since childhood, he developed boxing strength.
Muhammad Ali, like many American fighters, entered professional boxing after the 1960 Olympic Games. There he confidently won the up to 81 kg category, after which he made his professional debut in a fight with Lamar Clark. Ali knocked out his opponent forever - Clark retired after this fight.
In February 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay went to title fight against champion Sonny Liston. It was hard for both of them in the ring: Liston had a cut in his eyebrow and a hematoma formed, and Clay started having vision problems in the fourth round. But the future Muhammad Ali still won. Cassius Clay became heavyweight champion.
Actually, the name change occurred precisely after receiving the championship belt. Immediately after the fight, Clay officially joined the Muslim organization “Nation of Islam” and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
After that, Ali continuously won for another 7 years, until in 1971 he met Joe Frazier in the ring. The match immediately promised to be interesting, because two undefeated champions were behind the ropes. Now one had to lose this title. The battle lasted 15 rounds until Frazier hit Ali hard, and he stopped “fluttering like a butterfly” and fell. Knockdown. Muhammad Ali lost for the first time.
Ali decided to leave boxing back in 1978. For last fight Leon Spinks was chosen as a partner, Olympic champion 1976 Ali considered Spinks a weak opponent and was careless in his preparation. For which he paid - the farewell fight turned into the boxer’s third defeat. True, the judges’ decision is still considered controversial, but history is history.
Ali did not want to leave defeated. He demanded revenge. Spinks agreed to a return fight, for which he was stripped of the title (according to the rules, he first had to fight Ken Norton and defend the belt). Mohammed Ali took revenge and defeated Spinks. After the fight, the legendary boxer announced his retirement from boxing.
However, “retirement” did not work out. For financial reasons, Cassius Clay returned to the ring. He resumed his habit of insulting his opponents before a fight. For which he paid: Larry Holmes beat 38-year-old Ali well. He had overweight, he moved slowly, but Holmes respected the legendary fighter. Many believe that the knockout did not happen because of Larry's desire to keep Mohammed at least a little bit of self-confidence. One way or another, the battle was lost. Having received $8 million for his participation, Muhammad Ali fought another fight with Trevor Berbick. He lost again and left the sport forever.
Ali's biography includes a long period of interaction with the Nation of Islam, an American religious organization. His participation in it was condemned by both his father and his boxing partners, and WBA President Ed Lassman even wanted to deprive Clay of the championship title. But Ali's popularity retained his belt.
Regardless of religious preferences, Mohammed Ali created a unique fighting style. He moved around the ring on his toes (fluttering!) and dodged his opponent's attacks. It was like a real dance and it was beautiful. Plus, due to his height (191 cm), Ali often hit the head from unexpected angles.
Unfortunately, there was a drawback. Ali paid little attention to protecting his body - eventually against it. Speed came to the rescue: Mohammed, being a heavyweight, managed to move around the ring at the level of a middleweight boxer.
Mohammed Ali's amazing speed (video):
But in addition to his physical attributes, Ali knew how to influence his opponent psychologically. He told him the round in which he would lose. He composed insulting poems about his opponent. He knew how to get at him - Joe Frazier did not forgive Ali, even after. They say that a couple of years before Fraser’s death, they finally made peace, but according to other sources, Joe never received a real apology.
Ali would have been married four times. They divorced again because of religion: the boxer’s mentors from the Nation of Islam were against his marriage to a non-Muslim woman. Ali's last wife was his longtime girlfriend from hometown Louisville. And from her third marriage with fashion model Veronica Porsch, Leila Ali was born, who became a world boxing champion, following in her father’s footsteps.
It’s interesting that as a child, Ali’s father and mother taught him poetry (well, he did write poetry) and drawing. Perhaps this helped Muhammad Ali demonstrate beautiful boxing in the ring, boxing as an art.
Mohammed Ali vs. George Foreman fight (video):
He was one of the few whom Ali was afraid of.
Casius Marcellus Clay's middle name is often translated as Muhammad Ali, but the correct pronunciation is "Mohammed", with "o"».
In 1964, a boxing legend, one of the most famous boxers In the history of world boxing, Cassius Marcellus Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali. Ali called his name from birth a “slave name” and gave himself a new name when he converted to Islam.
In 1961, Muhammad Ali officially joined the Nation of Islam, the first time he attended a meeting of this organization. So Ali continued to attend meetings of the African-American Islamic movement, the goal of which was to improve the living conditions of African-Americans in the United States.
One of the main figures in the Nation of Islam was Malcolm X, who became the spiritual and political mentor of Muhammad Ali. Before Cassius converted to Islam, Malcolm addressed him as Cassius X.
The young boxer has already made a name for himself and became famous as Clay, winning several fights. At first, journalists did not perceive Cassius under his new name. Then Ali said: “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, it is a free name and I insist that people use it when talking to me."
Ali's choice and words inspired many. A New York Times journalist wrote: “Ali’s behavior and actions changed my opinion about the greatness of athletes. His jump shot or immediate stopping ability were no longer as impressive. What have you done for the freedom of your people? What have you done to ensure that your country lives in accordance with its founding principles?”
The legend of world boxing, the inspirer of millions and simply the greatest personality of the 20th-21st centuries passed away on June 3 at the age of 75. Ali has battled Parkinson's disease for more than 30 years and was admitted to a hospital in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area last week due to deteriorating health caused by lung problems. Ali is survived by seven daughters and two sons, who reportedly rallied to their father's side after hearing of his deteriorating health.
Muhammad Ali is rightfully called one of the most famous and Great boxers in the entire professional history of this sport.
This heavyweight for all his professional career(21 years old) fought 61 fights, won 56 victories, 37 of which by knockout.
Brief biography
Muhammad Ali was given the name at birth Cassius Marcellus Clay, he was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA . His father - Cassius Clay Sr., an artist who painted signs and various posters. His mother - Odessa Clay, housewife.
Cassius was the eldest child in the family. After 2 years he had a brother - Rudolf(Rahman Ali).
Social status
The Kley family were considered representatives middle class among the black population of the United States, despite the fact that they lived much poorer than the “white” representatives of the same class.
Cassius did not have to provide for his family, as many of his peers did in school, but he sometimes took part-time jobs (cleaning desks and blackboards at the University of Louisville) to earn pocket money.
First training
At the age of 12, an incident occurred with Cassius Jr., after which he began boxing:
One day his bicycle was stolen. After discovering the loss, he met a policeman, to whom he told that he would beat the thief. To which he replied: “First learn to fight,” and invited the boy to the gym.
This policeman was Joe Martin, who was a trainer for aspiring boxers. His students participated in amateur Golden Glove tournaments, and their fights were shown on television.
2 weeks after the conversation with Joe, Cassius and his brother saw the boxers perform on television, and the next day they came to train at Martin’s gym.
“I will become a world champion, I am the best!”
Immediately the boy began to bully everyone present in the hall, telling them in a raised voice that will become world boxing champion. At that time, virtually no coach in Martin's gym saw potential in the future Muhammad Ali.
First victory
Already in 1.5 months After the start of training, Clay’s first fight took place with a more experienced and older opponent. Despite this, he managed to win the first victory in his history. The fight was broadcast on TV.
"Golden Glove"
The boy actively began training, switched completely to healthy image life. 2 years after his first training, he won the Golden Glove tournament.
In 1960, he graduated from school with a certificate. The director dragged him on until the last minute. Mostly due to his athletic success.
At that time, his amateur career was in full swing: 100 fights, only 8 defeats. Also at that time, he won a total of 4 tournaments (2 Golden Glove tournaments and 2 Amateur Athletic Union tournaments).
1960 Olympics
After graduating from school, the future Muhammad Ali wanted to go into professional boxing. However, the coach persuaded him to postpone this and take part in the Olympics. summer games 1960.
Qualifying tournament
Cassius accepted this offer. He passed qualifying tournament in San Francisco. He went through all the fights, except the final one, easily. Final opponent Alan Hudson Almost knocked out Cassius in the first round with a precise blow to the head. But this did not prevent the latter from winning the fight.
Success at the Olympics
Cassius easily defeated his first opponent at the Olympics - a Belgian Ivona Beko, defeating him by technical knockout in the second round.
In the quarterfinals, Clay met with a Soviet boxer Gennady Shatkov. The fight was dictated by Cassius, and the judges unanimously declared him the winner.
At the semi-final stage, Clay faced a familiar opponent - an Australian Tony Madigan(Cassius defeated him in 1959). After the end of the intense fight, Madigan considered himself the winner, but the judges unanimously gave the victory to Clay.
An experienced boxer was waiting for him in the final Zbigniew Pietrzykowski from Poland, he was nine years older than Cassius and had in his track record 230 battles.
Pietrzykowski started the fight in an aggressive manner, trying to end the fight quickly. In the second round, Clay had to abandon his usual “easy” manner and inflict several strong blows Pole. He didn't slow down and last round, carrying out a quick series of blows, by the end of the fight Zbigniew was pressed against the ropes and close to an early defeat, but managed to survive until the final bell.
Cassius Clay won by unanimous decision, a few minutes later he was awarded gold medal.
Debut in professional boxing
Clay's first opponent professional boxing was Tanny Hunsecker. Cassius conscientiously prepared for battle: he ran minimum 2 miles daily, sparred with his younger brother.
Before the fight, in his traditional manner, Clay bullied Hunsecker, calling him a “bum” and promising to quickly deal with him in the 6th round. Cassius managed to win, but the promised quick reprisal did not work out. Tunney said after the fight that he was lucky to fight with the future World Champion.
New coach – Angelo Dundee
After the first victory in the professional arena, the question arose of finding a new coach for Clay. The team that sponsored the boxer chose Angelo Dundee.
Dundee immediately understood how to work with the active and sometimes aggressive boxer. He never silenced him, did not control him - he only directed his energy “in the right direction.”
A string of victories
Cassius confidently won the next 4 fights and 1 sparring:
- After a week of training with a new trainer, he defeated Herb Siler in the 4th round by knockout.
- The next victory was over Tony Esperti.
- The next battle seemed the most difficult of all. Mohammed Ali said that he would beat the current world champion, Ingemar Juhanson. And he won’t just beat you, he’ll knock you out. There was no official fight; Juhanson's manager organized a sparring session, which Ali confidently won.
- The fourth official victory was by knockout over Jimmy Robinson.
Further victories brought Clay closer to the Champion title. He defeated famous heavyweights one after another.
World Champion title
On February 25, 1964, a fight took place in which Cassius Clay was a contender for the title of World Heavyweight Champion. His opponent is the current champion, Sonny Liston.
After the fight began, Cassius began circling Liston, evading his powerful attacks and counterattacking. In the third round there was a turning point - Clay began to openly outplay the champion. After one of his successful combinations, Liston's legs began to tangle and he almost fell.
In a completely lost round, Sonny suffered a cut under his left eye and a hematoma under his right. Suddenly, during the fourth round, Clay began to have problems with his vision and began to experience acute pain in his eyes. Cassius saw practically nothing and asked the coach to take off his gloves. At a difficult moment, Angelo Dundee showed composure, releasing his fighter to the next round with the task of moving around the ring, avoiding Liston’s attacks.
Clay managed not to miss a heavy blow from the champion, and in the fifth round his vision was restored. Cassius again dominated the ring, and after many accurate blows to Sonny, between rounds, Liston refused to continue the fight. At 22, Clay became the world heavyweight champion.
Joining the Nation of Islam
In 1964 Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam religious society. Leader of this organization Elijah Muhammad later became his spiritual mentor and influenced the boxer’s future life in many ways.
It was Elijah Muhammad who gave the name to the new world champion - Muhammad Ali.
New name
After Cassius joined the Nation of Islam, he introduced himself Muhammad Ali- this was the Muslim name given to him as a member of the community. Society reacted negatively to this fact.
The boxer’s father believed that he had been “indoctrinated” on religious grounds, and said that he himself would continue to bear his name and surname with pride.
Second fight with Liston
May 25, 1965 A rematch took place between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston in the small town of Lewiston. The odds were in favor of the old champion.
Nobody expected what happened in the ring: in the 2nd minute of the first round, Ali knocked Liston out. Even Mohammed himself believed that Sonny was deliberately set up, and said so in the post-match interview.
However, the fight was won and the young champion defended his championship title for the first time. There were no serious opponents among boxers for him at the moment.
Subsequently, until the spring of 1967, Ali 8 times was able to defend the world heavyweight champion title.
Refusal to serve in the army and disqualification
In 1967 Ali for 3 years was forced to retire from professional boxing. This happened because of his refusal to serve in the army. The boxer motivated this by the fact that his religious views did not allow him to participate in hostilities.
However, representatives of the prosecution believed that he could have served outside the hot spots. The champion still refused to serve in the army. At his trial, the jury returned a verdict of “Guilty!”
Athletic commissions stripped the boxer of his license and he could no longer compete. professional ring.
Return to big sport took place only in 1970, when the court considered one of the next appeals of lawyer Ali, and made a positive decision in his favor.
End of career
After his return to big boxing, Muhammad Ali had many more great fights. His last fight took place in 1980 V professional sports. He lost by stoppage for the first time to the current young champion Larry Holmes. This happened in the 10th round.
Further fate
After leaving boxing, Muhammad Ali fell ill 4 years later Parkinson's disease. Ali suffered from symptoms of the disease, but his mind remained clear and he decided to devote himself to the service of Islam. Mohammed started helping people, he could make a $100,000 donation with just a few questions, or get out of his car and help an ordinary homeless person.
During the ceremony marking the end of his career, he was presented with a commemorative diamond ring, which Ali presented to the disabled girl that same evening.
Mohammed used his popularity to help those in need, he turned to wealthy people with a request to follow his example, and few refused him.
Death of the Great Boxer
On June 2, 2016, Muhammad Ali was brought to Scottsdale Hospital. He was diagnosed with a problem with his lungs. The next day, June 3, 2016 at the age of 75 Great Mohammed Ali died in hospital from septic shock.
June 10 and 11 in the boxer’s hometown Louisville The funeral took place with flags at half-staff.
74 years ago he was born to a black woman, Odessa Clay. The boy was named Cassius in honor of his artist father. The father painted advertising signs, and the family lived quite well compared to other blacks. But racism flourished in America in the 50s: blacks were considered second-class citizens. Cassius's great-grandfather was Irish, but this did not play any role.
One day, a boy’s bicycle was stolen and he wanted to beat up the offender. And then, fortunately, he happened to make friends with a white policeman Joe Martin, who also worked as a boxing trainer. And within six weeks he wins his first fight. And in 1956, Cassius won the Golden Gloves tournament.
He always had problems with his studies. No one could force him to sit down to read his books. As a result, until the end of his life he couldn’t even really read.
In 1960 he was invited to the Olympics in Rome. Despite terrible aerophobia, Cassius flew to Europe (buying a personal parachute for himself!), confidently reached the finals and won gold. Even then he had corporate identity: He seemed to be dancing around his opponents on his toes, lowering his hands and skillfully dodging their blows.
In October 1960, he won his first fight in the professional ring. Money appeared, and the family moved to Miami. At the same time, he became interested in Muslim values, took the name Mohammed Ali and became a member of the Nation of Islam.
Our hero really wanted to serve in the army. But they didn’t take him. Ali failed the “mental ability” test and was unable to answer the question of how many hours a person works from six in the morning to three in the afternoon, taking into account an hour for lunch.
Muhammad Ali several times became “Boxer of the Year,” “Boxer of the Decade,” and even “Boxer of the Century.” In the early 90s, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame to forever remain a legend of the sport.
In 1984, Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He began to hear and speak poorly, all motor functions failed. An incurable illness was a consequence of an occupational sports activities: The champion often wins, but he himself has suffered heavy knockdowns more than once.
Mohammed was married four times. He separated from his first wife in his early youth because of her reluctance to become a Muslim. Second companion Belinda Boyd(after marriage - Khalila Ali) bore him four children. But Ali was not an exemplary husband, and his infidelities became the reason for another divorce.
His mistress Veronica Porsche She married him, becoming his third wife, in 1977. The marriage lasted nine years. After this, Muhammad married one of his many girlfriends Iolanthe Williams. They even adopted a child. By the way, in addition to the legitimate children listed above, Muhammad still had two more illegitimate daughters.
In recent years, he often suffered from severe pneumonia. In early June, he was hospitalized again due to serious respiratory problems. The doctors, alas, were powerless.
The heart of the great boxer of our time stopped beating. On the night of June 4, Mohamed Ali passed away in New York. He was 74 years old, of which he had been battling a fatal illness for more than thirty years. All world agencies reported the death of the boxing legend. This message was confirmed by the representative of the family of the deceased, Bob Gunnell.
“After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali died at the age of 74. Multiple champion world heavyweight champion passed away this evening,” NBC reported, citing Gunnell.
Let us remind you that the last few days famous athlete and the boxing legend was being treated in a hospital near Phoenix (Arizona).
It became known that Mohammed Ali was admitted to the hospital due to a suspected illness related to the lungs. And although those around the boxing legend made a message to the press that this was only respiratory prevention, but a day later the newspaper The Daily Mirror wrote that Ali is in critical condition and has been transferred to the intensive care unit.
Last time the boxer was hospitalized on December 20, 2014 due to suspected pneumonia, however, the diagnosis was not confirmed. U famous boxer diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. On January 7, 2015, he was sent home as his condition improved.
Muhammad Ali fought 61 fights during his professional career, of which he won 56 fights, 37 by knockout. The boxer's real name is Cassius Marcellus Clay, he was born on January 17, 1942 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
In 1960, boxer Muhammad Ali won Olympic Games in light heavyweight.
On February 25, 1964, after a fight with Sonny Liston and defeating him, he joined the Nation of Islam organization, and then changed his name to Cassius X, and a little later to Muhammad Ali. When Muhammad Ali refused to serve in the US Army, he was stripped of all his awards and banned from boxing for three years.
These were the times of the North Vietnam War. Mohamed Ali took an active part in the anti-war movement. He refused to serve in the US Army. This became the basis for the American authorities and they stripped him of all awards and titles. In addition, he was banned from the ring for three years.
After returning to boxing, he again defended his world title. The most exciting fight in this part of his career was his fight with Joe Frazier. This fight went down in boxing history and is studied by many novice boxers.
Health problems began in 1984, when in September Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay) was diagnosed by doctors at a New York hospital with symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Today, Parkinson's disease, like Alzheimer's disease, is incurable. Doctors prescribe symptomatic treatment to alleviate human suffering.
Muhammad Ali battled Parkinson's disease for 32 years. Unfortunately, the disease defeated the great boxer.
His expression and tactics are “hands work, eyes see; flutter like a butterfly, sting like a bee" is still used in professional boxing.
Sports titles of Mohamed Ali:
- The Ring Magazine Boxer of the Year (1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978)
- Boxer of the Decade
- Fight of the Year vs. Doug Jones (1963), vs. Sonny Liston (1964), vs. Joe Frazier (1971), vs. George Foreman (1974), vs. Joe Frazier (1975)
- Sportsman of the Year 1974
- Elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1987
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
- Greatest Heavyweight in History – 1998
- The greatest heavyweight of the 20th century according to the Associated Press
- 3rd place in the ranking of The Greatest Boxers of All Time according to WBC and AIBA
- Athlete of the Century according to GQ magazine
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the 20th Century
- Sports person century according to the BBC
