ALI, STILL THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
By: Boxing Writer Peter Mann
“If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize”
A poet with mouth and hand, Muhammad Ali, or Cassius Marcellus Clay as he was named at birth, was to be just as good at shooting from the lip as he would be from those iconic, gloved hands.
In a professional career that took in three different decades (1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s), three title reigns and some nineteen successful title defences, Ali was witnessed by millions the world over as ‘The King of the World’ would become the consummate professional. The great man even stated himself in one of his numerous, witty and sometimes insightful quotes
“I am the greatest; I said that before I knew I was”
Some would say that he was cocky, even self-assured, but most of what Ali said or predicted outside the ring, would be reality within the ring.
Born on January 17th 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, the young Cassius Clay would have a more than successful amateur career before he would reach the age of 18. Those early years for Clay would see him in over a hundred fights and with them collect six Kentucky Golden Gloves championships, two National Gloves championships and two National AAU championships. Clay would only lose five times as an amateur boxer.
Muhammad Ali1 Muhammad Ali’s Ten Greatest Quotes" />
As 1960 arrived the young Clay would find himself in Rome, Italy, competing in the XVII Olympiad, winning a gold medal in boxing’s Light Heavyweight division, before turning professional on his return home.
Not only would Clay win his first fight as a professional, in the sixth round against Tunney Hunsaker in October 1960, but he would also go on to win his first 31 professional fights over a ten year time span. During this period he would win his first World Heavyweight championship when defeating Sonny Liston in Miami, Florida in 1964, Liston retiring in the sixth.
photo by: Donald L. Robinson
The first title reign would last until 1967, when Clay would be stripped of held titles systematically for refusing to partake in military service on religious grounds. This would take some three and a half years out of Clay’s career.
It would be during the 1960’s, Clay (and his brother) would find themselves converted to the Nation of Islam, and with this change of religion Cassius Marcellus Clay would become Muhammad Ali. This would turn him, albeit briefly, from the popular champion he was, into one of that periods most recognised and controversial figures. Ali would ride the storm and carried on regardless.
Returning to the ring Ali would face Jerry Quarry in Atlanta, Georgia and it was like he had never been away, defeating Quarry with a third round knockout in October 1970.
A gruelling fifteen rounds in New York would finally see Oscar Bonavena overcome, via knockout, in the December of 1970 and stretching Ali’s unbeaten record at the time to 31 (31; 26 KO) before the first of the modern day ‘Superfights’ in March 1971 was witnessed, and with it Ali’s first defeat.
In one of the greatest ever Heavyweight title fights Joe Frazier would be in opposition. With a $5 million purse guaranteed for each fighter the New York crowd were in for a treat as both fighters showed strength, stamina and courage throughout. Frazier would eventually win on a points decision and both fighters requiring hospital treatment afterwards. Victory for Frazier also brought with it the unification of both the WBA and WBC Heavyweight championships.
Muhammad Ali steps away from Joe Frazier's punch in New York" />
In winning his next ten fights, including that of a rematch with Jerry Quarry (June 1972, 7KO) and going fifteen rounds in Japan in the April of the same year with Mac Foster, Ali would find himself in the ring with Ken Norton. March 1973 in California would see Ali have his jaw broken during the second round, and go on to fight a further ten rounds before losing in the twelfth. This would be the second defeat of Ali’s professional career and came in his 42nd fight. Six months on, in the September of 1973, Ali and Norton would clash again in California, Ali gaining revenge with victory, again after twelve rounds.
The start of 1974 would see the second ‘Superfight’ as Ali and Frazier collided in New York. Both fighters were former Heavyweight champions and a twelve round slugfest ensued, Ali eventually emerging victorious on a points decision. This victory would pave the way for an October bout with George Foreman, in a Heavyweight championship fight. This was billed as ‘The Thriller in Manilla,’ and, with Ali as challenger, he allowed the then champion to fight himself to the brink of exhaustion before sending his opponent to the canvas in the eighth round. Prior to the Manilla bout Ali was at his exemplary best with words coming flowing, saying that
“It will be a killer, and a chiller, and a thriller, when I get the gorilla in Manilla”
Between 1975 and 1977 Ali would go on to fight a further ten times, winning them all and inclusive of five knockouts (Wepner, Lyle, Frazier, Coopman and Dunn). The fight against the legendary Joe Frazier, the third of the ‘Superfights,’ in October 1975 was hailed as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ and has since been touted, on many occasion, as being the greatest fight of the century. It lived up to and exceeded all the pre-fight hype and again, Ali was at his exuberant best with quotes like
“I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lighting, thrown thunder in jail; only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick”
And even one of the most famous Ali quotes
“Floats like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see”
In front of a 28,000 baying crowd of expectant fight fans, and a worldwide TV audience of over 650 million, Ali emerged the victor after Foreman retired hurt in the fourteenth due to a severely cut left eye (collected in the thirteenth) and stating himself that
“Someone would have got killed”
Victory for Ali here meant he would be only the second person in history to regain the Heavyweight championship.
Although Ali would go on to fight a young Leon Spinks twice in 1978, losing the first in the fifteenth and winning the second in the same timeframe, he would be seen to then retire for two years. Ali’s second fight bout with Spinks would see him collect the World Heavyweight championship belt for a third time and with it become the first person in boxing history to do so.
Returning to the ring Ali would lose his last two fights as a professional boxer, first against Larry Holmes in 1980 (11TKO) and then to Trevor Berbick the following year (1981) in the tenth.
And so a professional career of 61 (56-5; 37KO) was at an end, a more than successful career, even as an amateur as well. During his time in the ring Ali even saw out some seven US Presidents (Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan) as he elevated himself to be the greatest boxer of all time.
In 1984 a now retired Ali announced to the world that he had Parkinson’s disease, an illness that has gradually blighted the past thirty years of his life. But still the great man has found time for other things, including his adoring fans. And, in 1996, at the Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia, Ali was invited to light the Olympic flame. He was also to be re-given the Olympic Gold that he had won back in 1960, a medal in which he threw into the river in protest early in his career. Finally, in 2005, Muhammad Ali was to be awarded the highest possible honour a US civilian can receive when he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
So, in tribute to the legend that is Muhammad Ali, Happy 70th Birthday.
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English
Good article, but there a few important mistakes.
The ‘Thrilla in Manila’ was on October 1st 1975 against Joe Frazier, not George Foreman!!!!! Frazier didn’t come to the 15th round. (TKO14)
‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ was on October 30th 1974, that was against George Foreman (40-0 37KO) who was defending his title. The fight was in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali knocked him out in the 8th round regaining the title for second time.