Muhammad Ali: The World’s Greatest Boxer

1285 Words3 Pages

One Day in Louisville Kentucky an African American boy was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on the 17th day of January in 1942. Chances are you and many others have heard of Cassius who started his boxing career at the age of twelve. By age seventeen almost one hundred and eighty pounds and a tall six feet in height he was crowned with the nations Golden Gloves heavyweight in the light division. Prior, while only fourteen years of age he held the title of Golden Gloves heavyweight light division for his home city of Louisville (Wilson). Cassius Clay has the boxing record of a champion where he won the heavyweight championship of the world for the first time in 1964 while only a young man at twenty two years of age. Cassius went on to win in the year 1974 and 1978. Marcellus total fights were sixty one with only five losses and fifty six wins. Clay has thirty seven knockouts to his credited fights. So just who is this person Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.? He “Floats like a butterfly, he stings like a bee. He refused to fight in the Vietnam War… so whom would he be?” (Dawn11).
Even though Ali’s boxing career started out as Cassius Marcellus Clay, he is known as the great Muhammad Ali changing his birth name after changing his religion to become a member of the Nation of Islam in the early sixties. “GG” (Myers2) was the nickname given to Muhammad as a baby because his parents stated he always repeated “gee, gee, gee, gee” (Myers2). Once a teenager and after winning the title of being the champion of the Golden Gloves he told his family he was letting them know that he was to be the Golden Gloves champion (Myers). Clay’s boxing career started early as a child once he had his bike stolen which infuriated him to the point that he to...

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...Clay, Jr. Also known as Muhammad Ali was not only the worlds greatest fighter in the boxing ring but recited poetry, welcomed fans with a smile and influenced people of America by living the example. Muhammad Ali not just the greatest boxer but one great man who is remembered as being great and made a difference for people of color and non color alike in America.

Works Cited

Ali, Hana and Ali Muhammad. The Soul of a Butterfly. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print

Edwards, Audrey and Wohl, Gary. The Picture Life of Muhammad Ali. New York: Franklin Watts, 1976. Print

Http://wikipedia.org/wiki/muhammad_ali

Myers, Walter Dean. Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion. New York: Harper Collins, 2010. Print

Myers, Walter Dean. The Greatest: Muhammad Ali. New York: Scholastic Press, 2001. Print

Wilson, Beth P. Muhammad Ali. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1974. Print

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