Muhammad Ali used his position to speak out against inequality

Fuaad Ceydaruus Thursday 15th January 2004

Original Writing Coursework

My Hero

Intro

The person I admire as my hero needs no introduction in reality as he is probably one of the most respected and inspirational people who has ever lived. He had an aim of becoming the greatest boxer ever and eventually reached his goal. This person is Muhammad Ali.

Young life

Muhammad Ali who was born on January 17 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was the son of Marcellus Clay, a sign painter, and Odessa Clay, a domestic worker. Muhammad Ali began boxing at the age of 12 under the support of a white Louisville policeman called Joe Martin. Muhammad Ali became angry one day after discovering that his bicycle was missing and he resolved to "whup whoever stole it." This tells us that he was very angry and he did not want to let the person get away with what they did. He wanted to teach that person a lesson so they do not commit the same crime again. .

Early boxing career

He first came into the public eye as Cassius Clay when he won a gold medal at the Olympic in Rome in 1960. In 1964 he stunned the boxing community with his defeat of Sonny Liston, the heavyweight champion, at that time and shocked the world yet again when he changed his name to Muhammad Ali after the fight. They were all wondering why he did that and the answer was that he changed his religion and now became Muslim and thought that this was the right religion for him. During the Vietnam War, he was ordered to go and fight but he refused on religious grounds, as he thought that if he fought in the war, innocent lives would been taken and this was prohibited in Islam, his new religion. But his decision was not met with ease, as he was stripped of his title and was effectively banned from boxing for three years. This was a big deal for the American Government because it was and still is against the law to refuse a call from the army.

During his suspension

Despite this, he never gave in to the American Government and stuck to his principles. During the years of exile from boxing, he spent time studying his religion and public speaking which was one of the reasons why he was so loved. It was clear that he was sincere in his beliefs and he started to reclaim the respect of the American public.

Personal qualities

Muhammad Ali used his position to speak out against inequality. He always helped the poor and those less fortunate than him by funding them all over the world. He ...

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During his suspension

Personal qualities

Muhammad Ali used his position to speak out against inequality. He always helped the poor and those less fortunate than him by funding them all over the world. He is an ambassador of his religion and well respected person.

When he was twenty-eight, his three-year ban from the sport he loved finished and he was able to resume his boxing carer. He eventually regained his title and went on to fight in some of the most remarkable fights the world has ever seen. During his career, his influence on the world of boxing changed the sport forever. He took the world heavyweight championship away from it's traditional New York City venue and took it to Canada, Britain, Germany, Zaire, Malaysia and Manila, as well as other countries.

He used his position to speak out against inequality and always helped people who were less fortunate than himself. He is still an ambassador of his religion and continues to try to give people hope. After he came back from suspension, he started with a mission to reclaim his title, he was granted a title shot against Joe Frasier in 1971, he underestimated Joe's ability and lost the fight. it became now harder for him to become champion again.

The world said that he was too old and past his peak when he was beaten again by Ken Norton in 1972. Joe Frasier was beaten by George Foreman and Ali knew that if he was to become the Greatest again, he would have to beat Ken Norton, which he did and then he made an amazing comeback when he beat Joe Frasier in the rematch in 1974. Ali had earned his title shot, the stage was set for Zaire, in east africa where he was playing George Foreman.

Muhammad Ali was very old and although he had made amazing comebacks against Frasier and Norton, neither of these were the same ability of Foreman. even Ali's own trainer asked Foreman to take it easy on Ali because he was an old man. But yet again Muhammad Ali proved the world wrong yet again by knocking out George Foreman out in 8 rounds to regain his title

He reigned as champion for 4 years until he was beaten by Leon Spinks, now Leon was thought to be the greatest and the world expected him to become the next Muhammad Ali, he repeatidly taunted Ali until the rematch when Ali taught him what it meant to be the greatest. Muhammad ali became the first man to win the title 3 times. His flamboyant style has made him a legend, and his slogans ‘I am the greatest’ and ‘float like a butterfly’, ‘sting like a bee’ became catch phrases.

Ali's lifestyle was plagued with divorces and failed relationships but stayed loyal to his religion and his fans. Muhammad Ali has lots of personal qualities and values. He spoke for civil civil rights against discrimination of black people in America on numerous occasions and refused to go to Vietnam for many reasons. One of them was that he remained loyal to Islam and he refused to murder innocent people. This shows dignity and independence because he wouldn’t get drafted into the army when he didn't want to.

I admire Ali's determination and strengh of character in this act even when he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and had his boxing license revoked he would not submit to the American Government. I admired his boxing skills when I first learnt about Muhammad Ali but as I progressed in learning about his life I was amazed to find out how much money he donated towards charity, he held many fundraisers for under priveliged children on the streets of America and Africa.

He was always confident in his ability's and always optimistic. Ali has great ambition, ever since he started boxing he said he would be the greatest and went in the right direction to do so because he is widely known as the greatest boxer ever. Ali has the courage to stand up and fight for what he believed in because he became a muslim whilst getting alot of criticism off muslims themselves, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali to suit his religion even when his own family disapproved of it.

Now, Muhammad Ali is suffering from Parkinson's disease, which attacks the nervous system, there is no cure for this disease and Ali has suffered enormously as a result of it. Despite this he still finds the energy to fund the Black Muslim campaign and other charities.

Muhammad Ali has certainly influenced my life for the better because he has taught me to never give up on my dreams. The world might never have known Muhammad Ali if his bike hadn't been stolen when he was 12. He set out an aim to be the greatest ever and worked extremely hard but never gave up, even when he was believed to be too old to fight again, he beat George Foreman, against all odds, in Zaire

In conclusion, Muhammad Ali is my hero because he has proved the world wrong again by defeating other boxers against all odds. He taught me that if you work hard and never give up, you could achieve your goal. He also taught me that whatever people may say about you, you could prove them worng. progression

By Fuaad Ceydaruus 11 GN