We judge the measure of a man by the things he says, the actions he takes. It’s likely that when we speak of the late Muhammad Ali we will use terms like the ‘the greatest’ or ‘the champ,’ but the truth is there may never be another man like Muhammad. At the peak of his boxing career, Cassius Clay held to his beliefs that war was immoral, refusing to bow down to the system. Arrested and being stripped of his earning potential, demonized by the press and middle America, Ali would prove to the world that being rich and famous was not as important as being rich with purpose.
Muhammad Ali died early Friday in Phoenix AZ at the age of 74.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., in highly segregated Louisville in 1942, Cassius turned to boxing at the age of 12, as a way to stay off the street, spending his time away from his unsettled home. Ali was a gold medal winner in the Olympics, turning professional at the age of 22, defeating Sonny Liston to win his first of three Heavyweight championships. Cassius was more than a boxing great, he was an activist that took the heat for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War after being drafted, converting to the Muslim religion, changing his name to Muhammad Ali.
Ali refused to sit at the back to the bus in the mid to late 60s. After being stripped of his boxing license in 1967, it took the Supreme Court in 1971 to reinstate his ability to earning an income. Ali went on to win his third championship, finally retiring in 1980 after a sad performance and loss to Holmes; most doctors say that the beating Ali took in this fight became the catalyst to his contacting Parkinson’s, a disease he battled the remainder of his life.
Muhammad Ali lost his final battle in Phoenix Arizona Friday; we may never see another ‘Champion’ such as the great Muhammad Ali.
—
Photo credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com