“I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”
So said boxer The Greatest, otherwise known as Muhammad Ali. It wasn’t just his hotel room speed that was quick though – his quick feet and quick wit made him famous across the world. At the age of 74, one of the most famous sportsmen of our time has died, leaving behind a legacy of boxing, poetry and civil rights actions.
Who was Muhammad Ali?
A three-time World Heavyweight Champion, Ali was born to the name Cassius Clay in 1942. The story goes that after his bike was stolen as a child, he turned to boxing as a release, and history then wrote itself. Not restricted to the boxing ring, Clay was a civil rights activist, a media personality, a poet and a beacon of light for a struggling race in a torn country.
We’ll look at his boxing triumphs below, but that aside he made headlines for rejecting a call-up to the military during the Vietnam War, which saw him stripped of his belt and his boxing license. He came back with a vengeance, but at the end of his career turned his attention to charity work, continuing the remarkable story that was the life of Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali the boxer
Cassius Clay boxing light heavyweight 1960 olympics
Credit: Wikipedia: Polish Press Agency
From 61 fights Ali lost just five times. Those 56 wins included 37 KOs, and saw an 18-year-old win the Gold Medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960. That victory set him on the path of professional boxing, and four years on – at a ripe old age of 22 – he claimed his first World Heavyweight Championship. The first of a record three (1964-67, 1974-78, 1978-79).
He had countless memorable fights both because of what he was like pre- and post-match, but also because of his actions in the ring. Firstly was the introduction to the world (those who hadn’t already heard of the young upstart) when, in February 1964, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay confronted the most feared boxer at the time – Sonny Liston. Clay was the only one banking on himself to win this, but win he did and with some style. When Liston didn’t answer the seventh-round bell, Clay exclaimed to the world “I am the greatest!” And it stuck.
Next came 1971, when Ali met Joe Frazier on his return from the Government-imposed sanction from boxing. Heading into the ‘Fight of the Century’, Ali was 31-0 with 26 KOs and Frazier was 26-0 with 23 KOs of his own. Not a bad billing on either end. Frazier, however, had the final say with one of the most famous left-hooks in history. Despite Ali somehow bouncing back to his feet in lightning speed, the judges awarded Frazier the win.
Muhammad Ali v George Foreman: Rumble in the Jungle
Credit: Galaxy fm
Three years later came perhaps the most famous fight of Ali’s career – maybe of all time – when ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ took place in modern-day DR of Congo. Up against a worryingly powerful hitter in George Foreman, Ali leant back against the ropes and soaked up Foreman’s energy. Taunting him with “Is that all you’ve got George?”, he ended the fight in the eighth round.
Finally, we get to the Thriller in Manila – the re-match with Frazier, The Philippines (and the world) were treated to in 1975. This was effectively the sign off. Despite Ali fighting on ten more times, he was never the same. And this exhaustive, third-time battle with his archenemy signalled the sunset of The Greatest’s career.
Muhammad Ali the personality
Muhammad Ali and The Beatles
Credit: Wikipedia
Perhaps Manny Pacquiao said it best when, upon hearing of Ali’s passing, he remarked: “We lost a giant today. Boxing benefited from Muhammad Ali’s talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity.” That essentially sums the man up.
For everything he was in the ring, and you can see from the lists above what that was, his near-taunting of the media in press conferences, his denouncement of the Vietnam War in the face of public criticism, and his stronghold on his beliefs following conversion to Islam at the height of his fame is staggering to behold. It is a testament to the personality Muhammad Ali was.
Poetry came to him as naturally as a right-hook, and his most famous quote is likely the best line to leave you with in memory of this giant of a man: he truly did float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee.
