“Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee” Muhammad Ali, the 3 times world heavyweight boxing champion died on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74 after suffering from parkinson.
Bio.
Muhammad Ali born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016 was an American professional boxer, generally considered the greatest heavyweight in the history of the sport. Early in his career, Ali was known for being an inspiring, controversial and polarizing figure both inside and outside the boxing ring. He is one of the most recognized sports figures of the past 100 years, crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC. He also wrote several best-selling books about his career, including The Greatest: My Own Story and The Soul of a Butterfly.
Ali, originally known as Cassius Clay, began training at 12 years old. At the age of 22, he won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in a stunning upset in 1964. Shortly after that, Ali joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name. He converted to Sunni Islam in 1975, and then to Sufism in 2005.
In 1967, three years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. He was eventually arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges and stripped of his boxing title. He did not fight again for nearly four years—losing a time of peak performance in an athlete’s career. Ali’s appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court where, in 1971, his conviction was overturned. Ali’s actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation
Ali remains the only three-time lineal world heavyweight champion; he won the title in 1964, 1974, and 1978. Between February 25, 1964 and September 19, 1964 Muhammad Ali reigned as the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion.
Nicknamed “The Greatest”, Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these were the first Liston fight, three with rival Joe Frazier, and “The Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman, in which he regained titles he had been stripped of seven years earlier.
At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali, inspired by professional wrestler “Gorgeous” George Wagner, thrived in—and indeed craved—the spotlight, where he was often provocative and outlandish. He controlled most press conferences and interviews, and spoke freely about issues unrelated to boxing. Ali transformed the role and image of the African American athlete in America by his embrace of racial pride and his willingness to antagonize the white establishment in doing so. In the words of writer Joyce Carol Oates, he was one of the few athletes in any sport to “define the terms of his public reputation”.
Heavyweight championship
1964
February 25, 1964, against reigning heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (1932-1970). In the ring after the fight, the new champ roared, “I am the greatest!”
1974
October 30, 1974, against heavyweight champion George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire.
1978
September 15, 1978, Ali defeated Leon Spinks in a unanimous 15-round decision to reclaim the heavyweight crown and become the first fighter to win the world heavyweight boxing title three times.
Famous quotes by the legend Muhammad Ali
- Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.
- Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
- Don’t count the days; make the days count.
- If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it.
- It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.
- If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologise.
- Braggin’ is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say.
- I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.
- Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.
- I should be a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.
- He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
- A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
- I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’
- I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.
- It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.
Rest in Peace #Muhammad Ali, you are truly “The Greatest”.
