Muhammad Ali - The Boxing Legend
Born on January 17, 1942, Muhammad Ali was one of the formidable boxers of his time. He won the world heavyweight championship three times and also a gold metal in the Olympics. The BBC and Sports Illustrated honored him as Sportsman of the Century.
His birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., named after his father who was a billboard painter by profession, and his birthplace is Louisville, Kentucky. Muhammad Ali changed his name after converting to Islam in 1975, after which he joined the Nation of Islam.
Joe E. Martin, a Louisville policeman, was his first encouragement when he caught Ali arguing over his stolen bike. He used to do a show called Tomorrow's Champions, with Martin and at the same time he went to Stoner's Gym, because Stoner was a better trainer. Stoner was Ali's coach for his amateur career. Under Stone's guidance, Ali won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two Golden Gloves national titles, an Amateur Athletic Union national title, and the 1960 Olympic gold medal at light heavyweight. In his amateur career he had one hundred wins and five losses.
After winning the Olympics, Muhammad Ali returned to Louisville to begin his professional career. His first professional career win was a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker. Some of the boxers who have been defeated by Ali are Jim Robinson, Tony Esperti, Donnie Fleeman, George Logan, Alonzo Johnson, Lamar Clark, Willi Besmanoff, Henry Cooper and Doug Jones.
When Ali converted to Islam, he refused to answer his surname because he was told it was the name given by white men to his slave ancestors. His refusal to act on his behalf and join the US Army created controversy and he was banned from fighting in the United States of America in 1966. After which he defended his title 9 times in England. He beat Brian London, Karl Mildenberger and Henry Cooper. In 1967 Ali was stripped of his title by the professional boxing commission and was not allowed to fight professionally for three years. He was sentenced to five years in prison for refusing to serve in the army. He started fighting in 1970 and 1971; the Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
In 1970, a feature film was released based on a boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Ali. And in 2005, the super fight and a documentary were also released on a two-disc DVD. The fight of the century was named after the fight between Muhammad Ali and Jon Frazier. They fought on March 8, 1971 and was one of the most famous and anticipated matches. Both fighters were undefeated and extremely skilled. Frazier won by beating Ali with a hard left hook in the fifteenth round. Due to this loss, Ali suffered his first professional loss. He won the title again by defeating George Foreman on October 30, 1974. This fight is popularly known as The Rumble in the Jungle. This match was considered a political symbol and Ali was appointed as the representative of the blacks who fought against white power. That fight was also the main theme of the 1996 Oscar-winning documentary "When We Were Kings." Ali's fight with Chuck Wepner on March 24, 1975, inspired the Oscar-winning movie Rocky.
Ali announced his retirement on June 27, 1979, but it was for a very short time. He made a comeback on October 2, 1980 and fought with Larry Holmes for the world heavyweight title. After the match, he was diagnosed with a hole in his brain membrane. A few games later, Ali finally retired in 1981. During his career, he had won fifty-six games and lost five. He won the world heavyweight boxing title three times.
During his career he had defeated almost every top heavyweight champion and this period was referred to as the golden age of heavyweight boxing. Ali was diagnosed with Parkinsonism in October 1983 and was eventually diagnosed with pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome. Doctors do not accept that boxing is responsible for his conditions. Mohammed Ali now lives with his wife, Yolanda Lonnie Ali, in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1998, Ring magazine honored Ali by awarding him the title of greatest heavyweight of all time. Her daughter, Laila Ali, won the IBA, IWBF and WIBA championship titles.
Expertboxing
Ali has always contested in the heavyweight category and his height is 6' 3''. He was an active and fast boxer and he applied this .
This strategy is to avoid punches instead of protecting your face with your hands raised high.
