Before Muhammad Ali became Muhammad Ali he was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942 to his dad (Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.) and his mother (Odessa Grady Clay) in Kentucky. His family wasn’t rich, his father was a painter and his mother was a cleaning lady. Ali discovered boxing around the age of twelve. After Muhammed Ali bike was stolen he reported to a policeman who taught and trained Muhammed Ali. Muhammed Ali was first featured in a local television show “Tomorrow’s Champions”. From there he was discovered by an African American by the name of Fred Stoner who helped Ali with learning the science of boxing. Even though Muhammad was so devoted in boxing his school work showed that that wasn’t his strongest point. 1960, Muhammad Ali won the gold medal for the Light Heavyweight class at the Summer Olympic Games in Rome.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
Have you ever heard this phrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”? it came from Muhammed Ali boxing style. It was described as fast, strong, and graceful and he developed a personal slogan that became famous. He married his first wife, a waitress named Sonji Roi, one month after meeting her in 1964. She had problems with the Islamic dress code for women, and they divorced in 1966. He was then married to Belinda Boyd from 1967 to 1977 and Veronica Porsche Ali from 1977 to 1986 before marrying Yolanda Williams in 1986. He has a total of nine children and his youngest daughter Laila had a celebrated boxing career with a career record of 24-0 with 21 wins by KO.After
43 months in exile, Ali returned to the ring on October 26, 1970, and knocked out Jerry Quarry (1945-1999) in the third round. On March 8, 1971, Ali got his chance to regain his heavyweight crown against reigning champ Joe Frazier (1944-2011) in what was billed as the “Fight of the Century.” The undefeated Frazier floored Ali with a hard left hook in the final round. Ali got up but lost in a unanimous decision, experiencing his first defeat as a pro.
The Death of Muhammad Ali
In 1984 Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, possibly connected to the severe head trauma suffered during his boxing career. The former champion’s motor skills slowly declined, and his movement and speech were limited.
Ring Magazine named Ali “Fighter of the Year” five times, more than any other boxer, and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. He married his fourth wife, Yolanda, in 1986. Ali died at the age of 74 on June 3, 2016.
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