RIP Muhammad Ali

74 years fighting battles
the boxer has gone home

May he rest in peace.

I had no idea :(

Rest in peace, warrior.

A true inspiration to many, many people may he rest in peace. Xx

Rip

Birth: Jan. 17, 1942
Louisville
Jefferson County
Kentucky, USA
Death: Jun. 3, 2016
Phoenix
Maricopa County
Arizona, USA

American Professional Boxer. He is generally considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer in the history of the sport. Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, his birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. His father was Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., a billboard and sign painter. His mother, was Odessa O'Grady Clay, a household domestic. He was introduced to boxing by a police officer. Since early in his boxing career, he is credited for his remarkable skill, accuracy, smoothness, and precision, which he brought to the ring, as well the values he exemplified and spoke to in a time when few did. He competed at the 1960 Rome Olympics and won a gold medal in boxing. Always a controversial figure, he spoke openly about religious freedom, racial injustice and in sticking to one's principles. He was among the first to bring these ideals to the mainstream media. At the pinnacle of his career, he is thought to be the most famous man in the world and certainly among the most recognized sports figures of his time. He was named "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated magazine and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC in England. He wrote several best-selling biographies about his life in boxing, including "The Greatest", "My Own Story", and "The Soul of a Butterfly." In the beginning, he fought under his birth name as "Cassius Clay." From the age of 12 to the age of 22 (1964), he won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston, three years later, won the heavyweight title (1967), he then refused to be drafted into the U.S. Army, citing his religious objections and opposition to America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict. He had joined the "Nation of Islam" and changed his name to Mohammed Ali. He was arrested and judged guilty of draft evasion and was stripped of his boxing title because of it. He did not fight again for nearly four years during a time when he was at the peak of his fighting condition. He appealed the conviction, which worked its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. His conviction was overturned in 1971. As a conscientious objector, he became an icon for the growing counter-culture against the war. He was the only three-time lineal world heavyweight champion... in 1964, 1974, and 1978. For 7 months in 1964, he was the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He assumed the title of "The Greatest" and fought in several more historic matches. Among them was the first Liston fight, three with "Mighty" Joe Frazier, and one with legendary boxer George Foreman. He was to regain the boxing titles that had been stripped from him seven years earlier. He took command of most of his press conferences and spoke freely about issues not related to boxing which facilitated other African-American athletes in America to speak out with greater confidence. He spoke of racial pride and felt unintimidated by the "white establishment," prevalent at the time. He often spontaneously spoke with poetic words and prose during his news conferences and interviews, which is said to have been an early inspiration for the rap and hip-hop musical movement decades later. Sadly, in 1984, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome, a disease that commonly results from head trauma from participation in contact sports such as boxing and football. He remained active during his final years, however, and even lit the Olympic torch at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. In 2005, President Bush presented him with Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. A 2001 motion picture, starring Will Smith earned an Oscar nomination for Smith's portrayal of Ali in the leading role. He was married 4 times and is survived by 9 children. (bio by: Christian)

Family links:
Parents:
Cassius Marcellus Clay (1912 - 1990)
Odessa Lee Grady Clay (1917 - 1994

Sad news,

Where would boxing be if it wasn't for him?

Probably in the working mens clubs and underground.

Not a multi million pound/dollar sport it is today.

not been a great year so far...

You can definitely say that again Darren.

MY all time favorite athlete, and not because in his prime he was the greatest boxer that ever lived, this was a boy, yes a young boy who returned from the Olympics with a Gold medal, and it was soon after that that he became a man. The realization of inequality really hit home with him then, and just kept exposing itself to him. He grew up challenging hatred and racism, even to the point where it almost cost him his legacy. I never missed any of his fights, saw every last one of them, either on live tv, or the taped version the next day. The most profound quote I have ever heard regarding senseless war came from this man........He refused to go into the service during the vietnam war and when asked why, he gave many valid reasons, but the most profound one was, "ain't no vietcong ever called me ______ (insert n word)"....the reason this was so profound to me was , here was the heavyweight champion of the world, who won an olympic medal representing his country, and there were hotels he couldn't stay at, diners he couldn't eat in, and even restrooms or drinking fountains he couldn't use, just because of the color of his skin, and yet you wanted him to fight for this country......The strange thing is, even after all that and they stripped him of his title and caused him 3 1/2 years of his prime, he still went on to be an ambassador for the people. I wish many of you lived during that era, it was amazing, but not even close to how amazing this man was as a boxer nor as a humanitarian......May he forever rest in peace.....

Well said Bob xx

Rest in peace, Ali the Champion.

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He truly was a great man....

"Service to others is the rent you pay for room here on earth"

One of the few sporting celebrities I really respect.

My dad met Muhammad Ali twice. Once they flew on the same plane, and once they met on my dad's campus. On campus, he was mingling with people and signing things. A guy handed him a dollar to sign and Ali put it in his pocket and said, "Thanks." A young woman asked for him to sign her cleavage and he said, "Ooh honey, white skin gives me shivers." Apparently he was joking and teasing everyone the whole time and there were lots of laughs. My dad said Ali was in his mind the perfect human specimen - perfectly proportioned and beautiful - and he exuded charisma.