Muhammad Ali Essay, Research Paper

He grew up in a poor family. Ali had problems in school at an early stage and

felt he had to do something different. His future career was fulfilled at 12.

When Joe Martin police officer and boxing coach, tried to get Ali started with

boxing. At the age of 16, Ali had won two Golden Glove Titles, two National AAU

Titles, he was by now nationally recognized. When the 1960 Rome Olympic Game was

about to take off, Ali was provided with an opportunity to represent his

country. At this point he had fought 103 amateur matches, and had only lost

five. Ali went with Olympic team to Rome, and ended winning the gold medal. When

he got back to his hometown, Louisville, he thought that he was going to be

treated as a champion, but he still was discriminated by the white society. Ali

decided to throw his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio River because of his anger

about the racism in his hometown. By the age of 22 Ali had a professional boxing

record of 19-0. On February 25, 1964, Ali got the heavyweight title shot.

Through all the media he was considered to be the ?underdog?. Before the

fight Ali used the media to psyche Sonny Liston. He predicted that ? Sonny

will fall in four?. Ali entered the ring as a 7-1 underdog to the Champ Sonny

Liston. Ali used his speed and movement to thoroughly outbox the champion. Ali

became the second youngest champion in history. After the fight Ali told the

world that his name was now Muhammad Ali and that he had joined the Nation of

Islam. It put a great effect on his boxing career. As the champ he realized his

popularity in society, and he used it to his power to speak for the Civil

Rights. He became a political symbol of the black society, and maybe most

influential beside Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. During the next three

years, he defended his title nine times with Ernie Terrell and then became the

undisputed Heavyweight Champion. On April 28, 1967, the army for the induction

of the military service to fight in the Vietnam War drafted Muhammad Ali. He

refused to step forward when they called his name because of the religious

beliefs. He was immediately stripped of the heavyweight title, and got a five

year sentence to serve in prison, which was he appealed right away. He had no

more fight in 1967, 1968, and 1969. Ali said he could not fight in the war

because of his religious beliefs. He already taken the army test and score 35

percentile, and to qualify you needed at least a 55 or higher. Then most people

were drafted through the ages of 18-22, and he was 25. What he did made him even

more popular in his society, then they overturned his conviction. In 1970 he

made his first fight back and he didn?t lose a step on his skills. His rep

gave him a title shot against Joe Frazier, the fight was known as the fight of

the century. That was when he suffered his first pro lose. In October 30, 1974,

it was Ali vs. Forman a match that everyone had waited for. It was held in Zaire

and it was nicknamed ?the rumble in the jungle?, and once again he was the

underdog. People where actually feared for his safety because it was know that

Forman was the hardest puncher in boxing history. Ali ended up winning the fight

by KO, and once again the heavyweight champ. It was the third match between Joe

Frazier and Ali, and it was going to be known as ?The Thrilla In Manilla?.

That was his hardest fight of his career. Then he lost the title in 1978 against

Leon Spinks, but got it back 8 months later. He announced his retirement on June

27, 1979. He left boxing with a professional record of; 56 wins and 5 loses. Now

he suffers from Parkinson?s disease, and still does a lot of charity work. He

just might have had the greatest success in sports history. Ali wanted to

everyone to know that he was the greatest, I think he did just that.