10 Great Muhammad Ali Moments

Posted on Jan 17, 2012 in Top-10's | 0 comments

Known to the world as “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali has repeatedly earned his nickname time and again as a heavyweight boxer, social activist, philanthropist and cultural icon. Ali started with humble beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky. He was born to a billboard painter and housekeeper on January 17, 1942 and named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. At the age of twelve, Ali was directed to boxing by a police officer in town after he stated he intended to “whup” the thief that stole his bike. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although his life and career are not without controversy, Ali is recognized and beloved all over the world for his humanitarian efforts, charisma and charm, and the vast contributions he’s made to the world of boxing. Over the past five decades, he’s been the focal point and creator of many magical moments in history. In honor of Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday, we wish to highlight ten of those greatest moments.

1. 1960, Olympic Gold Medal in Light-Heavyweight Boxing. The headline read “Clay Wins Gold Medal in Olympic Boxing.” In a bloody battle against Poland’s Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, then Cassius Clay won unanimously in the light-heavyweight division in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Clay was so thrilled with his medal he refused to remove it the first two days after receiving it. After winning the gold medal, Clay made the announcement that he intended to fight professionally. In October of 1960, he made good on his promise in a six-round fight against Tunney Hunsaker.

2. 1964, Ali vs. Liston, Youngest Fighter to Take the Title. Ali was the underdog in his fight against the man who was the Mike Tyson of the early 60s. But Ali ended up surprising both the media and Sonny Liston. His swift, smooth moves and surprising speed led Ali to dominate the fight early on. Although he suffered from loss of vision during the fourth and fifth rounds, he was able to maintain his fighting intensity until the fight was called at the beginning of the seventh round due to Liston’s shoulder injury. At the age of 22, Ali became the youngest fighter to win the title from a defending champion. His record stood untouched for 22 years until 1986 when Mike Tyson won against Trevor Berbick.

3. 1970, Comeback Against Jerry Quarry. After his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War led to Ali being cut from the boxing ring, the long journey back to the ring ended in an exciting match against Jerry Quarry. In front of a crowd of 5000, Ali shocked and confused Quarry with his unorthodox boxing style. A punch above Quarry’s left eye ended the fight in the third round, winning Ali the decision and preparing him to go head-to-head against Joe Frazier, while earning him a return to the forefront of the boxing world…a position most people felt he’d never lost to begin with.

4. 1971, Ali vs. Frazier, A Rivalry Begins. On March 8th, 1971, Muhammad Ali was 31-0 when he went up against Joe Frazier, who at 26-0 was the world heavyweight champion. Having been stripped of his heavyweight championship titles for refusing to fight in Vietnam, Ali had something to prove and a title he wanted back. Known by many as a dream fight, the fight between Ali and Frazier went the full fifteen rounds with Frazier earning a unanimous win, resulting in Ali’s first career loss.

5. 1970-1974, Rising Again After Tumultuous Times. In the mid-1960s the heat was on and the Vietnam War was the central topic of controversy in many lives, including Ali’s. After objecting to being called to fight due to religious beliefs, Ali was banned from fighting in the United States. In 1967, Ali’s title as heavyweight champion was removed and he received a sentence of five years in prison for refusing to fight in Vietnam. After three years, he was allowed to return to the ring and his sentence was overturned by the US Supreme Court. Shortly after, Ali was the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Award.

6. 1974, Rumble in the Jungle. Ali’s pre-match hype before fighting against George Foreman produced the line by which he’s been known for years: floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Using a strategy Ali dubbed the Rope a Dope, he worked at wearing Foreman down over the course of several rounds. The crazy strategy, unknown even to Ali’s trainers, worked and Ali won the fight in the eighth round, leaving him ready to prepare for a rematch against Joe Frazier.

7. 1975, Thrilla in Manila. Dubbed by Ali as the Thrilla in Manila, this 1975 fight between Ali and Frazier rounded a classic triad of all-time great fights between the world’s greatest two fighters. Throughout the fight, Ali taunted, badgered and wore down Frazier, leading Frazier’s team to call it quits moments before Ali himself was about to give up. Although Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were boxing rivals, over the course of their infamous series, they earned each other’s admiration and respect as boxing greats.

8. 1978, Final Career Victory Against Leon Spinks. After his victory in the Philippines against Frazier, Ali went on to fight Leon Spinks in February of 1978 and lost his heavyweight title. Just seven months later Ali faced Spinks again and regained the title for the third time in a unanimous decision, earning him recognition as the only boxer to win the title three times.

9. 1987, 1991, Career Recognition. The man known as the greatest fighter of all time was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987, six years after his final retirement from the sport of boxing. Four years later, he received worldwide recognition when he was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

10. 1996, Returning to the Olympics. In what has come to be known as one of the most amazing and magical moments in Olympic opening ceremony history, Muhammad Ali lit  the Olympic cauldron during the ceremonies at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Although his fighting days were long over and he battled the challenges of Parkinson’s disease, Ali demonstrated true spirit as he proudly held the torch and lit the flame, signifying the beginning of the 17-day Olympic Games.

Ali retired from boxing permanently in 1981 after a career that spanned four decades and included 61 boxing matches. During his fighting career, he knocked out 37 opponents while being knocked out only one time. By the time he retired, Ali had won 56 matches and received countless awards and recognitions for sports as well as his philanthropic efforts.

Today, Ali continues his works in humanitarian efforts, traveling approximately 200 days each year. His humanitarian work has helped millions as hesupports efforts in poverty and hunger relief, as well as the accessibility of education to all. He has received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold for his worldwide efforts to promote peace.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/575708-happy-birthday-to-the-greatest-10-best-moments-in-muhammad-alis-career#/articles/575708-happy-birthday-to-the-greatest-10-best-moments-in-muhammad-alis-career/page/2, http://sports.jrank.org/pages/96/Ali-Muhammad-Awards-Accomplishments.html, http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/nspf_01/nspf_01_00022.html, http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/11/08/video-the-ali-frazier-trilogy-included-the-fight-of-the-century-and-the-thrilla-in-manila/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rumble_in_the_Jungle