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Eleanor Roosevelt once quoted “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Most people look at those kinds of quotes and similar to me, laugh at it because we realize that following your dream will lead you to a high percentage of failure in life. Famous people and programs such as Disney channel, tell us to follow our dreams and never quit. Most of the time, we refuse to listen by switching the channel or just turning off the TV. Although, Muhammad Ali was different. He challenged himself. He didn’t switch the channel or refused to hear it. Instead, he didn’t give up his dream that later on rewarded him with becoming the best boxer in the world. Unlike us, he had huge objects blocking his path in the time he was trying to become the best boxer in the world such as discrimination and segregation. But, like a best boxer does, he never gave up and gave boxing his fullest.
Muhammad Ali was born in the segregated southern city of Louisville, Kentucky. Although his name is Muhammad Ali, the name he was first born with was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. His name became Muhammad Ali when he converted to the Islamic religion. He also changed his name because Cassius Clay was a slave name. It all started when boxing took over Ali’s life when at the age of twelve, his new Schwinn bike was stolen from outside a convention center. Burning up with anger, Ali reported it to policed officer Joe Martin, who was also a boxing coach at the Columbia Gym. When Muhammad Ali explained that he wanted to beat up the kids who stole his bike, Joe Martin told him that he had to learn how to fight first. Because of this coincidence, Ali started to box in determination to stand up against the kids who stole his bike and also because ...
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...cause he chased after it. Muhammad Ali once quoted “I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” Unlike us, he did not turn off the TV but instead decided to take the challenge. That is why Muhammad Ali is the best boxer in the world.
Muhammad Ali was a man of his own. Because of his boxing career, not only did it change his life, but it also changed the life of others. It proved segregation and discrimination wrong and also proved to people that following your dream is possible if you try. It is like a day before a test. If you don’t study and give up, then you will fail but if you study hard and have determination to get an A on the test, then you will succeed. Similar to Muhammad Ali, he never gave up his dreams because he wanted to do what he wanted to do. That is why Muhammad Ali’s gloves and robes were so iconic and important to American history.
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
The first reason Muhammad Ali isn't a hero is because he is violent. For almost all of his life he fought in boxing matches that all started when he was a boy because he wanted to beat up the kid who stole his bike. For 14 years, on-and-off, he was heavyweight champion and before that a lightweight champion. To do this, you had to have the rage to hurt your opponent. Muhammad Ali even said, “I believe in the eye-for- an-eye business, I got no respect for a man who won’t hit back. You kill my dog, you better hide your cat” (Myers 36). Now, in his 60’s,...
The career of Cassius Clay began at the age of twelve. After his brand new bike had been stolen at the Louisville Home Show. He wanted to “whoop” the thieves so badly that he began to take boxing lessons. His first victory was a three round, three-minute split decision match. As he became more dedicated to boxing, Clay advanced to winning six Kentucky Golden Gloves Championships, two National Golden Glove tournaments and two National AAU titles. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. The career highlight for Cassius Clay was being titled heavyweight champion after his defeating Sonny Liston.
No dream is ever for granted and Johnson realized and he chased after his for a very long time. Ever since his childhood, Johnson felt he had a purpose in his life, he was always relentless in anything he did, he had a fighting spirit in him and he started trying his luck at boxing after a famous boxer came to his town and told Johnson he had a lot of promise. Johnson took it to heart and that lead him to his first boxing match.. With his tall and muscular body he became well known in the white world as well as the blacks at a very quick pace . Over a few years Johnsons relentlessness in the ring eventually won him the African Heavy Weight Championship, which was the highest rank an African American could achieve. He believed that he was able to win the World Heavy Weight Championship which was then held by Jim Jefferies. Every challenge Johnson threw was met with closed doors. “African-Americans were considered unworthy to co...
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
At first, Muhammad Ali had no intension of boxing. After his bike was stolen, in the month of October 1954, when he was twelve, his whole life was set. Upon finding out that there was a police officer in the basement of a gym, Ali went down to the officer in a shocked state of mind demanding a "state wide bike hunt" for hsi stolen bicycle. But all the cop told him to do was to learn to fight. and that
Born of the name Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942,Muhammad Ali is among one of the greatest athletes in the world Muhammad Ali is an American former boxing heavyweight champion and one of the greatest and well known sporting figures of the 20th century. An Olympic gold medalist and the first fighter to push the limits and achieve the heavyweight title three times. In his 21 year professional career, Ali won an amazing 56 matches with a mind blowing 37 knockouts.. All of Muhammad Ali 's success can be contributed to the person who inspired Ali to join the boxing sport “His boxing career was sparked at the age of 12, after someone stole his bicycle. Cassius reported it to a local policeman, Joe Martin, and told the officer he
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.
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.
At first Cassius Clay had no intension of boxing. After his bike was stolen, in the month of October 1954, when he was twelve, his whole life destiny changed in an instant. Upon finding out that there was a police officer in the basement of a gym, Cassius went down in a horrendous state of mind exclaiming a "state wide bike hunt," and said he was going to beat up the person that stole his bike.
He was fearless. He was powerful. His footwork was more beautiful than a ballet dancer. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist. He is the G.O.A.T of boxing. He is… Muhammad Ali. I will inform you about the biography of Muhammad Ali of how people saw him in real life, the Movie Ali how it portrayed Muhammad Ali based on his life through screen write, and the Vietnam War. Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes in boxing history, but before there was the Greatest of All Time or the acronym G.O.A.T World Heavy Champion Muhammad Ali, he was just a little kid that went by the name Cassius Clay.
Hauser, Thomas. "The Importance of Muhammad Ali." The Glider Lehrman Institute of American History, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
He discovered that he has a disease called Parkinson and started an organization to help other people like him according to Biography.com. Ali started to also travel different places to help people deal with the disease. In 1998, Muhammad Ali was selected to become a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations for the work that he had done with other Countries. According to History.com; Muhammad Ali was awarded the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ from our forty-third President, George W. Bush during his time in office. During this same year Ali opened a center for youth in his hometown so they could have a chance to become something great and have mentor’s that were willing to teach them how to become just that. Ali wanted to instill positive behavior and let the youths within his community know that someone that cared about them, just like someone had shown him back when he was young
In 1954, when he was 12, his bicycle was stolen from outside an auditorium. He reported the theft to local police, Joe Martin. He was teaching the boys how to fight in the gym underneath the auditorium, where Clay’s bike was stolen. Clay was intrigued with the technique of boxing, watching fists fly, and the students defending skills. Clay then joined the gym, and started learning how to box.
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...