Born; 1/17/1942, Louisville, KY. Named; Cassius Marcellus
Clay, jr.
The following Muhammad Ali biography includes his full boxing
record. Complete with a review of every professional fight
including action boxing pictures and boxing videos.
In all of boxing history, Muhammad Ali stands alone. In early
boasts, he called himself "The Greatest," and by
the time his storied career came to an end, most fight fans
agreed. Ali had also become the best-known athlete in the
world and, very possibly, the best loved as well.
Cassius Clay, who used his birth name until he became a Black
Muslim in 1964, grew up in a quiet black neighbourhood of
Louisville, Kentucky. He was a popular student in high school,
where his stunning self-confidence made him noteworthy even
then. He had been focussed on boxing since he was twelve and
trained with the single-mindedness of a future champion. He
started boxing at the amateur level in his hometown and captured
the AAU and Golden Gloves titles in 1959 and 1960. He competed
in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where Ali won a gold medal in
the light heavyweight division. Ali first boxed professionally
in 1960, at the age of eighteen, with a win over a boxer named
Tunney Hunsaker. In subsequent early bouts, it was quickly
apparent that Ali possessed unbelievable hand and foot speed
for someone his size. As he developed, he displayed a stinging
jab and a strong right hand. Ali liked to hold his hands low
and evade punches to the head by simply bobbing out of harm's
way. The brash young fighter's knack for self-promotion nearly
rivalled his ring skills. He mugged for the cameras, talked
in rhymes, and boasted that he was not only the greatest,
but also the prettiest of all time. He began to predict, with
unnerving accuracy, the round in which he would stop opponents
("They all fall/in the round I call"). In a time
when interest in boxing had waned, Ali dramatically revitalised
the sport. He was a one-man show, full of swagger and contempt,
and the press and public embraced him.
Ali proved over and over, with the great talent and boxing
intelligence, that he was much more than an entertaining huckster.
In 1961, Ali knocked out Alex Miteff, who had been considered
a top contender the previous year. In 1962 and 1963, he defeated
such daunting adversaries as George Logan, Billy Daniels,
Archie Moore, Doug Jones and Henry Cooper. Having emerged
as the top heavyweight contender, Ali faced the formidable
Sonny Liston for the world championship in 1964. Many observers
gave Ali little chance against big, bad Liston. But Ali dominated
the fight despite being nearly blinded for two rounds by a
foreign substance used by Liston's corner. (Perhaps liniment
or a coagulant applied to a cut and then transferred to Liston's
gloves). Muhammad Ali won the Heavyweight Title when Liston
refused to answer the bell for the seventh round, claiming
an injured shoulder.
After the victory, Ali announced that he had become a member
of the Nation of Islam, the Black Muslim religion, and had
changed his name. Ali's conversion upset some fans. The jokester
had gotten serious about race and politics. It cost him some
popularity and probably, though never acknowledged, influenced
his future as a titleholder. When Ali agreed to give Liston
a return match, the WBA took the title away ostensibly because
the rematch contract was a violation of WBA rules. Ali continued
to be outspoken, particularly in statements against the Vietnam
War. In his second fight with Liston, Ali triumphed in one
round, apparently using his famed "anchor punch."
As with the first Liston fight, this rematch was shrouded
in controversy. Some thought that Liston took a dive. After
flooring Liston, Ali did not immediately move to a neutral
corner. Liston eventually rose from the canvas and the fight
resumed. It was only when Nat Fleischer, editor of The Ring,
shouted from the ring-side that Liston had been down for at
least a count of ten, that referee Jersey Joe Walcott stopped
the fight.
Ali's refusal, on religious grounds, to accept induction
into the armed forces caused him to be stripped of his undisputed
world title in 1967. Furthermore, Ali faced imprisonment for
his action and was barred from boxing while his case was litigated.
He called himself "The People's Champion" continued
to be recognised as the world heavyweight titleholder in Great
Britain and Japan. Ultimately, in June 1971, the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled in Ali's favour, after he returned to the ring
in an October 1970 conquest over Jerry Quarry. In his last
fights before his banishment, Ali had combined stylish footwork
with great punching power. Most experts concede that upon
his return, the older, slightly heavier fighter was not quite
the equal of the 1967 Ali. Ali met the new champion, Joe Frazier,
in the "Fight of the Century" in Madison Square
Garden in 1971. In an extremely hard-fought battle, Frazier
won the decision, handing Ali his first defeat. In one of
the greatest series in ring history, the two met twice more
in battles of strength, skill and courage, with Ali emerging
as the victor both times. Ali scored a technical knockout
over Frazier in their final bout, called the "Thrilla
in Manila" and considered by many to one of the greatest
fights of all time.
Ali reclaimed the heavyweight championship in 1974 when he
knocked out the previously unbeaten George Foreman. Dubbed
the "Rumble in the Jungle," the match was held in
Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali used his "rope-a-dope" strategy
in which he leaned against the ropes and allowed Foreman to
punch himself out. After Foreman tired, Ali knocked him out.
Ali lost his title to the unproven Leon Spinks in 1978, but
reclaimed it in the rematch later that same year. He then
announced his retirement only to make ill-fated comeback attempts
against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick.
Plagued by ill health in retirement, Ali remains a respected
public figure. The most recognised face in the world!
MUHAMMAD ALI Fight Record:
AMATEUR BOXING RECORD:
1956
Novice Title, Louisville, Kentucky
1957
26 Feb Kent Green Chicago LK 2
(Chicago Golden Glove Quarterfinals)
1958
Mar 5 Chicago Golden Gloves Finals
1959
Mar 11 Chicago Golden Gloves Finals
25 Mar Tony Madigan Chicago W 3
(Wins Inter-City Golden Gloves)
Apr National AAU Light-heavyweight Champion
Sep Amos Johnson Chicago L 3
(Pan Am Games Quarterfinals)
1960
Feb 29 Wins Chicago Golden Gloves
Mar 21 Gary Jawish New York KO 3 (1:46)
(Wins Inter-City Golden Gloves, Heavyweight)
8 Apr Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. registers for the military
draft
9 Apr Jeff Davis Toledo, OH KO 2
(Wins National AAU Light-heavyweight Championship)
May 20 Alan Hudson San Francisco KO
(May 18-20 Olympic Trials; wins as light heavyweight)
Olympics: Opponent Country Result
Yves Because Belgium TKO 2
Sep 1 Genadiy Schatkov USSR W Dec
Tony Madigan Australia W Dec
Sep 5 Zbigniew Pietrzykowki Poland W Dec (5-0)
MUHAMMAD ALI BIOGRAPHY: PROFESSIONAL BOXING
RECORD:
28th April Refuses induction into the US army. Is stripped
of World Title and barred from boxing whjile he appeals against
a five year sentance for draft evasion.
1970
20 Jan - Rocky Marciano (movie/computer
fight) - TKO by 8
Muhammad has been blessed to meet with important dignitaries,
including with President Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson
Mandela, and Pope John Paul II. His travels are his main source
of income--charging as much as $200,000 for appearances. He
usually travels 275 days out of the year. Although he enjoys
his missionary work and public appearances, Ali's greatest
pleasure is when he is at home in Berrien Springs, Michigan
with his family, wife Yolanda and his adopted son Asaad Amin.
In Berrien Springs, he lives a modest life in a house at
the end of the road on an old farm. He has a pool and a pond
and a security gate with an intercom. According to Kim Forburger,
Ali's assistant, "He's the only man I know where the
kids come to the gate and say 'Can Muhammad come out and play?'
When asked if he has any regrets, Ali responds, "My
children, I never got to raise them because I was always boxing
and because of divorce," he said. When asked whether
he is sorry he ever got into the ring, he responded, "If
I wasn't a boxer, I wouldn't be famous. If I wasn't famous,
I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now."
