Where it all began…
Muhammad Ali’s legendary tale began at the age of 12, when he discovered his talent for boxing by an unusual twist of fate. His bike was stolen and in his fury, Ali told a police officer, Joe Martin that he wanted to beat up the thief.
At the time, Joe Martin allegedly told him, “Well, you better learn how to fight before you start challenging people.”
Joe Martin was not only a police officer, but he also trained young boxers at a local gym. Thus, commenced Ali’s training with Martin and soon enough, he began his boxing career.
Victories of the Champ
After a win in his first amateur fight in 1954, Ali went on to win the 1956 Golden Gloves tournament for beginners in the light heavyweight class.
Only three years later, he won the National Golden Glovers Tournament of Champions, in addition to the Amateur Athletic Union’s national title for the light heavyweight division.
In 1960, Ali won a spot on the U.S Olympic boxing team and travelled to Rome and Italy to compete.
After winning his first three bouts, Ali defeated Zbigniew Pietrzkowski from Poland to win the light heavyweight gold medal.
With his Olympic victory, Ali was prefigured as an American hero. Very soon after this, he turned professional with the support of the Louisville Sponsoring Group, continuing to overwhelm all his opponents in the ring.
At 6’3, Ali was a commanding figure in the ring, but he also became renowned for his lightning speed and elegant footwork.
In 1963, Ali crushed British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper and then knocked out Sonny Liston a year later to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Ali was not afraid to sing his own praises, often referring to himself as “the greatest”. He boasted about his skills before fights, and was known for his colourful descriptions and expressions.
A famous quote by Ali was created when he told reporters that he could ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ in the boxing ring.
His Other Fight
Ali was not only known as a boxing champ, but also for his fight against inequality. He became Muslim in 1964, after some spiritual searching. His outspoken views caused much disruption in his career.
After enrolling into the military in 1967, he refused to serve on the grounds that he was a practising Muslim with religious beliefs that prohibited him from fighting.
He was arrested for committing a felony and was immediately stripped of his world title and boxing license.
Ali missed more than three prime years of his athletic career due to the ongoing dispute with the U.S Department of Justice.
Ali’s Losses and Victories
Ali returned to the ring in 1970 with a win over Jerry Quarry. In the succeeding year, Ali took on Joe Frazier in what is called the “Fight of the Century.” He suffered his first professional loss after 31 wins following a second loss to Ken Norton.
In a 1974 rematch, he beat Frazier, facing victory once again.
Another legendary fight took place against undefeated heavyweight champion, George Foreman, in 1974 which Ali won, a hard-fought victory.
After losing his title to Leon Spinks, in 1978, Ali defeated him a few months later, becoming the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times.
Ali retired for a brief time, and when he returned to the ring, he faced two losses after which he retired from the sport, for good.
