Muhammad+Ali

 Edited by Brian and James

media type="custom" key="5471457" ("Muhammad Ali")

Timeline Sources: "Muhammad Ali". //American Government.// ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. .

**Muhammad Ali**, formerly known as Cassius Clay, is widely considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer to ever live. His early career was highlighted by winning a gold medal in the 1960 summer Olympics held in Rome ("Muhammad Ali 1942-"). Most young boxers went by unnoticed, but Ali proved to the world that he was no ordinary boxer. His career would come to be highlighted by brash words and historic fights that enjoy the same status as the legends of Greek gods. Four years later, on February 25th, 1964, Muhammad Ali introduced the words and style that would come to define his career. As he prepared to battle heavy favorite Sonny Liston, Ali repeatedly screamed “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!”. In the fight Ali danced around Liston and continually scored with short combos, in spite of being nearly blind for almost two rounds due to medical issues. After six rounds, Liston surrendered and the 22 year old Ali had become the world heavyweight champion. (The Greatest: Muhammad Ali)


 * A decade later**, Ali was once again entering a fight for the world heavyweight champion title. It would come to known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”, a fight between the aging Ali and the young champion George Foreman. George Foreman was the ideal heavyweight. Twenty five years old, a huge fighter with devastating punch force. As the fight wore on, Ali again introduced a new dynamic to boxing, the rope-a-dope. For eight rounds Ali sat against the ropes and absorbed Foreman’s punches, protecting himself with arms and gloves. He prevented Foreman from landing any crushing blows by quickly jabbing him with stinging punches everytime he reached back to wind up for punches. In the eighth round, Foreman’s lack of experience in long fights and Ali’s short, damaging blows caught up to the young champion and Ali ended the fight with a series of hard hits which floored Foreman. Ali, at the age of 32, was again the world heavyweight champion. (The Greatest: Muhammad Ali)


 * On September 30th, 1975**, Ali again entered the ring against Joe Frazier ("Muhammad Ali"). Joe Frazier, much like Ali’s former heavyweight opponents, was a slugger. A fighter who could handle extreme punishment and still win by dealing out even more brutal damage. The fight was titled the “Thrilla in Manila”. Lasting twelve rounds, it would come to be defined not by a new style or quote, but rather by Ali himself. For twelve rounds, Ali sat against the ropes while Frazier delivered body shot after body shot, crushing and bruising Ali with a constant flow of punches. Ali responded in kind, landing countless punches to Frazier’s head until it was swollen beyond recognition. Finally, after the twelfth round, Frazier’s cornerman ended the fight against his wishes because of Frazier’s inability to see out of his left eye due to swelling. Ali, whose legs no longer floated like a butterfly and whose hands no longer stung like a bee, showed the world what had truly carried him throughout his legendary career. His courageous heart. (The Greatest: Muhammad Ali)

Ali's Influences and Background || Political || Economic || || Ali's life in the political category may be summed up to his influence through others, influence through himself, and influence through both. || Muhammad Ali's life in the economic category may be summed up into his background, lifetime influences, and and outside-lifetime influences (ex: movies made about him).
 * Social
 * Ali's life in the social category may be summed up to his influence to and through others, influence through himself, and influence through both.

|| Ali was divorced three times (3 failed marriages). (Influence him)
 * **Self**

(Muhammad Ali: The greatest) || **Equality** Spoke for black rights, called for more aggressive stance rather than passive (Influence others)

("Muhammad Ali")

|| **January 17, 1942**

Muhammad Ali was born into a lower-middle class family in Louisville, Kentucky. His family did not have the most money but they did have enough to get him boxing lessons. Ali eventually became a multi-millionaire because of fighting, however. (Background)

("Muhammad Ali")

||
 * **Changes: Religion/Name**

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Ali then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In the year 1964 he also converted to Islam (Influence himself and others)

("Muhammad Ali")

|| **1967** Evaded draft for war in Vietnam (Influence himself)

("Ali, Muhammad 1942-") || **December 2nd, 1969**

When suspended from boxing, Ali actually acted in the broadway show, Buck White. His role as an influential actor out of the arena also racked in money for the entertainment industry. (Lifetime Influence)

("Muhammad Ali") || Being an african american man, Muhammad Ali spoke out for black rights and pride. (Influence others)
 * **Civil Rights**

(Muhammad Ali: The Greatest) || **Court** Appealed jail sentence to Supreme Court (Influence himself)

("Ali, Muhammad 1942-") || **March 8th, 1971** After being reinstated to fight, Ali fought Joe Frazier in Madison Sqaure Garden. This fight was one of the most famous fights in history as well as one of the most anticipated (even called "The fight of the century"). Ali's influence as a fighter can be partially attributed to his influential before-fight attitude. Ali always started a fight with ridiculing the opponent. (Lifetime Influence)

("Muhammad Ali 1942-").

|| Inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame 1990. (Influence others)
 * **Hall of** **Fame**

(Muhammad Ali: The Greatest) || **1967- Controversy** Stripped of heavyweight boxing title (Influence himself and others)

(Muhammad Ali: The greatest)

|| **2001** Ali's economic influence beyond his career were the movies made about him. In 2001, the movie // Ali, // with Will Smith portrayed Ali's whole life. The movie was a box office hit. (Outside-Lifteime influence)

[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali_in_media_and_popular_culture] || In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Ali lit the olympic torch to start the games. (Influence others)
 * **Olympics**

("Muhammad Ali") || || **Popularity** Ali's personality and popularity around the world in itself sold itself. Along with his fights, Ali's firm opinions and outspoken self could be used by producers in the entertainment industry. Even his quote "Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee" truly got to people. (Overall Lifetime influence)

(Muhammad Ali: The greatest) ||

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Ali Review Quiz: 100 points, 9 points per question

1. What kind of background did Ali come from? a. He lived on the streets in a box. b. His family was rich. c. He was in the lower middle class. d. He was poor 2. Why did Ali become a boxer? a. He hated people and had a certain aggression that suited boxing. b. His bicycle was stolen and he wanted to defend himself, or stay in control. c. He once got mad a punched a wall and realized his potential. d. He got into many fights in school. 3. What was Ali’s first big breakthrough in Boxing? a. His gold medal in the Rome Olympics. b. His first high school fight. c. His Championship win against Joe Frazier. d. His first lessons with a police officer. 4. Who did Ali beat to gain the title of the Boxing World Champion? a. Sonny Liston b. Lonny Siston c. Joe Frazier d. Malcom X 5. What quote did Ali use to define his style of boxing? a. “Float like a condor, sting like a thorn.” b. “I am the greatest” c. “Don’t even think about beating me. I’ll knock your face off.” d. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” 6. Which war did Ali evade, creating legal and moral confusion? a. WWI b. WWII c. Vietnam d. Korea 7. How did Ali get involved in the civil rights movement and how did his fan base view him? a. Ali was viewed as a hero. He vouched for the rights for blacks and people saw him as a successful African-American man all around the world, even in Africa b. He was viewed as a person who caused public mayhem and didn’t obey the rules. c. He was a poor sport. People didn’t like anything about him and they saw him as a negative influence. d. He was seen as a man who did what he wanted. A large number of people really liked him, but others also hated him for his lack of patriotism in evading the draft.

8. What religion did Ali convert to and what were the consequences? a. Ali converted to Judaism. He helped set the stage for nonviolence all over the world. b. Ali converted to Christianity. He was raised an atheist, but became a Christian after having a near death experience in the ring. c. Ali converted to Buddhism. He saw the religion as a great way to learn to balance his life. He became spiritually enlightened and a figure not only to blacks but also to Buddhists. d. Ali converted to Islam. He changed his name from Cassius Clay and stated that being a Muslim and going to war contradicted each other and therefore he would not participate in the war. 9. What civil rights figure did Ali associate with? a. Malcolm X, a hero to the local black communities. b. Martin Luther King Jr., a gigantic influence. c. Rosa Parks, he supported her in her hearing. d. He did not associate with anyone; he was his own civil rights figure. 10. Besides his fighting, what did Ali display in the ring? a. He was especially kind to his opponents. This was rare for boxers. b. He would insult his opponents brutally and get in their head to win. He would even talk a big game at press conferences. c. He once fought an official for incorrectly scoring the fight. d. He bit a man’s ear off. 11. Overall how did Ali influence the world? a. Ali went on broad way and acted in Buck White, beginning his long Acting Career. b. Ali was a civil rights figure, he revolutionized boxing as one of the greatest of all time and was a role model everywhere. c. His high self-esteem made him look like a negative role model to kids everywhere, even though he was a good fighter. d. He hardly did, though he thought he was so great, he truly wasn’t.

Works Cited Ali, Muhammad. //The Greatest : My Own Story//. New York: Random, 1975. Print. - - -. //The Soul of a Butterfly : Reflections on Life’s Journey//. New: York, 2004. Print. Ali vs Wepner. March 24, 1975. AP Images. //AP Images//. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. Dennis, Felix. //Muhammad Ali : The Glory Years//. New York: Miramax, 2003. Print. Edelman, Rob. “Muhammad Ali (1942-).” //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Galenet, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. Houston, Helen R. “Boxing: Muhmmad Ali (1942-).” //Freedom Facts & Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience//. N.p.: Visible Ink, n.d. N. pag. //Ebscohost//. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. “Muhammad Ali.” //American Government//. ABC-CLIO, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. Myers, Walter Dean. //The Greatest : Muhammad Ali//. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print. Rummel, Jack. //Muhammad Ali//. New York: Chelsea, 1988. Print.