Conclusion: His accomplishments and fearless nature have earned him a singular place in history as one of the most inspiring figures of the twentieth century. “We have one life; it soon will be past; what we do for God is all that will last” (Muhammad Ali).
Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life” (Classus Clay). Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. The eldest of two sons, Cassius came from a hard working, closely-knit family. Little did his family know that their oldest boy would grow to be one of the most influential and controversial icons in world history. During the prime of his glorious boxing career Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali, courageously changed religion affiliation to embrace the Nation of Islam and become a Muslim despite the stubborn disapproval of the sports media and harsh criticisms of his own country.
Cassius Clay first began taking boxing lessons at the age of 12. “He learned lessons so well that he made an appearance on a television program that featured top amateur boxers just one year later” (Rummel 17). Opportunities for lacks were limited in Louisville during Clay’s youth. Boxing presented an outlet, a break in life that could only come once. As an amateur boxer, Clay showed an incredible amount of potential. He won two Amateur Athletic Union boxing titles, two Gold Glove Championships, and six Kentucky Gold Gloves. Clay was so good in fast that he dropped out of high school in favor of Olympic training. In 1960, the young man from Louisville gained international fame and respect after receiving an Olympic Gold Medal in Squaw Valley, California. Four years later in 1964, after progressing to the pinnacle of the boxing world, Cassius Clay knocked out “Sonny” Liston in six rounds to win his first of three heavyweight Championships. Thus, solidifying Clay as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers not only of his time, but of all time.
In 1964 the self-proclaimed “greatest” unleashed a familiar lightening fast punch that called for slightly unfamiliar headlines. However, these weren’t the same headlines Clay was used to reading. The Encyclopedia of World Biography states that:
They did not rave about Clay’s prominence or ramble about his sixth round
whipping of the former champ, instead they lashed out at Clay, referring to him as
pompous. He was also referred to as loudmouth, but took greater offense when
they called him unpatriotic.
What had caused a nation that had loved Clay unconditionally to all the sudden hurl criticisms at him and express extreme disappointment and disapproval with him? Shortly after his dismantlement of Liston, Clay announced that he had changed his name to Muhammad Ali and had converted to the Nation of Islam and was indeed becoming a Muslim.
Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam, a black separatist group, early in the 1960’s. At the time of Clay’s induction to his newly found religion, the Nation of Islam was the most radical of the black groups, demanding change and advocating total separation of black and white Americans. The Black Muslim movement was attracting an increasing amount of converts in the major cities of America. In the summer of 1963, Clay secretly changed his name first to Cassius X, then to Muhammad Ali, which means “beloved of Allah”. Ali kept his conversion a secret because racial tension in America was reaching a breaking point in the 1960’s. Muhammad Ali took his change of faith seriously. He forswore the use of alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, and drugs. Ali hired many Muslims to join his entourage, Muslim woman to cook the careful restricted dies, and even Muslim trainers to care for him in his corner during his boxing matches (Encyclopedia of World Biography 159). His conversion even caused the divorce between him and his wife Sonji because she refused to stop smoking and continued to wear make up. Soon after Ali became public with his conversation to the Nation of Islam, he received death threats and was bombarded with harassment. Many Americans felt that the Nation of Islam had duped Ali into becoming a Muslim so that the organization could use him as a symbol of racial hatred. Those who had expressed a liking for Clay now tried to create a distance between themselves and Muhammad Ali. The media, too, showed resistance to the change by continuing to refer to Ali as Clay. Ali countered with actions instead of words. “On February 6, 1967 Ali pounded Ernie Terrell and stood over him questioning, “What’s my name?” after Terrell informed the media that he would not refer to Cassius Clay as any other name” (Myers 58). Terrell, along with the rest of America received Ali’s message.
“Muhammad Ali has become increasingly involved in social status, diplomacy, and politics since his retirement in 1981. Moreover, Ali founded WORLD, World Organization for Rights, Liberty, and Dignity” (Encyclopedia of World Biography 12). Through his organization he provides leadership and is a role model for African American men and woman around the world because of his outspoken political and religious views. Unfortunately, the former boxing great has since been slowed by a neurological condition related to Parkinson’s disease. Still, he strives to achieve his current ambition which is to simply serve global constituency.
Whether you know him best as Cassius Clay or Muhammad Ali, his dominance inside the squared circle cannot be argued. Outside the ring, he endured much criticism for following the faith that was the Nation of Islam. Currently, the world’s view on Ali has changed quite a bit. At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, the world and his country honored Ali by choosing him to light the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies. His accomplishments and fearless nature have earned him a singular place in history as one of the most inspiring figures of the twentieth century. “We have one life; it soon will be past; what we do for God is all that will last” (Muhammad Ali).
Works Cited
Myers, Walter Dean. The Greatest Muhammad Ali. New York: Scholastic Press, 2001.
Rummel, Jack. Muhammad Ali. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.
“Ali, Muhammad”, Current Biography. 1978 ed.
“Ali, Muhammad”, Encyclopedia of world Biographies. 2nd ed. 1998.
