Description: Shaky, fidgety, and punch-drunk former boxer with slurred speech patterns and a case of Parkinson’s syndrome that leaves his face in a frozen and expressionless stare.
An Olympic gold medalist in 1960, Muhammad Ali was a three time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion who dominated boxing in the 1960s and 1970s. Nicknamed “The Greatest”, the loud, boisterous, confrontational, demanding, and charismatic Ali claimed he could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” The Vietnam draft-dodger, who once embraced Saddam Hussein, retired from boxing in 1981.
Biographical Information:
The name Cassius Marcellus Clay is significant, because it was the name of
a Kentucky landholder in 1860 who was renowned for his antislavery position.
Clay had inherited a large plantation from his father, staffed with slaves,
but, as an abolitionist, he freed his slaves and campaigned against any law
that tried to preserve slavery. The Clay name became associated with the fight
against slavery and survived among the families of former slaves. Muhammad
Ali’s father, who was a grandson of “free coloreds” and
was also named Cassius Marcellus Clay, gave Ali his birth name of Cassius
Marcellus Clay, Jr. in honor of the old abolitionist. Ali’s mother,
Odessa Grady Clay, was a wonderful, caring mother, who was faithful to her
Christian upbringing.
Young Cassius Clay initially discovered his interest in boxing at the age of 12, after his bicycle was stolen. Determined to “whup” whoever did it, he encountered a policeman who was teaching some neighborhood boys to box. Encouraged to learn to fight before challenging people, Cassius turned his attention to the boxing ring. After six weeks of practice, he won a three minute, three round split decision on a local television boxing show. After the decision was announced, young Clay proclaimed, “I’ll be the greatest fighter of all times!” Growing up during the beginning of the civil rights protests, Cassius struggled through school and worked hard in the gym. Clay had fought 108 amateur bouts by the age of 18, winning several Golden Gloves competitions, then went on to easily win gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome against Polish fighter Zbigniew Pietrzykowski. Returning to America a national hero, Clay recited the following poem:
To make America the greatest is my goal,
So I beat the Russian, and I beat the Pole,
And for the U.S.A. won the medal of Gold.
Italians said, “You’re greater than the Cassius of Old.
We like your name, we like your game.
So make Rome your home if you will.”
I said, “I appreciate your kind hospitality,
But the U.S.A. is my country still,
‘Cause they waiting to welcome me in Louisville.”
Clay’s first professional victory came in October of 1960 in a six round decision against Tunney Hunsaker. Archie Moore, an active fighter, served as Clay’s trainer, but Cassius soon dropped him in favor of respected trainer Angelo Dundee. Clay’s fighting style was unconventional and not technically sound, but he used it to his advantage and became, according to boxing historian Hank Kaplan, “the greatest innovator in the history of boxing.” Ferdie Pacheco, Clay’s “fight doctor”, described Clay’s style: “His great hand speed made it possible to hold his left at his waist. His leg speed made it possible to lean back, away from a punch. To hit [him] when he leaned back, you needed a stepladder and blinding speed. [He] gave you the body, and while you busily worked it, he pounded your head.” He also talked non-stop, which got him the nickname “The Louisville Lip.”
Clay worked his way up the ranks and learned from wrestler Gorgeous George how to be outrageous and flamboyant in order to create an audience. Cassius began predicting which round he would knock his opponents out, and then he would go and do it in the ring as predicted. As he became more and more famous, Clay surrounded himself with an entourage of people dedicated to serving him. His entourage, which grew in proportion to his fame, was later known as the “Ali Circus.” By summer of 1963, Clay had a record of 18-0.
In June of 1963, Cassius went to Britain to fight Henry Cooper, the top British contender who was known as a “bleeder.” Clay, who had predicted a fifth round knockout, entered the ring mocking the British royal family by wearing royal robes and a crown, with the words “Cassius the Greatest” emblazened on the back of the robe. By the fourth round, Cassius was practically holding Cooper up, waiting for the predicted fifth round to knock him out. Cooper, however, gathered the strength for a final left hook that sent a shocked and hurt Clay through the ropes. Cassius was literally saved by the bell, as according to British rules, the referee, who had reached the count of four, had to stop counting when the bell sounded. Angelo Dundee, who had noticed a tear in Clay’s glove earlier in the match, decided to make the tear worse and call it to the attention of the referee. Fearing that the torn glove could be dangerous to a “bleeder” like Cooper, the referee directed Clay’s cornermen to put a new glove on him. While Cooper waited, Cassius got a massage and smelling salts to wake him up. By the time the fifth round started, Clay had recovered and beat Cooper so badly that the referee had to stop the fight because of Cooper’s excessive bleeding.
In 1964, the morning after beating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title, Cassius Clay dropped his “slave name” (even though the name Clay was associated with the fight against slavery) and became Muhammad Ali as he converted to a radical form of Islam. In the Nation of Islam’s version of history, the world began with black people in the city of Mecca, where they formed a tribe known as Shabazz. About 6,600 years ago, a Shabazz scientist known as Yacub was banished from Mecca for his evil teachings. As revenge for his banishment, Yacub created a race of devils with white skin to terrorize the black-skinned Shabazz. In 1930, a silk salesman named Wallace D. Fard, who claimed to be Allah in human form, told the story of the tribe to a man name Elijah Poole. In 1934, Fard disappeared and left Elijah as his messenger. Poole took on the name Elijah Mohammed and organized the new religion in his Detroit home.
Rejected by America, including such black athletes as Floyd Patterson and Jackie Robinson, Ali went to Africa. In the years that followed, Ali experienced a failed marriage, separation from his parents, and public scorn stemming from refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. Ali was guaranteed to go to the Special Forces as an entertainer, as Joe Louis had been in World War II, but he refused to go. An hour after being convicted of draft evasion, he was stripped of his heavyweight title. He lost his boxing licenses and his passport, so could not fight anywhere in the world. But now Ali had become associated with the anti-war movement, which in turn made him popular with African-Americans and young whites for taking on the U.S. Government. Ali remarried in 1967. In 1969, Ali was banished from the Nation of Islam for a year because of his desire to re-enter the ring. Ali returned to the ring in 1970 in Georgia, where there was no boxing commissioner to obstruct his return. At this time, Ali’s popularity was returning and his license to box was reinstated. In 1971 Ali lost to Joe Frazier in 15 rounds, the first loss of his career.
In 1972, Ali almost starred in the movie Heaven Can Wait, originally the story of a boxer who dies, is brought back to life, and wins the heavyweight championship. But the Nation of Islam did not approve and Ali abandoned the project, which later became the story of a football quarterback played by Warren Beatty. Ali continued to fight, including losing to Ken Norton and then beating him in a rematch. In 1974, Ali beat Frazier in their rematch. Ali regained the championship by beating George Foreman in Zaire in the “Rumble in the Jungle.”
After Elijah Muhammad died in 1975, his son Wallace, and new leader of the Nation of Islam, rejected the doctrines about black superiority, the inherent evil of white people, the stories of Yacub and W. D. Fard, and the role of Elijah as the messenger of Allah. Ali followed Wallace, while Louis Farrakhan disagreed and later went on to resurrect the old-style Nation of Islam in 1977.
Ali did not train much for his next opponent, Chuck Wepner, who actually knocked down Ali and lasted for 15 rounds before Ali won, inspiring a struggling young actor, Sylvester Stallone, who saw the fight and used Wepner as his inspiration for Rocky Balboa.
Ali next scheduled another rematch with Frazier, this time in Manila so he could hide away with his mistress while training. During a banquet with Ferdinand Marcos, who had asked Ali to fight in the Philippines for the publicity, Marcos referred to Ali’s female companion as Ali’s wife. Ali did not correct him and when word reached Ali’s wife, she confronted him in Manila and shortly after filed for divorce. While speaking to a crowd before the fight, Ali said, “Joe Frazier should give his face to the Wildlife Fund! He so ugly, blind men go the other way! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! He not only looks bad! You can smell him in another country! [holds his nose] What will the people in Manila think? We can’t have a gorilla for champ. They’re gonna think, lookin’ at him, that all black brothers are animals. Ignorant. Stupid. Ugly. If he’s champ again, other nations will laugh at us.” The fight against Frazier became perhaps the greatest boxing match of all time. Ali ended up winning “The Thrilla in Manila” after 14 gruelling rounds.
After the Frazier fight, Ali attempted to reconcile with Frazier for all the harsh words Ali had used against him during the early 1970s, but Frazier would continue the rivalry by belittling Ali at every opportunity. It wasn’t until 1997 that Frazier would extend his friendship to Ali.
Ali continued to fight, got divorced, and married again, but it was apparent that his skills and health were on the decline. In 1978 he lost his championship belt to Leon Spinks. Later in the year, Ali got the championship belt back by beating Spinks in a 15 round decision. In 1979, Ali announced his retirement. Ali tried to return to the ring again by facing Larry Holmes, but he lost badly and retired for good.
In July of 1996, the once-feared and now trembling Ali was selected to light the torch that signified the beginning of the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, Ali is respected by the politically correct establishment and suffers from a bad case of Parkinson’s syndrome that has left his once fast feet shuffling at a snail’s pace and his once feared jab trembling incessantly.
Clay’s Boxing Career:
12/11/1981 vs. Trevor Berbick, Loss by unanimous decision in 10 rounds
10/2/1980 vs. Larry Holmes, Loss by TKO in 11 rounds
9/15/1978 vs. Leon Spinks, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
2/15/1978 vs. Leon Spinks, Loss by split decision in 15 rounds
9/29/1977 vs. Earnie Shavers, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
5/16/1977 vs. Alfredo Evangelista, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
9/28/1976 vs. Ken Norton, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
5/24/1976 vs. Richard Dunn, Win by TKO in 5 rounds
4/30/1976 vs. Jimmy Young, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
2/20/1976 vs. Jean-Pierre Coopman, Win by KO in 5 rounds
10/1/1975 vs. Joe Frazier, Win by TKO in 14 rounds
6/30/1975 vs. Joe Bugner, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
5/16/1975 vs. Ron Lyle, Win by TKO in 11 rounds
3/24/1975 vs. Chuck Wepner, Win by TKO in 15 rounds
10/30/1974 vs. George Foreman, Win by KO in 8 rounds
1/28/1974 vs. Joe Frazier, Win by unanimous decision in 12 rounds
10/20/1973 vs. Rudi Lubbers, Win by unanimous decision in 12 rounds
9/10/1973 vs. Ken Norton, Win by split decision in 12 rounds
3/31/1973 vs. Ken Norton, Loss by split decision in 12 rounds
2/14/1973 vs. Joe Bugner, Win by unanimous decision in 12 rounds
11/21/1972 vs. Bob Foster, Win by KO in 8 rounds
9/20/1972 vs. Floyd Patterson, Win by TKO in 7 rounds
7/19/1972 vs. Alvin Lewis, Win by KO in 11 rounds
6/29/1972 vs. Jerry Quarry, Win by TKO in 7 rounds
5/1/1972 vs. George Chuvalo, Win by unanimous decision in 12 rounds
4/1/1972 vs. Mac Foster, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
12/26/1971 vs. Jurgen Blin, Win by KO in 7 rounds
11/17/1971 vs. Buster Mathis, Win by unanimous decision in 12 rounds
7/26/1971 vs. Jimmy Ellis, Win by TKO in 12 rounds
3/8/1971 vs. Joe Frazier, Loss by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
12/7/1970 vs. Oscar Bonavena, Win by TKO in 15 rounds
10/26/1970 vs. Jerry Quarry, Win by TKO in 3 rounds
3/22/1967 vs. Zora Folley, Win by KO in 7 rounds
2/6/1967 vs. Ernie Terrell, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
11/14/1966 vs. Cleveland Williams, Win by KO in 3 rounds
9/10/1966 vs. Karl Mildenberger, Win by TKO in 12 rounds
8/6/1966 vs. Brian London, Win by KO in 3 rounds
5/21/1966 vs. Henry Cooper, Win by TKO in 6 rounds
3/29/1966 vs. George Chuvalo, Win by unanimous decision in 15 rounds
11/22/1965 vs. Floyd Patterson, Win by TKO in 12 rounds
5/25/1965 vs. Sonny Liston, Win by KO in 1 rounds
2/25/1964 vs. Sonny Liston, Win by TKO in 7 rounds
6/18/1963 vs. Henry Cooper, Win by TKO in 5 rounds
3/13/1963 vs. Doug Jones, Win by unanimous decision in 10 rounds
1/24/1963 vs. Charley Powell, Win by KO in 3 rounds
11/15/1962 vs. Archie Moore, Win by KO in 4 rounds
7/20/1962 vs. Alejandro Lavorante, Win by KO in 5 rounds
5/19/1962 vs. Billy Daniels, Win by KO in 7 rounds
4/23/1962 vs. George Logan, Win by TKO in 4 rounds
3/28/1962 vs. Dan Warner, Win by KO in 4 rounds
2/19/1962 vs. Sonny Banks, Win by TKO in 4 rounds
11/29/1961 vs. Willi Besmanoff, Win by KO in 7 rounds
10/7/1961 vs. Alex Miteff, Win by KO in 6 rounds
7/22/1961 vs. Alonzo Johnson, Win by unanimous decision in 10 rounds
6/26/1961 vs. Duke Sabedong, Win by unanimous decision in 10 rounds
4/19/1961 vs. Lamar Clark, Win by KO in 2 rounds
2/21/1961 vs. Donnie Fleeman, Win by KO in 7 rounds
2/7/1961 vs. Jim Robinson, Win by KO in 1 round
1/17/1961 vs. Tony Esperti, Win by KO in 3 rounds
12/27/1960 vs. Herb Siler, Win by KO in 4 rounds
10/29/1960 vs. Tunney Hunsaker, Win by unanimous decision in 6 rounds