Muhammad Ali Memorabilia > Muhammad Ali Autographs
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Muhammad Ali Fossil Collectors Watch
A Limited Edition Watch by Fossil with Presentation
Case made in Cheery Wood that has a photograph of Ali over
liston inlaid and has been signed by Muhammad Ali:
We only have 1 of these Framed photographs to ensure exclusivity.
All Postage costs will be calculated at checkout. This item
will be shipped within 7 days.
£695.00
When thinking of the Athlete of the Century lots of great
athletes come to mind. Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Willie Mays,
Jackie Robinson, Jack Nicklaus, and Hank Aaron are among the
names who belong in the pantheon of sports immortals.
However, only one athlete is a truly unanimous selection.
That individual is the self-proclaimed "Greatest of All
Time.” Muhammad Ali is the “athlete of the century,”
based on his social and athletic achievements.
The heavyweight champion was not only the greatest fighter
to lace up the gloves; he was the most famous, flamboyant,
arrogant, and self-assured athlete to ever grace the sports
world. He was good, and he let the whole world know it.
Born as Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942 in Louisville,
Kentucky, he was introduced to boxing by a police officer
who approached him because he was alleged to have stolen
a bicycle.
The officer encouraged Clay to study “the manly art
of self-defense.” The young man accepted the challenge,
and the rest is history.
Clay was undefeated as an amateur and won a gold medal
in the 1960
Olympics in Rome. He joined the professional ranks immediately
after the Olympics.
He was young, confident, arrogant, handsome and he told
everyone who would listen that he would soon be the youngest
heavyweight champion. His prediction came true on Feb 25,
1964, when he shocked the world by defeating overwhelming
favorite Sonny Liston. This was the beginning of a string
of predictions that would come true for the great champion
Ali.
Two days later he shocked the world again by announcing
that he had accepted the teachings of a Black separatist
religion known as the Nation of Islam and changed his name
from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. The Honorable Elijah
Muhammad was the leader of the Nation of Islam at the time.
Ali’s spiritual mentor was the intellectual, outspoken,
and controversial Malcolm X, who was the Nation’s
national spokesperson.
Most sportswriters refused to acknowlege his adopted name,
and continued to refer to him as Cassius Clay. This was
a blatant sign of disrespect toward Ali, but he continued
to make predictions, remained cocky and kept winning.
Meanwhile, the legend of Ali continued to grow. On April
28, 1967, he refused to fight in the Vietnam War because
of his religious beliefs.
Once again, Ali drew heat from fellow Americans and government
officials for not fighting for his country. He was looked
upon as a hero by African-American and anti-war protesters.
Ali stated that he had "no quarrel with the Vietcong,"
and he would rather go to jail than fight in a war he didn't
believe in.
He was stripped of his title and banned from the boxing
for four years.
During his exile he spoke at colleges, rallies, and other
public forums. He became a hero in the Black community for
his commitment to his convictions and for refusing to bow
to authority.
Four years after his refusal to serve in the military,
a judge overturned his conviction and he was free to fight
again. Ali came back stronger than ever.
He still proclaimed to “dance like a butterfly and
sting like a bee.” During his “second”
career he fought historical wars against the best heavyweights.
Ali beat “Smokin” Joe Frazier, two out of three
times in some of the most punishing fights in the history
of the heavyweight division.
He also conquered a young and powerful George Foreman,
who seemed unbeatable until he encountered Ali. As Ali would
say, he “shook up the world” by knocking out
Foreman in Zaire to recapture his heavyweight title.
He would eventually lose his title to a young Leon Spinks,
but later defeated Spinks to recapture the title for an
unprecedented third time.
Ali continued to fight long after his skills had diminished,
but he will always be remembered as boxing’s greatest
champion.
However, his great career was overshadowed byhis reputation
as a humanitarian, and as a spokesperson and role model
for African-Americans. He was willing to speak out on issues
such as racism, even at a time when thosepronouncements
were unpopular.
He remained committed to Islam, even though he was constantly
attacked by the media. His message of Black pride and Black
resistance to White domination was on the cutting edge.
He is undoubtedly the most significant athlete of the twentieth
century. Would an athlete such as Michael Jordan sacrifice
four years of a great career for his beliefs? Probably not.
That is why Ali is the Greatest!
