He won the rematch six months later in a split decision and gained further revenge in a unanimous decision over Frazier in a non-title rematch. The victory gave the year-old Ali a title shot against year-old champion George Foreman The strategy worked, and Ali won in an eighth-round knockout to regain the title stripped from him seven years prior. Ali also defeated Norton in their third meeting in a unanimous round decision.
On February 15, , an aging Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks in a round split decision. Seven months later, Ali defeated Spinks in a unanimous round decision to reclaim the heavyweight crown and become the first fighter to win the world heavyweight boxing title three times. After announcing his retirement in , Ali launched a brief, unsuccessful comeback.
However, he was overwhelmed in a technical knockout loss to Larry Holmes in , and he dropped a unanimous round decision to Trevor Berbick on December 11, After the fight, the year-old Ali retired for good with a career record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts.
He met with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in to negotiate the release of American hostages, and in he traveled to Afghanistan as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Ali had the honor of lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. He married his fourth wife, Yolanda, in Ali died at the age of 74 on June 3, But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The eight men knew the next step they took would not only change their lives, it could possibly end them as well. Olympic boxing team, and traveled to Rome, Italy, to compete.
At six feet, three inches tall, Clay was an imposing figure in the ring, but he also became known for his lightning speed and fancy footwork. After winning his first three bouts, Clay defeated Zbigniew Pietrzkowski of Poland to win the light heavyweight Olympic gold medal.
After his Olympic victory, Clay was heralded as an American hero. He soon turned professional with the backing of the Louisville Sponsoring Group and continued overwhelming all opponents in the ring.
Clay joined the Black Muslim group Nation of Islam in At first, he called himself Cassius X before settling on the name Muhammad Ali. The boxer eventually converted to orthodox Islam during the s.
Ali started a different kind of fight with his outspoken views against the Vietnam War. Drafted into the military in April , he refused to serve on the grounds that he was a practicing Muslim minister with religious beliefs that prevented him from fighting.
He was arrested for committing a felony and almost immediately stripped of his world title and boxing license. The U. Department of Justice pursued a legal case against Ali, denying his claim for conscientious objector status. He was found guilty of violating Selective Service laws and sentenced to five years in prison in June but remained free while appealing his conviction. Unable to compete professionally in the meantime, Ali missed more than three prime years of his athletic career.
Ali returned to the ring in with a win over Jerry Quarry, and the U. Supreme Court eventually overturned the conviction in June Ali had a career record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts before his retirement from boxing in at the age of Often referring to himself as "The Greatest," Ali was not afraid to sing his own praises.
He was known for boasting about his skills before a fight and for his colorful descriptions and phrases. In one of his more famously quoted descriptions, Ali told reporters that he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" in the boxing ring. A few of his more well-known matches include the following:. After winning gold at the Olympics, Ali took out British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in He then knocked out Sonny Liston in to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
He once said that if a boxer was to be big, he had to be a Muslim "or else he won't get to nations like Indonesia, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey - those are all countries that don't usually follow boxing". His most famous visit to the continent was in to Kinshasa, capital of Zaire now the Democratic Republic of Congo , for the Rumble in the Jungle fight in which he reclaimed the world title after defeating George Foreman.
Image source, Alamy. Zaire's then ruler Mobutu Sese Seko L arranged the fight, which increased Ali's fame and brought the country to the world's attention. Ali spent time in training in Kinshasa, built on the banks of the Congo River, getting acclimatised to its tropical climate and attracted crowds of fans when he went out in the city. The fight was held at local time. Millions watched around the globe on television as Ali entered the ring whipping up the 60, crowd, who chanted "Ali, boma ye", a phrase in the local Lingala language meaning "Ali, knock him out".
As a result of his actions, boxing officials decided to punish Ali by stripping him of his titles and suspending him from the game of boxing. During his suspension from , Ali became an activist and toured around the world speaking to civil rights organizations and anti-war groups. After , Ali regained the title of heavyweight champion after defeating George Foreman in a match known as "The Rumble in the Jungle.
United States relating to his refusal of induction for the Vietnam War draft. There are also records of FBI surveillance of Muhammad Ali in various parts of the country and his time spent with the members of the Nation of Islam.
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