Muhammad Ali was a great athlete of the 20th century and a former American heavyweight boxing champion. Ali, an Olympic gold winner and the first boxer to take home the heavyweight title three times, won 56 fights throughout his 21-year professional career. His agility and fluidity were groundbreaking in the 1960s because large guys just did not move that way. He pioneered new techniques and strategies while altering how the audience viewed heavyweight boxing thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes and speed.
Mohammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942, in Kentucky. His name was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. Later he changed the name.
Young Clay showed early on that he had no fear of any fight, whether it took place inside or outside the ring. When he was a child, he had to deal with racial prejudice and discrimination in the divided South.
In his childhood, Ali lost his bike and he told to the cop that he have to assault the thief. And that cop was his boxing coach, Joe Martin. After this incident, Joe realised Ali’s passion and started how boxing training.
Ali was extremely speedier. Before the other combatant could react, he could deliver a rapid blow and then evade it.
As an amateur fighter, he competed in 105 battles, winning 100 and only losing 5. He was rapidly regarded as one of the top amateur light-heavyweight boxers in the world after winning multiple Gold Glove titles.
Ali travelled to Rome, Italy in 1960 to take part in the Olympics. He won the Gold Medal after defeating every one of his rivals. When Cassius got back home, he was a national hero. He decided to start boxing professionally.
Ali's boxing technique was more dependent on speed and ability than power, unlike many heavyweight boxers. Instead of absorbing strikes, he tried to escape or deflect them.
Ali has significant success as a boxer after turning pro. In a string of victories, he knocked out the majority of his opponents. He had the opportunity to compete for the title in 1964. When Sonny Liston declined to enter the ring during the seventh round, he was victorious by knockout. The world heavyweight champion at the time was Muhammad Ali.
Ali changed his religion to Islam in 1964. His name was originally Cassius Clay, but he later changed it to Cassius X and then to Muhammad Ali. A few years later, he received an army draught notice. He said that his religious beliefs prevented him from joining the military. Beginning in 1967, the boxing association forbade him from competing for three years because he refused to enlist in the military.
Ali resisted being enlisted in the military in March 1966. Every state deliberately denied him a boxing licence, and he lost his passport. Since his case was going through the appeals process from March 1967 to October 1970 from the time he was 25 to almost 29 he did not fight during that time. His conviction was eventually overturned in 1971.
Ali spoke at universities across the country during this period of inaction, condemning the Vietnam War and promoting African-American pride and racial justice as resistance to the war grew, and his viewpoint gained support.
In the ring, Ali returned in 1970. During the early 1970s, Ali fought in some of his most well-known bouts.
The “Fight of the Century” took place in New York City on March 8, 1971, between Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali and Frazier fought for a full 15 rounds until Ali lost by a decision. Ali suffered his first setback in a competitive bout.
Ali recovered his Undisputed Champion by defeating George Foreman in the eighth round in 1974.
The fights of Muhammad Ali broke records for television viewership by drawing some of the largest spectators in history. Between 1974 and 1980, his most popular matches attracted between 1 and 2 billion viewers globally, making them the most-watched live television events in the world at the time. He made numerous additional televised appearances in addition to fights.
On June 3, 2016, Ali passed away in Phoenix, Arizona. He supposedly had a respiratory condition and was hospitalised. At the time of his death, Ali was of age 74.
He had Parkinson's disease and was in 2015 hospitalised after struggling with pneumonia.
Ali had a career record of 56 victories, 5 losses, and 37 knockouts when he stopped boxing at the age of 39.
He was a fighter who contested in the “Fight of the year” ring many times. And he also won the “Sportsman of the Year” award.
One of the most well-known athletes of the 20th century was Muhammad Ali. He is the first and only World Heavyweight Champion to have won three times in a row. Ali attained the title of “Greatest” throughout an almost three-decade career. On December 11, 1981, he fought Trevor Berbick in his final match. In 1984, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease due to traumas in his head. He spent many years as a philanthropist and social activist before passing away on June 3rd, 2016. In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Q1. When did Mohammad Ali retire from his professional life?
Ans. In 1981, Muhammad Ali left the sport of boxing after losing to Trevor Berbick. After boxing, he prioritized activism, generosity, and religion. He announced his diagnosis of Parkinson's syndrome in 1984. Parkinson's syndrome has been linked in some reports to injuries sustained during boxing.
Q2. How many children does Ali have?
Ans. Mohamamad Ali had four wives. And he had nine children, including two that he fathered outside of marriage. And among them, he had a son who was adopted.
Q3. Who was Joe Frasier?
Ans. American boxer Joe Frasier is a former Olympic champion. In 1971, Muhammad Ali suffered his first defeat at the hands of Joe Frasier, who won the bout by a unanimous decision. Ali suffered his first defeat in 32 contests.