Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Clay, the glib talker and a showman who went on to become the greatest legend in Boxing is no more. The champion of civil rights fought bigotry and racism alongside he also fought the fearful boxers of his era. The 'People's champion' led a rich life that saw him famously taking on the establishment, winning the Olympic gold medal and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion thrice - a feat Muhammad Ali achieved first. These 11 facts about Muhammad Ali will shed more light on the Boxing legend and what made him tick.
Muhammad Ali's professional career began with a bang. On 29 October Muhammad Ali fought against Tunney Hunsaker, a chief of police from West Virginia. By the end of the fight, Hunsaker's eyes were swollen shut. Muhammad Ali won a unanimous decision after six rounds of play.
Sonny Liston was the world Heavyweight Champion at the time of the fight in Miami Beach, February 25, 1964. Sonny Liston was a formidable opponent and no boxers of that time dared to take on Liston. Cooper, who had fought and won against Ali refused to fight against Liston! Cassius Clay began the fight almost after the agreement to the bout with Liston. He launched a psychological warfare against the lumbering Liston calling him 'big, ugly bear'. Despite this shenanigan, the media, and the world had already written off the match, all unanimously predicting that Liston will make short work of Ali.
On the day of the fight, Liston was in a blinding anger, which is what Clay was aiming at all along. The fight started, from the first Cassius Clay's speed, movement made Liston's punch seem slow in coming. Ali was in control of the match until the fourth round when Clay suddenly complained that his eyes were burning and that he could not see, he wanted the match stopped. But Dundee his trainer pushed him for the fifth, Ali stayed clear of Liston all through the fifth round. Ali's vision cleared by the 6th round. He began to land punches at will and by the end of the sixth round, Liston had given up. When the bell rang for the seventh round, Liston did not get up from his corner ceding the match to Ali. This was a technical Knockout and Ali rushed around the ring shouting"I am the greatest, I shook up the world."
The 'Rumble in the Jungle' is one of the greatest sporting moments in the history of sports. Ali, at 32 was on his comeback trail while Foreman was younger and was known for raw power. To facilitate the viewing by Americans the match was held at 4 A.M in Zaire. The slower Ali changed his strategy to deal with Foreman. Ali leaned on the rope and let Foreman wear himself out, which he did by the seventh round. In the 8th round, Ali pounced on Foreman and rained several right hooks following it with five punch combination and completing the denouement with a left hook and a hard right straight to Foreman's face. Foreman staggered and landed on the canvas. The referee handed the match to Ali.(Source)
One rainy night, a boy stormed into Columbia Gym seeking out Joe Elsby Martin, the proprietor of the gym as well as the local police. The distraught Muhammad Ali tearfully reported that his new red Schwinn bicycle was stolen and that he wanted to whup the thief. Martin retorted that he had to learn to fight before planning to whup the thief. This started Muhammad Ali's career in Boxing. (Source)
It was day 113 of Gulf crisis. As part of his safety measures, Saddam Hussein had captured and retained 15 American civilians ( as human shields) and housed them in places likely to be bombed by the Americans. Ali went to Iraq on November 23,1990. Saddam Hussein kept Ali waiting for days, his medications to control Parkinson's ran out yet he stayed. Muhammad Ali finally got his audience with Saddam who released all 15 American hostages. (source)
1. Muhammad Ali began his career by defeating the chief of police Tunney Hunsaker in 1960.
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| Source: usatoday |
Muhammad Ali's professional career began with a bang. On 29 October Muhammad Ali fought against Tunney Hunsaker, a chief of police from West Virginia. By the end of the fight, Hunsaker's eyes were swollen shut. Muhammad Ali won a unanimous decision after six rounds of play.
Afterward,Hunsaker said, “Clay was as fast as lightning. I tried every trick I knew to throw at him off balance, but he was just too good.”
2. Nobody expected Ali to beat Sonny Liston in the World Heavyweight Championship.
On the day of the fight, Liston was in a blinding anger, which is what Clay was aiming at all along. The fight started, from the first Cassius Clay's speed, movement made Liston's punch seem slow in coming. Ali was in control of the match until the fourth round when Clay suddenly complained that his eyes were burning and that he could not see, he wanted the match stopped. But Dundee his trainer pushed him for the fifth, Ali stayed clear of Liston all through the fifth round. Ali's vision cleared by the 6th round. He began to land punches at will and by the end of the sixth round, Liston had given up. When the bell rang for the seventh round, Liston did not get up from his corner ceding the match to Ali. This was a technical Knockout and Ali rushed around the ring shouting"I am the greatest, I shook up the world."
3. In the "Rumble in the jungle" fight, Muhammad Ali allowed the undefeated Heavyweight Champion, George Foreman to pound him for 8 rounds straight without fighting back. Once Foreman began to tire from landing blows, Ali defeated him in a trice. This was also the first time the famous 'rope-a-dope strategy was used with devastating effect.
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| Source: chron |
The 'Rumble in the Jungle' is one of the greatest sporting moments in the history of sports. Ali, at 32 was on his comeback trail while Foreman was younger and was known for raw power. To facilitate the viewing by Americans the match was held at 4 A.M in Zaire. The slower Ali changed his strategy to deal with Foreman. Ali leaned on the rope and let Foreman wear himself out, which he did by the seventh round. In the 8th round, Ali pounced on Foreman and rained several right hooks following it with five punch combination and completing the denouement with a left hook and a hard right straight to Foreman's face. Foreman staggered and landed on the canvas. The referee handed the match to Ali.(Source)
4. Ali met his first professional defeat at the hands of Joe Frazier. The lead up to the fight dubbed as the 'fight of the century' set the tone for animosity and continued bitterness by Frazier towards Ali.
The buildup to the match began with the usual trash talk by Ali which greatly incensed Frazier, his erstwhile friend. The match began with Frazier relentlessly attacking Ali despite getting hit by Ali's punches. In the 11th round, Frazier connected with a left hook that saw Ali visibly wobbling in the ring. In the final round, Frazier knocked Ali down with a vicious left hook. Ali was back on his feet within 3 seconds but lost the match due to a unanimous decision by the judges.
5. Muhammad Ali who was known for his speed and quick reflexes, trained to be so by dodging rocks thrown at him.
Though it sounds straight from crazyvilla, it really was the way he trained for his boxing. Ali then Cassius Clay would ask his brother or some neighborhood kids to throw rocks at him and he would dodge them.
6. Muhammad Ali was afraid of flying. Ali spent his first flight to Rome, praying in the aisle with a parachute strapped on his back while flying to participate in the Olympics.
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| Source: Newstalk |
The man who tackled formidable opponents twice his strength was petrified of flying. Ali was not new to flying. but a rocky flight to California for the trials to Olympics created an aversion for planes. The fleet-footed Boxer decided to keep his feet planted on terra firm. It took Joe Martin, the man who had a major role in Ali's choice of career, a long talk of 3 hours to convince Ali into flying. (Source)
7. Muhammad Ali reportedly used to forgo sex two months before a match. He claimed that it made him unbeatable in the ring.
8. When Muhammad Ali was 12 years old, he and his friend went to the Columbia auditorium. On their return, Muhammad Ali discovered that his brand new cycle was stolen by a thief. This incident pushed him to take up boxing.
One rainy night, a boy stormed into Columbia Gym seeking out Joe Elsby Martin, the proprietor of the gym as well as the local police. The distraught Muhammad Ali tearfully reported that his new red Schwinn bicycle was stolen and that he wanted to whup the thief. Martin retorted that he had to learn to fight before planning to whup the thief. This started Muhammad Ali's career in Boxing. (Source)
9. When Muhammad Ali was a child, he was refused an autograph by a surly Sugar Ray Robinson. When he became a famous prize fighter, Ali vowed never to deny an autograph request, a promise he adhered to right until the end.
10. Muhammad Ali is the only sportsman to have a star mounted on a wall instead of the sidewalk on Hollywood Blvd because ' Nobody walks all over Muhammad Ali."
11. Ali once convinced the infamous dictator Saddam Hussein of Iraq to release 15 American captives held as hostages. It was all part of his 'Goodwill' tour.
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| Source: Nypost |
It was day 113 of Gulf crisis. As part of his safety measures, Saddam Hussein had captured and retained 15 American civilians ( as human shields) and housed them in places likely to be bombed by the Americans. Ali went to Iraq on November 23,1990. Saddam Hussein kept Ali waiting for days, his medications to control Parkinson's ran out yet he stayed. Muhammad Ali finally got his audience with Saddam who released all 15 American hostages. (source)
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