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Heavyweight Champion (second tenure)
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Early life
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky.[13] The older of two boys, he was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., who was named after the 19th century abolitionist and politician of the same name. His father painted billboards and signs,[13] and his mother, Odessa O'Grady Clay, was a household domestic. Although Cassius Sr. was a Methodist, he allowed Odessa to bring up both Cassius and his younger brother Rudolph "Rudy" Clay (later renamed Rahman Ali) as Baptists.[14] He is a descendant of pre-Civil War era American slaves in the American South, and is predominantly of African-American descent, with Irish and English ancestry.[15]
Clay was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin,[16] who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over a thief taking his bicycle. He told the officer he was going to "whup" the thief. The officer told him he better learn how to box first.[17] For the last four years of Clay's amateur career he was trained by legendary boxing cutman Chuck Bodak.[18]
Clay won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses. Shortly after his return home from Rome following the Olympics, Ali would claim in his 1975 autobiography that he threw his medal into the Ohio River after he and a friend of his were being refused service at a "whites-only" restaurant, and fighting with a white gang.[19] However, two years later, in the 1977 biopic, The Greatest, a film scene depicting the medal-throwing incident only has Ali being forced out of the diner due to his race quickly cutting to the scene where Clay threw the medal into the river in disgust. Ali brought up the latter story of events in later years in interviews. Both stories have been heavily debated and several of Ali's friends from photographer Howard Bingham and Bundini Brown disputed this story calling it false, with Brown later telling Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram, "Honkies sure bought into that one!"[20]
It was stated that Ali kept his medal until "the gold rubbed off".[20] This incident is not mentioned in Thomas Hauser's own official biography of Ali, who confirmed that Ali was refused service at the diner but said he lost his medal a year after he won it. Ali later received a replacement medal at a basketball intermission during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he lit the torch to start the games.
Boxing career
Early career
Clay made his professional debut on October 29, 1960, winning a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker. From then until 1963, Clay amassed a record of 19-0 with 15 wins by knockout. He defeated boxers such as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark, Doug Jones and Henry Cooper.
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Clay was knocked down twice during this early run by boxers such as Sonny Banks and Henry Cooper. The Cooper fight was stopped due to deep cuts in Cooper's eyes in the fifth round. Clay also beat his former trainer and veteran boxer Archie Moore in a 1962 match. After Clay left Moore's camp in 1960 partially due to Clay refusing to do chores such as dishwashing and sweeping, he hired Angelo Dundee, whom he had met in February of 1957 during Ali's amateur career[21], to be his trainer. Around this time, Clay sought longtime idol Sugar Ray Robinson to be his manager, but was rebuffed. A disputed ten-round decision over Doug Jones was later named "Fight of the Year" in 1963.
Following the 1963 fights, Ali became the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. Despite his record, he was not expected to win. During the weigh-in on the day before the bout, the ever-boastful Clay, who frequently taunted Liston during the buildup by dubbing him "the big ugly bear" (among other things), declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and, summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see." At the pre-fight weigh-in, Clay's pulse rate was around 120, more than double his norm of 54.[22] Liston, among others, misread this as nervousness.
Heavyweight Champion
Clay and Liston fought for six rounds in their first title fight, with Clay dominating most of the rounds, except in round four when it was alleged Clay had trouble seeing due to a substance in his eyes.[22] Though not confirmed that this happened to Clay, Bert Sugar claimed that at least two of Liston's opponents complained about their eyes 'burning'", suggesting a possibility that Liston's corner was deliberately attempting to cheat.[23]
Despite Liston's attempts to knock Clay out in the fifth, Clay was able to escape Liston's offense until sweat and tears rinsed the substance from his eyes, leading to Clay to respond back with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. During the sixth round, Clay dominated Liston throughout. When Liston refused to answer the bell for the seventh round, Clay was declared the winner. Liston would later claim he had injured his shoulder. Following the win, a triumphant Clay rushed to the press stands, pointing to them and screaming "I fooled you!" During the now-infamous in-ring interview following the match, Clay shouted "I shook up the world!" and "I must be 'The Greatest'!" When Clay won, he became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion at just 22; though Floyd Patterson was the youngest to win the heavyweight championship at 21, it was during an elimination bout following Rocky Marciano's retirement. Mike Tyson later broke the records for both Clay and Patterson in 1986 at 20 during his fight with Trevor Berbick.
Clay, now having changed his name to Muhammad Ali following his Islam conversion, and Liston met up for their rematch in May the following year. Midway through the first round, Liston was knocked down by one of Ali's punches, later dubbed by the press as the "phantom punch". Referee Jersey Joe Walcott stopped the match shortly afterwards and Ali was declared the winner around 1:52 of the first round.[24] Rumors speculated that Liston dropped to the ground purposely due to threats from NOI extremists, or "threw" the fight to pay off debts, waiting to be counted out.
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Ali's second title defense was against Floyd Patterson. The bout was alleged to have been brutal due to Patterson's refusal to call Ali by his Muslim name. Throughout the fight, Ali taunted Patterson by shouting "what's my name" to him. It's alleged that Patterson may have strained his sacroiliac, which made it difficult for him to escape Ali's punches. Ali and then-WBA heavyweight champion boxer Ernie Terrell had agreed to meet for a bout in Chicago on March 29, 1966 but the Illinois Athletic Commission refused to host the fight due to Ali's Vietnam War statements.[25] Following these bouts, Ali traveled overseas and won championship bouts against George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Brian London and Karl Mildenberger. Ali's next fight after his return to the United States was against Cleveland Williams in the Houston Astrodome. According to Sports Illustrated, the bout drew a then-indoor world record of 35,460. Ali ended up beating Williams in three rounds, with Bert Sugar calling it Ali's greatest ring performance.[26] Williams was recovering from being shot at point-blank range by a Texas policeman a year and a half before, resulting in him entering the fight missing one kidney and 10 feet (3.0 m) of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet that was still lodged in his body.
Ali and Terrell finally met in Houston to face off on February 6, 1967. Like Patterson before, Terrell would defy Ali's order to call him by his Muslim name. As a result, Ali set off on humiliating Terrell, shouting, "What's my name, Uncle Tom... what's my name?" Terrell later alleged that Ali had rubbed his thumbs on Terrell's eyes, causing problems. Critics described the fight as "one of the ugliest boxing fights". Tex Maule later wrote: "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty." Despite this, Ali denied he intended to harm Terrell on purpose nor did he feel he was cruel to Terrell during the bout. His final title defense would be against Zora Folley a month later. Following this, Ali's title would be stripped after his refusal to be drafted to Army service[13], resulting in his boxing license being suspended and later being sentenced to five years for evasion.
Comeback from exile
With his case still in appeal, Ali returned to the ring after winning a boxing license in Atlanta on August 12, 1970, thanks to State Senator Leroy R. Johnson, where he was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission.[27] Ali's first return bout was against Jerry Quarry on October 26, resulting in a win after three rounds. Following this, the New York State Boxing Commission reinstated Ali's license to fight there and Ali fought against Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970, knocking him out technically during the 15th round, leaving him as a top contender against heavyweight champion Joe Frazier.
Ali and Frazier's first fight, held at the Garden on May 8, 1971, was nicknamed the "Fight of the Century", due to the hyped antics in their pre-fight. After being knocked down during the 15th round, Ali eventually suffered his first professional boxing loss afterwards from the fight. The boxer then returned with bouts against Quarry, a second bout with Floyd Patterson and Bob Foster in 1972, winning a total of six fights that year. In 1973, Ali suffered another loss at the hands of Ken Norton, who broke Ali's jaw during the fight, though it's contested which round he broke it, with Angelo Dundee later claiming Ali broke it in the second round, while others, including Norton, stated Ali broke it much later in the fight. After initially seeking retirement, Ali won against Norton in their second bout, leading to his second fight with Frazier, with Ali this time winning on points in their January 12, 1974 rematch.
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Heavyweight Champion (second tenure)
Main articles: The Rumble in the Jungle and Thrilla in Manila
Ali faced off against heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman in Kinshasa on October 30, 1974 in a bout nicknamed "The Rumble in the Jungle". Going into the fight, Ali was not favored to win it, judging from Foreman's hard punches. During the fight, beginning in the second round, Ali began laying on the ropes, allowing Foreman to hit him with body punches, while avoiding Ali's head. Midway through, when Foreman began tiring, Ali would then counter with punches and some flurries. By the fifth round, Ali began to hit more effectively to Foreman, who was weakening. This practice would later become known as the "Rope-A-Dope". Midway through the eighth round, Ali hit Foreman with a flurry of punches that sent Foreman to the canvas, later resulting in him being counted out and Ali winning back the championship for the second time in his career.
Ali's next opponents included Chuck Wepner, who stunned Ali with a knockdown in the ninth round - Ali would later said he tripped on Wepner's foot; Ron Lyle and Joe Bugner. Ali agreed to a third match with Joe Frazier in Manila. The bout, titled "The Thrilla in Manila", was held on October 1, 1975.[13] The fight lasted for fourteen rounds and was considered a brutal fight due to the sweltering heat with temperatures reaching 100 °F (38 °C) and both fighters' punches towards each other. Ali won by technical knockout after Frazier's corner refused to allow Frazier, who was technically blind during the fight, to answer for the fifteenth round. An ailing Ali said afterwards that the last Frazier fight "was the closest thing to dying that I know". Ali cited Frazier as "the greatest fighter of all times next to me" after their bout ended.
Decline
Following the bout, Ali fought against Jean-Pierre Coopman, Jimmy Young and Richard Dunn, with the latter bout being the final bout in which Ali scored by knockout. Later in 1976, Ali participated in an exhibition bout in Tokyo against Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist Antonio Inoki.[28] Though the fight was noted as a publicity stunt, the fight affected Ali's mobility as he suffered leg bruises throughout the fight due to Inoki's kicks.[28] Ali suffered two blood clots and an infection in the fight, which was ultimately declared a draw.[28] Ali fought against Ken Norton again in their third fight at Yankee Stadium in September of 1976, where Ali won by a heavily contested decision, which led to the audience booing in the ring. Ali reacted to the fallout of this by announcing a brief retirement to practice his faith in Islam, having converted to Sunni Islam after falling out with the Nation of Islam the previous year.[29]
After winning against Alfredo Evangelista in May of 1977, Ali struggled in his next fight to boxer Earnie Shavers that September, who pummeled Ali a few times with punches to the head. Ali later won the fight by another unanimous decision, but the Shavers fight caused Ali's longtime doctor Freddie Pacheco to quit after he was rebuffed for telling Ali he should retire. In February of 1978, Ali faced Leon Spinks, who had a 6-0-1 record going into their first fight at the Superdome in New Orleans, and lost the title by unanimous decision. Ali later won against Spinks by unanimous decision in their rematch eight months later, making him the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times. Following this win, on July 27, 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing. His retirement was short-lived, however, after Ali announced his comeback to face Larry Holmes for the WBA belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time. It was around this time that Ali started struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands. Ali's rapid decline caused concern and Ali checked himself into the Mayo Clinic for checkup, later declaring him fit to fight. Ali fought against Holmes on October 2, 1980 in Las Vegas with Holmes easily dominating the weakened Ali, who had taken thyroid medication to lose weight though the medication left him visibly tired and shortness with breath. Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee stopped the fight in the eleventh round, citing the only Ali fight in which the boxer lost by knockout. The Holmes fight is said to have contributed to Ali's Parkinson's syndrome.[30] Despite pleas for retirement, Ali fought one last time on December 21, 1981 in Nassau against Trevor Berbick losing a ten-round decision. Following the bout, Ali announced his retirement.
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Later years
Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, a disease that is more common to head trauma from activities such as boxing.[31][32][33] Ali still remained active during this time, however, later participating as a guest referee in the inaugural WrestleMania event.[34][35]
Ali's other high profile events during this time included being selected by the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights around 1987. Ali rode on a float at the following year's Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.S. Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration. He published an oral history, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser, in 1991. That same year Ali traveled to Iraq during the Gulf War and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages.[36] At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ali famously lit the torch. Ali's bout with Parkinson's led to a gradual decline in Ali's health though he was still active into the early years of the millennium, even promoting his own biopic, Ali, in 2001. On November 17, 2002, Muhammad Ali went to Afghanistan as "U.N. Messenger of Peace".[37] He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN.[38]
In 2009, Ali visited Ennis, the ancestral site of his great-grandfather before he emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, before eventually settling in Kentucky.[39] Ali later received the honour of freedom at a civic reception in Ennis. He also became a freeman at Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland. On July 27, 2012, Ali was a titular bearer of the Olympic Flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson's rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium.[40]
Personal life
Marriages and children
Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. Ali met his first wife, cocktail waitress Sonji Roi, approximately one month before they married on August 14, 1964.[41] Roi's objections to certain Muslim customs in regard to dress for women contributed to the breakup of their marriage. They divorced on January 10, 1966.
On August 17, 1967, Ali married Belinda Boyd. After the wedding, she, like Ali, converted to Islam and more recently to Sufism,[42] changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: Maryum (b. 1968), twins Jamillah and Rasheda (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali, Jr. (b. 1972).[43] Maryum has a career as an author and rapper.[44]
In 1975, Ali began an affair with Veronica Porsche, an actress and model. By the summer of 1977, Ali's second marriage was over and he had married Veronica.[45] At the time of their marriage, they had a baby girl, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, Laila, was born in December 1977. By 1986, Ali and Veronica were divorced. Laila later became a boxer in 1999,[46] despite her father's earlier comments against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right here [patting his chest]. Get hit in the breast... hard... and all that."[47]
On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda ("Lonnie") Williams. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. They have one son, Asaad Amin, whom they adopted when Amin was five.[43][48][49][50][51]
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Ali was a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey in the early 1970s.[52] Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital relationships.[43][53]
Ali currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with Lonnie. They own a house in Berrien Springs, Michigan, which is for sale. On January 9, 2007, they purchased a house in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky for $1,875,000.[54] Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late 20s.[55]
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