Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali (b. January 17, 1942) was one of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers, as well as one of the world's most famous individuals, renowned for his political activism.

Boxing Career

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky , he began boxing at age 12, initially tutored by policeman Joe Martin. He won the gold medal in boxing's light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, after a glittering amateur career including six Kentucky State Golden Gloves titles, two National Golden Gloves titles, and two National Amateur Athletic Union titles.

He turned professional under the tuition of Angelo Dundee, a trainer who had handled many great boxers including Willie Pastrano. He won his first professional World Championship in a World Boxing Association bout on February 6, 1967 against Ernie Terrell. It should be noted that the later argument between the various boxing organisations (WBA, WBO, and WBC) did not then exist, and the winner of the fight was universally recognised as the World Champion.

He was the first boxer to regain the world heavyweight championship, and the first to win it three times.

Boxing Style

Ali is generally regarded as the greatest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing (although for most of his amateur career he fought as a light heavyweight). His style was unusual for a heavyweight, particularly his habit of carrying his hands at his sides (as opposed to the orthodox boxing style of carrying the hands high so as to easily defend the face). He was able to do this because he could rely on his extraordinary speed to get him out of trouble. Jose Torres, himself a World Champion in the middleweight division, wrote in his definitive biography of Ali Sting Like a Bee that Ali never threw punches with his whole body, but instead punched from the shoulder, implying less power.

Torres also writes that Ali punched to the head much more than most boxers -- a good way to knock an opponent out, but generally a high-risk strategy since over the duration of a long fight punches to the body can be much more effective in tiring an opponent out.

These idiosyncracies are typical of Ali's image as a wayward genius; it appears impossible to decide if he got away with such unorthodoxies because of his physical gifts (a long reach and very fast reactions), or if the traditional techniques of boxing that he ignored were themselves at fault.

Politics

His conversion to Islam marked the beginning of an influential involvement with the Black Muslim movement and he has been a vocal and eloquent advocate on black civil rights issues. The English journalist Tony Parsons described him as a hero because "no white man could look at him or listen to him and feel superior".

Other resources

Books:

Sting Like a Bee, by Jose Torres (with significant contributions from Bert Randolph Sugar and Norman Mailer). ISBN 0071395881

Films:

Ali (2001, directed by Michael Mann, starring Will Smith)