Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee
If you have never heard of Muhammad Ali, then you have yet to hear of one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. Born January 17, 1942 with the name Cassius Clay, the young champ started his career as a reaction to having had his new bike stolen. When he reported the crime to the Louisville, Kentucky police, he was introduced to Joe Martin, a policeman who trained young boxers. Six weeks later, young Cassius Clay won a 3-minute split-decision fight, and was clearly bound for greatness.
Before long, his talent brought him a good deal of attention. Clay won six Kentucky Golden Glove Championships as well as two National Golden Glove titles. In 1960, he was invited to represent the United States at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Although he was hesitant about flying overseas, Cassius Clay made the trip well worth his while, returning to the U.S with a gold medal in hand.
Soon, notoriety began to follow the boxer. He was known for his outrageous bragging, his goofy rhymes and most importantly, his political stance. In 1964, Clay challenged heavyweight champion Sonny Liston to a title match. He then proceeded to shock the world twofold. Firstly, he beat Liston in 6 rounds; then he announced to the public that he was accepting the teachings of the Nation of Islam and would henceforth be known as Muhammad Ali, in keeping with the faith’s tradition. Understand that the United States was at that time a segregated nation where African-American citizens held fewer rights than their Caucasian peers. By announcing his alignment with the Nation of Islam, Muhammad Ali took a stand with a more radical group of Black activists lead by Malcolm X. Malcolm X believed that African-American citizens could only enjoy equality if they created a separate society from White America. The separatist movement was powerful and controversial, and Muhammad Ali became a symbol for the cause.
Consequently, in 1967 Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted by the U.S. Armed Forces. The Vietnam War was raging, and Ali would not fight for a cause that he did not believe in. The world was in an uproar about this boastful, beautiful and controversial boxer. He was stripped of his title because of his political stance, and was threatened with jail time. Thus from 1967-1970, the world’s greatest fighter was banned from boxing.
Then in 1970, Ali returned to the ring. Boasting that he could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” he beat Jerry Quarry in the comeback match, but onlookers noticed that he was slower in the ring than he used to be. Although he was tougher than ever, some people believe that his years away from boxing had cost Ali his edge. This view was substantiated when Ali experienced his first professional loss against “Smokin’” Joe Frazier. He re-gained his title in a controversial fight against George Foreman that took place in Zaire, Africa during 1974. It was important to Ali to use the publicity surrounding the fight in Zaire to give perspective to the situation of African-Americans and their fight for equality and respect in the United States. Ali came to be a symbol of the Black Power movement.
He continued to be “The Greatest of All Time,” as he called himself, throughout the 1970’s. He lost once to Olympic gold medallist, Leon Spinks, but regained his title in a rematch that same year. He retired a couple of years later, but boasts a lifetime record of 56 wins, only 5 losses and 37 knock-outs. Widely recognized as one of the greatest athletes ever to grace sports, Muhammad Ali’s outrageous charm, brazen ability and political courage rightly earn him the name, The Champ.
