On June 3, 2016, the world was given news that caused everyone to stop and pay their respects. This, of course, being the unfortunate news that the one and only Muhammad Ali, was pronounced dead at the age of 74 after battling Parkinson’s disease for over 30 years. Ali is easily one of the best athletes the world has ever seen and had been fighting since the age of 12. It was only 10 years later that he got to hold the world heavyweight championship belt himself. This proved that he was born to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."
Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942, under the name Cassius Marcellus Clay. He began his boxing training at the early age of 12. It was clear that this was his destiny, as he was able to obtain a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympics at the mere age of 18. An Olympic appearance, let alone an Olympic medal, at the age of 18 is a rare occurrence.
In 1964, four years after winning a gold medal in the light heavyweight division of the Olympics, Ali was able to defeat Charles “Sonny” Liston to claim his first world heavyweight championship, which shocked a lot of people.
After going on a huge streak defending his title (three years, to be exact), Ali was stripped of his title, not because he lost in the ring, but because he was charged with draft evasion in 1967.
Ali returned to the ring in 1971 in a showdown against Joe Frazier, which was one of the best boxing matches to this date, as it generated over 300 million viewers throughout the world. Unfortunately, after a 15-round battle, Frazier defeated Ali. After retaining his boxing license and avoiding prison from the draft evasion charges, Ali got a rematch against Frazier in 1974. This time, Ali was able to pull off a victory, which put him in position for another shot at the heavyweight championship.
On October 29, 1974, Ali faced the heavy-hitting George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire for the heavyweight championship, and the bout earned the name “Rumble in the Jungle.” Throughout the fight, Ali taunted Foreman, making him throw more inaccurate punches in order to tire the champ out. This proved to be a successful strategy, because Ali changed the momentum of the fight by the halfway mark. Ali was able to K.O. Foreman in the 8th round, again holding the title of heavyweight champion.
Ali got his last shot at the world heavyweight championship in 1978 in his bout against Leon Spinks in Las Vegas. Since he was terribly out of shape at the time of the fight, he lost. He was granted a rematch, which Ali was prepared for this time around. He became the first heavyweight champion to hold the belt three separate times after defeating Spinks by a unanimous decision.
To conclude this fight and his career, Ali announced his retirement in 1979, although he attempted to make a comeback in 1980 to fight Larry Holmes for the WBC title. This fight ended up being a complete blowout in favor of Holmes and the only knockout Ali has under his record. He tried one last time in 1981.
We were all shocked to hear that Muhammad Ali died in a Phoenix hospital. He had been battling Parkinson’s disease for the past 30 years and was reported to have been receiving treatment for respiratory complications days prior to his death. There is a memorial service planned to be held in his honor in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. So as we look back at the incredible milestones Ali accomplished, we can all agree on one thing: Muhammad Ali will always be “The Greatest."
