Muhammad Ali is known today to every person who is at least somewhat interested in sports. The future king of boxing was born in the United States in 1942 in a poor, but far from poor family by African American standards. His father was a sign painter, and his mother worked as a governess in wealthy homes. Actually, the real name of the future athlete, given to him at birth, was Cassius Clay.
His modern biographers note that the young man's talent for boxing has manifested itself since childhood. An important factor that prompted Cassius to come to was the tense situation in his hometown, where an atmosphere of violence, racism, and discrimination against the black population reigned. In this regard, unpromising black youth often united in gangs - this was a road leading nowhere. At the age of twelve, an unpleasant incident happened to the boy. A local hooligan forcibly took away the bike he had just bought. Having gone to the station, the future champion met a policeman there, to whom he announced his intention to beat his offender. By a happy coincidence, the policeman, whose name was Joe Martin, was himself a sports coach and invited the boy to his gym, where other young boxers trained.
The training that began changed the life of a young boxer forever. Despite significant problems with discipline in the gym (young Cassius constantly got into fights with training partners, painfully reacting to the slightest criticism or underestimation of his potential), the young man began to stubbornly improve his skills.
Daily runs, grueling workouts, a fanatical commitment to a healthy lifestyle began. Two months after the start of classes, Cassius won his first victory, which was broadcast on local television. And two years later, in 1956, he took his first tournament - the Golden Gloves (the most famous tournament in the USA for beginner boxers). A dizzying start to his career leads the young boxer to the US national team. And in 1960 he goes to the Olympics, where he wins his first gold.
At the same time, the young man falls under the influence of the Muslim sect "Nation of Islam", meets with its leaders and visits the mosque, which greatly transforms his life. And then the rising star of world sports stunned everyone. Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam, henceforth his name is Muhammad Ali. Now he is closely connected with the Islamic world. By the way, one of the Arab sheikhs, Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, bears the same name. Such a step of the young boxer caused a tough reaction.
Muhammad Ali, whose photo by that time flaunted on the front pages of all sports publications, was stripped of the World Boxing Association's championship title, which he won in the same year by defeating Sony Liston. In addition, the reaction of the American and world public, Ali's colleagues in the boxing workshop, was extremely harsh, and even the father said that representatives of the Nation of Islam had powdered his son's brains.
However, Muhammad Ali would not be himself if he succumbed to public pressure. Despite the boycott and deprivation of the championship title, he still confidently claimed that he would beat all his rivals. And he kept his word. In 1966, the boxer defeated in the twelfth round the idol of his childhood and the current critic for his connection with the Islamic sect. Then there were even more landmark fights in the boxer's career: three fights with Joe Frazier (in 1971, 1974 and 1975), a fight with George Foreman ( 1974) and, finally, the last champion title, which Muhammad Ali defended in a duel with Leon Spinks (1978).
In Rome (Italy), Cassius Clay, under his own name, became the light heavyweight champion of the Olympic Games. After that, he turned pro.
In 1963, Cassius Clay defeated Doug Jones. The fight received the status of "fight of the year" according to the magazine "Ring"
In 1964, Cassius Clay received his first title as a result of a fight with Sonny Liston, defeating him by technical knockout in the seventh round. In the same year, Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Mohammed Ali.
On May 25, 1965, a second duel took place between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, in which Ali again won.
In 1966-1967, the boxer defended his title against Brian London, Karl Mildenberger, Cleveland Williams, Ernie Terrell and Zora Folly.
In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali was drafted into the US Army, but refused to participate in the war. His title was annulled, and the boxer himself was sentenced to five years for evading service. At this time, Ali was banned from boxing. In 1970, the US Supreme Court overturned the verdict, and the boxer returned to the ring.
In March 1971, Muhammad Ali entered the ring for the first time against Joe Frazier. This fight was subsequently named "fight of the year" according to the magazine "Ring". In the 15th round, Ali was knocked down, and after the end of the fight, the judges came to the conclusion that he had lost the fight. It was Ali's first loss in his career.
In 1974, the second duel took place between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali won this fight, winning him on points.
On October 30, 1974, the fight for the world title took place between George Foreman, the reigning champion, and challenger Muhammad Ali. Experts consider this fight as "the greatest and unforgettable". It was won by Ali, becoming the champion.
On October 1, 1975, Ali had another fight, which also remained forever in the history of world boxing. They became a duel in which Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier for the third time and again defeated him.
In 1976, Muhammad Ali successfully defended titles against Jean-Pierre Koopman, Jimmy Young and Richard Dunn. In 1977 he defeated Alfredo Evangelista and Ernie Shavers.
In 1978, Muhammad Ali decided to end his boxing career. For the final fight, the 1976 Olympic champion Leon Spinks was chosen, to whom Ali lost. The fight received the status of "Fight of the Year" according to the magazine "Ring".
Ali challenged Leon Spinks to a rematch, which took place on September 15, 1978. This time, Ali won by unanimous decision. Then he retired from boxing. Due to financial difficulties, he soon had to enter the ring again. But only to lose two fights - one in October 1980 against Larry Holmes and the second against Trevor Berbick in December 1981. After that, Ali finally retired from boxing.
Soon the athlete was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
In 1990, Ali was elected to the National Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1996, he carried the torch at the Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Muhammad Ali - Olympic champion in 1960, absolute world heavyweight champion (1964-1966, 1974-1978), world heavyweight champion according to WBC (1974-1978), WBA (1967, 1974-1978, 1978). The Ring magazine named him "Boxer of the Year" five times (1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978) and, in addition, "Boxer of the Decade" (1970s). In 1999, Sports Illustrated and the BBC named Ali
Muhammad Ali, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, one of the greatest boxers in the history of sports, has died in the United States. He was 74 years old. Ali died in a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was hospitalized due to respiratory problems. For the last 32 years of his life, the boxer suffered from Parkinson's disease.
(Total 28 photos)
1. Cassius Clay in 1954 (Associated Press)
2. Rome. Cassius Clay, second from right, on the podium, winner of gold in the light heavyweight category at the 1960 Summer Olympics. (IOC/Allsport)
3. Louisville, Kentucky, the home where Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, grew up. (BRIAN BOHANNON / Associated Press)
4. Cassius Clay with coach Angelo Dundee in New York, February 8, 1962. (DAN GROSSI / Associated Press)
5. Los Angeles, November 15, 1962 Cassius Clay predicts his KO victory over Archie Moore. The prediction was confirmed: Clay knocked out Moore in the fourth round. After that, Clay said that he would win by knockout over Sonny Liston in the eighth round. Won in the seventh. (Harold P. Matosian / Associated Press)
6. Louisville, Kentucky, Clay is about to ride his mother Odessa Grady Clay on the new Cadillac, April 4, 1963. (H.B. LITTELL / Associated Press)
7. Clay and his first wife, Sonji, 1964 This year he converted to Islam and took the name Mohammed Ali. (Associated Press)
8. Miami Beach, Florida, February 18, 1964 From left to right: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison with Muhammad Ali. (Associated Press)
9. New York, Ali and the head of the "Islamic Nation" Malcolm X after showing a film about Ali's fight with Sonny Liston. (Associated Press)
10. Lagos, Nigeria, June 1, 1964 Ali in national Nigerian costume. (Associated Press)
11. Lewiston, Maine, May 25, 1965, Mohammed Ali over a downed right hand to the jaw by Sonny Liston. (John Rooney/Associated Press)
12. Houston. Muhammad Ali blows out the candles on his 25th birthday cake on January 17, 1967. (ED KOLENOVSKY / Associated Press)
13. Houston. Muhammad Ali and his attorney Hayden Covington on June 19, 1967 in federal court in Houston. Ali was subpoenaed on charges of military evasion. Then he said his famous phrase: "I did not quarrel with the Viet Cong." (ED KOLENOVSKY / Associated Press)
14. Muhammad Ali during training before the fight with Ernie Terrell, Houston, February 1967. (Associated Press)
15. Chicago, February 26, 1967 Muhammad Ali at a meeting of the Islamic Nation. The abbreviation on his headdress signifies belonging to the all-male branch of the organization. (Paul Cannon/Associated Press)
16. New York, March 8, 1967 Joe Frazier next to the defeated Muhammad Ali and referee Art Mercante. Frazier was the de facto champion, but fans still called the champion Ali, who was stripped of the title due to allegations of military evasion. (Paul Cannon/Associated Press)
17. New York, March 1971, Joe Frazier (right) smiles at the slip of Muhammad Ali. (Associated Press)
18. West Point, New York, August 7, 1972 Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali pulls commentator Howard Cosell's hair before qualifying for the Olympic team. (Associated Press)
19. New York, August 29, 1974, Muhammad Ali at an official lunch advertises the broadcast in Madison Square Garden of his future October fight with George Foreman. (Ron Frehm/Associated Press)
20. Manila, Philippines, October 1, 1975 The ninth round of the fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali won the match. (Mitsunori Chigita/Associated Press)
21. Kinshasa, Zaire, October 29, 1974. Muhammad Ali raises his hands in victory as referee Zach Clayton counts out over George Foreman, who was knocked down in the eighth round. (Associated Press)
22. Chicago, November 11, 1977, Mohammed Ali and commentator Howard Cosell play out a fight at the dinner "Outstanding Chicagoans of our time." (CHICAGO TRIBUNE)
23. New Orleans, September 14, 1978, Muhammad Ali prepares to fight Leon Spinks for a third title. (Associated Press)
24. San Pedro, Côte d'Ivoire, August 20, 1997. Muhammad Ali at a Liberian refugee shelter. The champion brought food, wheelchairs and medicine with him, having received a letter from the organizer of the charity mission, Sponsa Beltran. (David Guttenfelder / Associated Press)
25. Atlanta. Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic flame as he opens the relay before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. (CURTIS COMPTON / Agence France-Presse)
26. Davos, Switzerland Muhammad Ali in the lobby of a hotel on January 28, 2006. (Michel Euler / Associated Press)
27. Louisville, Kentucky Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie on Saturday, January 14, 2012. (The Muhammad Ali Center)
28. Muhammad Ali and his coach Angelo Dundee in Louisville, Kentucky, January 14, 2012. (The Muhammad Ali Center)
Muhammad Ali became a real boxing legend, and he achieved victories not only in the ring, but also on the personal front - Ali was always surrounded by female attention and even being married he could not deny himself short-term novels that did not affect his personal life in the best way.
The first wife of Muhammad Ali, the waitress Sonji Roy, did not live with him for long - the boxer's mentors from the Nation of Islam opposed this marriage, forcing him to break off relations with a woman who professed a different religion (Ali was a Muslim), and, moreover, worked as a simple waitress.
Their divorce proceedings lasted about a year, and among the main reasons for the divorce, Muhammad Ali called the wife's unwillingness to dress like a real Muslim woman, and love for revealing outfits.
In the photo - Ali with his first wife
The second wife of Muhammad Ali, Belinda Boyd, tried not to make the mistakes of the first wife of the boxer - almost immediately after the marriage, she converted to Islam and even changed her name, becoming Khalila Ali. She gave birth to four children - three daughters Mariyum, Jamila and Rashida and a son Muhammad Ali Jr.
However, the family idyll began to crumble after three years of marriage - Ali's numerous admirers, who followed him everywhere, haunted not only him, but also his wife, who was tired of enduring her husband's endless betrayals.
In the photo - Muhammad Ali, his second wife Khalila and their children
One of the girls who was not opposed to having an affair with the famous boxer was fashion model Veronica Porsche, who starred for a poster of one of Muhammad's fights.
Their romance began in front of the boxer's wife, who at that moment was with him in a training camp where Muhammad was preparing for a fight with George Foreman. Ali divorced Khalila after ten years of marriage, then he already had a one-year-old daughter from Veronica Khan, and after Porsche became the official wife of Muhammad Ali, she gave birth to him another child - daughter Leila, in the future, like her father, who dedicated her life to boxing and even became the absolute world champion in this sport.
In the photo - Ali with his third wife Victoria Porsche
The marriage with Veronica Porsche lasted almost nine years, and immediately after the divorce, Ali married for the fourth time - to Iolanthe "Lonnie" Williams, whom he had known since his youth. Mohammed did not have joint children with Iolanta, but they adopted the boy Asaad Amin.
The number of children of the famous boxer is not limited to those born in marriage - Ali also had two illegitimate daughters - Mia and Kalia. Thus, Muhammad had seven children, two of whom also devoted their lives to sports.
Pictured with Yolanta Williams
Ali himself was not born into a large family - he had only one brother, Rudolf, two years younger than him. Their family belonged to the middle class, his father was a member of the US House of Representatives and the Senate from Kentucky, and his mother was a housewife.
Parents raised their sons, trying to instill in them the best qualities - they taught drawing, the father tried to instill a love of poetry. Mohammed came to boxing quite by accident, trying to get justice after a bicycle he bought with his own money was stolen from him. The policeman, whom Ali turned to in search of a fair punishment for the offenders, advised the boy to take up boxing in order to always be ready for self-defense. So, at the age of twelve, the sports biography of the future great boxer began.
In the photo - Muhammad Ali with his daughter Leila
At the very beginning, no one could even imagine that they were facing a future boxing star - the coaches did not see any potential in Ali, moreover, he was very cocky and constantly disrupted training. Only Fred Stoner, who taught Muhammad the first tricks, became interested in the boy and was not mistaken. In his first fight, broadcast on television as part of the Future Champions program, Ali won an unconditional victory over his peers and immediately shouted right into the camera that he would become the greatest boxer, and devoted his whole life to this - Ali never drank, never smoked , did not use drugs, became a fan of healthy eating, exercised endlessly, and his dream eventually became a reality.
In youth fights, he won victory after victory, from the age of fifteen, Ali studied at the Central High School of Louisville, but due to poor performance, he was able to graduate from it only thanks to the personal support of the director, who hoped that the purposeful novice boxer would someday become famous and make the school known throughout the world. Muhammad Ali, who received only a certificate of graduation from school, did not even learn to read well, but he became what he had dreamed of becoming since childhood.
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