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Pa the most famous figure in sports history,
Cassius Clay—or, Muhammad Ali—has carved out a
place for himself as one of the greatest fighters of all
time.

Ali, 66, proved to a generation that nothing
is impossible as he broke down barriers and combated
opponents in and out of the ring.

Ali, who stands at an imposing 6’3”, was
born in Louisville, Kentucky, and discovered boxing
as a means to channel his anger after he had his
bike stolen. His amateur career is one of the best
ever. He turned pro in 1960 after accumulating an
amateur record of 100-5, six Kentucky Golden Gloves
championships, two National Golden Gloves crowns,
the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) National Title,
and the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960
Olympics in Rome.

Right from the beginning, when he beat West
Virginia police chief Tunney Hunsaker by a decision
in six rounds in Louisville, Ali had a revolutionary
fighting style. Unlike the lumbering brawlers of
the past, Ali danced around the ring with lightning
foot speed, grace, and a quick mouth. He incited his
opponents by correctly predicting before the fight
what round he would score a knock out victory. He
was often true to his word, from 1960-1963, Ali went
19-0, winning 15 of those bouts by knockout.

It was the compilation of this impressive
streak that earned Ali his first title bout with Sonny
Liston, the overwhelming favourite (the odds were
7-1 in favor of Liston) heading into the February 25",
1964 fight. It was during the pre-fight banter that a
boastful Ali first coined his legendary phrase, “float
like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” Ali proved true to
his promises of victory as he stunned the boxing world
by knocking out Liston in the seventh round.

It was after this fight that Ali, who had been
fighting under his given name, formally changed his
name to Muhammad Ali. He joined the Nation of
Islam, and was seen with Malcolm X.

The rematch, scheduled for May of 1965, was
a highly controversial fight. Ali KO’d Liston in the
opening round with a soft jab to the side of the head.
It became known as “the Phantom Punch,” and gained
notoriety for speculation that Islamic extremists had
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Muhammad Ali: the ChaMP 55 cos scems

threatened Liston. Another theory was that Liston,
who was heavily in debt, had agreed to throw the bout
to pay it off.

Either way, Ali was the WBA/WBC
Heavyweight champion. He defended the belt nine
times over the course of his reign, but ultimately,

Ali lost his title, not to a better fighter, but to a fight
bigger than any boxing match; he was stripped of his
championship for refusing to partake in the Vietnam
War on religious grounds.

Ali was forced to relinquish his title, but was
permitted to fight again in 1970. He defeated several
heavyweight pugilists before earning the number one
contender’s role that gave him a title fight with the
current champion, Joe Frazier, in what was dubbed
“The Fight of the Century” on March 8", 1971. The
match lived up to its billing; Ali and Frazier were both
undefeated heading in, and the boxing legends battled
it out all the way to the 15" and final round when
Frazier dropped Ali with a powerful left hook to win
the fight on a decision. It was Ali’s first professional
loss.

Determined to be champion again, Ali took
on all comers, including Frazier, who had lost the title
to George Foreman, forcing another title contest on
October 30", 1974, in another legendary clash that
became famous as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” The
fight was promoted by the infamous Don King, and
was held in Kinshasa, Zaire.

Ali was given little hope to win. He had
suffered another defeat in
a war with Ken Norton,
who had broken Ali’s jaw.
Despite beating Norton
on another occasion and
winning over Frazier, at
almost 33 years of age, Ali
was perceived as over the
hill. Foreman was seven
years younger and had
destroyed all opponents wit
a 40-0 record, 37 coming by
way of knockout. Aliwas |
44-2.

In a surprising
turn of events, Ali adopted

 

a new strategy to beat the formidable Foreman. He
abandoned his dancing style and charged directly
at the champion, striking him nine times in the first
round. In round two, Ali curiously dropped back into
the ropes, and Foreman obligingly hammered away.
What observers didn’t know was that Ali had planned
this all along, and sure enough, Foreman soon grew
exhausted from throwing so many punches. By round
seven, Foreman was spent, and Ali knocked him out in
the eighth.

The Rumble in the Jungle is widely
considered one of the greatest moments in the history

_ of sports, as Ali, against all odds, used master strategy

to defeat his bigger, stronger foe.

Foreman dropped out of the boxing scene
and wouldn’t become champion again until a dramatic
comeback at age 45. Meanwhile, Ali successfully
defended the title a number of times. One of those
bouts was against a little known fighter called Chuck
Wepner. Ali was expected to absolutely annihilate
Wepner, but that didn’t happen. While Ali did win
and retain his belt, it took him a full fifteen rounds.
Sylvester Stallone used this fight as the inspiration for
the first Rocky film.

Ali’s next major moment came when he faced
Joe Frazier for the third time in October 1975 in the
“Thrilla in Manila,” which was again promoted by
Don King. Ali constantly taunted Frazier throughout
the pre-fight buildup, calling him “over the hill” and a
“gorilla.” However, the fight was anything but easy for