Why Is Muhammad Ali Important

1914 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Muhammad Ali myth and hero

“Muhammad Ali”

Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest fighter ever known, but what also made him great were the battles he had been in throughout his life as well as standing up for his beliefs, standing up for the African American community and fighting Parkinsons disease.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., known as Muhammad Ali, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 17, 1942. Growing up in the segregated south he experienced racial discrimination and prejudice firsthand. Ali’s father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., supported a wife and two sons by painting billboards and signs. Ali’s mother, Odessa Grady Clay, worked on occasion as a household domestic. (“The Importance of Muhammad Ali”)

“I remember one time when Cassius was
In one of his more famously quoted descriptions, Ali told reporters that he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" in the boxing ring. A few days later, he shocked the world again by announcing that he had accepted the teachings of a black separatist religion known as the Nation of Islam. On March 6, 1964, he took the name “Muhammad Ali,” which was given to him by his spiritual mentor, Elijah Muhammad. (Muhammad Ali Bio)

For the next three years, Ali dominated boxing as thoroughly as any fighter he truly dominated in the ring and was incredible. Outside the ring, his persona was evolving in ways that were even more important. “My first impression of Cassius Clay,” author Alex Haley later recalled, “was of someone with an incredibly versatile personality. You never knew quite where he was in psychic posture. But he had a belief in himself and convictions far stronger than anybody dreamed he would.” As the 1960s grew more intense, Ali became a powerhouse in America. His message of black pride and resistance to white domination was on the cutting edge of the era. Not
During his retirement Ali became a philanthropist. In 1984 he discovered that he was diagnosed with Parkinsons, a degenerative neurological condition, but even though he was battling this condition he was involved in raising money for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix, Arizona. For the years, Ali has supported the Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, among other organizations. In 1996, he lit the Olympic cauldron at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, an emotional moment in sports history, this was truly a special moment in history. In his retirement Ali traveled to numerous countries, including Mexico and Morocco, to help those in need. In 1998, he was chosen to be a United Nations Messenger of Peace because of his work in developing nations which is a high honor. In 2005, Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. He also opened the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, that same year and it is in use to help the community, education, and also to display Ali’s career. "I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given," he said. "Many fans wanted to build a museum to acknowledge my achievements. I wanted more than a building to house my memorabilia. I wanted a place that would inspire people to be the best that they could be at whatever they chose to do, and to encourage them to be respectful of one

Show More
Related

  • Muhammad Ali Early Life

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    What they did not know was the self proclaimed greatest in the world was planning the one of the greatest changes in his life. Behind the scenes Cassius was studying Islam, he became good friends with Malcolm X and studied under Elijah Muhammad. Cassius took the name Muhammad Ali, saying he did not want to be called by a slave name any longer. He took Muhammed from the first prophet of Islam with the name meaning worthy of being praised, and the last name Ali which meaning is to be elevated. During a time where racial tensions were high people had a hard time accepting his new name. Often times the media would continue to call him Cassius, one didn't famed ABC sports reporter Howard Cosell, he respected Ali, because he too had changed his name from Cohen a Jewish name to Cosell, because in those time it was also a disadvantage to be Jewish. In 1965 Ai was scheduled to fight Floyd Patterson, who insisted on calling him Cassius, Patterson paid a big price for that, there is documentary footage which shows Ali giving Patterson the beating of a lifetime, making sure not to knock him out taking him through all 12 rounds repeating “now what’s my name

    Read More

  • Baldwin and the Nation of Islam

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Born in Georgia, the leader of the Nation of Islam was a man named Elijah Muhammad. He has often been portrayed as a saint by his peers, but during World War II, Elijah Muhammad expressed support for Japan, on the basis of its being a nonwhite country, and was jailed for sedition. On August 24, 1946 Muhammad was released from prison in Milan, Michigan. According to the journal named The Black Scholar by Claude Clegg, Muhammad’s time at Milan had done more for him than ever before and after his release, Muhammad had unquestionably become “the premier martyr of the Muslims” (Clegg 49). From his speeches on the radio and in newspapers, Muhammad was also thought of by many people as a fierce man, one of thes...

    Read More

  • How Did Jesse Owens Influence African Americans

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    He became a professional runner. He ran a series of entertainment races against horses, cars, and motorcycles. All the while, he was looking for other means of work. He was at one point a partner of a dry cleaning company but nothing seemed to provide him with a good enough pay In 1950, he moved from Cleveland to Chicago and began working with children as a director of the South Side Boys Club. He gave speeches, along with other celebrities such as the Harlem Globetrotters, on the Goodwill Tours in America. In the early 70's, he published two books, Black think and I Have Changed. Two years later in 1979, President Jimmy Carter awarded him with a Living Legend Award. Jesse Owens died on March 31, 1980 due to lung cancer. Ten years later in 1990, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President George H.W. Bush. As the son of a sharecropper and the grandchild of a slave, he had great deal to overcome. He worked hard his entire life to reach greatness. He was much more than a record setting athlete. He opposed segregation and racism. He would never go to the top and leave others behind, for example not taking off to college until he made sure his family would be able do without his financial support. He helped children in the Southside Club, and made every effort to use his accomplishments to better the world for

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, And Wilma Rudolph

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    history in the 1950's and 1960's by hitting the society. Ali was a great boxer who was very confident in his boxing game. Ali wanted to make a change in society by trying to get rid of the racial discrimination in America. Ali was also against the war in Vietnam. Ali said “Unless you have a very good reason to kill, war is wrong.” Ali sent messages of hope to the African American community by telling them to have pride. Ali said “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people while so called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?” Ali said “The Vietnamese had nothing against him” (Schwartz).When he was drafted to fight in the war, a lieutenant called Ali by his real name, Cassius Clay, and he said, “Sir that isn't my name, my name is “MUHAMMAD ALI!” Ali said, again “Sir that is a slave name my name is “MUHAMMAD ALI” (Muhammad Ali [HH:MM:SS]). After that, Ali refused to serve in the Vietnam War. This lead Ali to the Supreme Court, and he was five years in imprisonment. Ali was precluded from the athletic commissions for fighting in the United States for three and a half years. Even though Ali was released from his five year sentence, he still had a jail sentence of four years, which was overturned by the Supreme Court (Schwartz). Ali was also stripped of the heavyweight boxing title because he refused to serve in the draft Following his suspension, Ali reclaimed

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cassius Clay, also known as Muhammad Ali, was devoted to boxing at a very young age, along with school and family. Cassius Clay, Jr. son of Odessa Clay and Cassius Clay Sr., was born on January 17, 1942(cite). Cassius Clay, Jr. was an African-American and a descendant of pre-Civil War American slaves (cite). Clay and his parents lived in Louisville, Kentucky, where his dad had a job as a painter. His family was not wealthy. Clay’s mother made sure that they went to church and Sunday school each week. As a child, Clay attended the Virginia Street Elementary School, and may have suffered from dyslexia (Christopher 12). He started boxing at the age of twelve, weighing 89 pounds. Later in his life, Clay converted his religion to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali ("Muhammad Ali"). Ali has been married four times and has nine children, two sons and seven daughters. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (cite).

    Read More

  • Nation of Islam Movement

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    In an article from the New York Times written by M.S. Handler in the early sixties, Muhammad quotes that he “.is confident that his organization, and his alone, stands to gain from the racial turmoil in the United States” (Handler 14). Like Baldwin, Muhammad recognizes that in a world where racial segregation is being challenged and the entire path of black history is being reevaluated and denounced, radical ideas are more likely to flourish. Baldwin does not support the radicalism of the Nation of Islam movement.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Symbols Of Jackie Jackson And Jackie Robinson Vs. Cassius Clay

    1875 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ali proved to be a strong-willed individual that did leave a huge impact on America, but what impact had increased as time continued and his faults have been somewhat forgotten. Those believing that Muhammad was more of a hero than Jackie Robinson most likely feel that Ali’s action of standing up against the United States government, when he was drafted, was an act of courage and bravery. The main reason why Ali didn 't wish to go to war in Vietnam was because he believed he shouldn 't be fighting for a country that ultimately didn 't support his own people within its own borders. Ali has developed into a figure of courage after the time that his happened. In the 1960s when this originally happened, Ali had more enemies as a result of his religious and social views and ideas than fans. Today we see that what he did may be considered heroic, but back when it actually occurred, Ali was seen as a nuisance to America. He was spreading word and influencing people to act against their own country in a time of war. Since Muhammad Ali’s retirement from boxing the course of time has faded criticism of Ali and left mostly just the positive parts of his life and career. As a society we’ve buried the controversial side of Ali’s existence in our minds and history simply remembers his greatness as an athlete. Robinson had an impact on

    Read More

  • What Impact Did Jesse Owens Have On African Americans

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the games were over and Owens went home he never got the recognition he deserved. But he did finish college with his earnings from the games. He went on to work as a director of physical education for African Americans. Then he was appointed secretary of the Illinois Athletic Commission. Then he headed is own public relations firm in Chicago and traveled throughout America speaking to youth groups. Finally, forty years after the games Owens was invited to the White House to accept a Medal of Freedom. In the end, Jesse Owens was represented as a symbol of democracy and

    Read More

  • Elijah Muhammad Biography

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    For forty-one year’s Muhammad spread the word of the Nation of Islam, slowly but steadily attracting new members (biography.com). Muhammad built the religion from a small fringe group into a large and complex organization that attracted controversy along with its new prominence (biography.com). His legacy within the Nation of Islam intact, Muhammad, or simply “The Prophet,” is widely remembered for transforming a small temple into a nationwide movement with hundreds of thousands of devoted followers, culminating in an irrevocable effect on black culture and U.S. history (blackhistorynow.com).

    Read More

  • Sports and Politics

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who used politics in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights movement and protest the war. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame for humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title. He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racial barriers.

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    Muhammad Ali, whose birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, was born in Louisville, Kentucky January 17, 1942. He was named for a white, Kentucky abolitionist, Cassius M. Clay, and received the name Marcellus from his father’s name. Ali’s father, Marcellus Clay was a mural painter who did a lot of work for many churches in the community and his mother Odessa (Grady) Clay was a domestic worker. As a young boy, Cassius Clay was full of energy and carried a loud mouth wherever he went. One day when Ali discovered that someone stole his bicycle, he became enraged and made loud threatening comments by exclaiming that he would “whup whoever stole it.” Upon hearing these threats, Louisville police officer Joe Martin persuaded Ali to take out his frustration in the boxing ring rather than on the dangerous streets of Louisville. At age 12, Ali’s boxing career had officially begun.

    Read More

  • Boxer Muhammad Ali: The Struggle Between Clay And Liston

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    Boxer Muhammad Ali, was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., on January 17, 1942, he was the son of Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay. He lived in Louisville, Kentucky where he experienced discrimination and racial prejudice towards himself and his family, which led him to his fascination towards boxing. Later in his life, he would win the Olympic gold medal for boxing in 1960 and became the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964, and was the first fighter to recapture heavyweight champion three times. But Clay was not only a boxer, he was also a philanthropist and social activist with astonishing effrontery, he spoke out against problems such as race, religion, and politics that cause him to become such a controversial figure.

    Read More

  • Muhammad Ali

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    Muhammad Ali was a man made to box. He had a great career before him since he made his first professional fight under President Eisenhower presidency. His Professional Career was really impressive. His had a great balance and was able to move his hands and feet in great speed and coordination. Ali was said to dance in the ring while destroying his opponents. Ali started fighting at a very short age, and his first teacher was Joe Martin (Hauser 18). Through hard work and discipline, he became a professional fighter and eventually the Heavyweight champion of the world. Although he lost the title twice, he regained it three times, putting him in the history books. His boxing career was put to an end when he started suffering from Parkinson's disease. This was the end of his boxing, but his greatness will never die.

    Read More

  • The Transformative Power of Sports In The American Civil Rights Movement

    2323 Words  | 5 Pages

    Hauser, Thomas. "The Importance of Muhammad Ali." The Glider Lehrman Institute of American History, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

    Read More

  • Sports and Politics

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who voiced his political ideologies in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and protest the War. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame to project his humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title . He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racia...

    Read More

More about Why Is Muhammad Ali Important

Open Document