“THE GREATEST”
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Cassius Clay was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 17, 1942. When he was 12 years old, somebody stole his bike, and he told the officer he wanted to beat up whoever stole it. Officer Joe Martin told him he better learn how to fight first. Officer Martin trained him for the next 6 years.
In 1956, Clay won the Golden Gloves beginners tournament. In 1959, he won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions and the AAU national title. In 1960, Clay won a gold medal on the US Olympic boxing team in Rome, Italy. When he returned to Louisville, he was denied service at a diner because of Jim Crow segregation laws. The owner told him, "We don't serve n******." Clay replied, "That's ok; I don't eat ‘em."
In 1964, after he beat Sonny Liston, he surprised the world when he announced he joined the Nation of Islam under Malcolm X’s influence. He denounced the name Cassius Clay and was given the name Muhammad Ali.
Ali's refusal to be drafted into the U.S. Military in 1967, citing his religious beliefs and the racism Black soldiers faced, sent shockwaves through the nation. He was found guilty of draft evasion, stripped of his boxing titles, and banned from the sport for three years. However, Ali never served time in jail, and in 1971, the Supreme Court overturned his conviction, recognizing the validity of his claims.
At the age of 32, at the "Rumble in the Jungle," Ali beat George Foreman to reclaim the Heavyweight title. Ali was the first boxer to ever win 3 Heavyweight championships. He retired with a record of 56-5.
In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ali wasn't the biggest or the strongest, but his confidence in himself made him THE GREATEST EVER.
HELLA INSPIRED.
In 1956, Clay won the Golden Gloves beginners tournament. In 1959, he won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions and the AAU national title. In 1960, Clay won a gold medal on the US Olympic boxing team in Rome, Italy. When he returned to Louisville, he was denied service at a diner because of Jim Crow segregation laws. The owner told him, "We don't serve n******." Clay replied, "That's ok; I don't eat ‘em."
In 1964, after he beat Sonny Liston, he surprised the world when he announced he joined the Nation of Islam under Malcolm X’s influence. He denounced the name Cassius Clay and was given the name Muhammad Ali.
Ali's refusal to be drafted into the U.S. Military in 1967, citing his religious beliefs and the racism Black soldiers faced, sent shockwaves through the nation. He was found guilty of draft evasion, stripped of his boxing titles, and banned from the sport for three years. However, Ali never served time in jail, and in 1971, the Supreme Court overturned his conviction, recognizing the validity of his claims.
At the age of 32, at the "Rumble in the Jungle," Ali beat George Foreman to reclaim the Heavyweight title. Ali was the first boxer to ever win 3 Heavyweight championships. He retired with a record of 56-5.
In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ali wasn't the biggest or the strongest, but his confidence in himself made him THE GREATEST EVER.
HELLA INSPIRED.