Muhammad Ali Influence

Muhammad Ali was one of the most influential people to ever walk on Earth. He will always be known as one of, if not, the greatest boxer to ever step into the ring. During his life and after his death, Ali impacted the world greatly. Despite making a few controversial decisions, Muhammad Ali will always be an influence to everyone, because he defeated all odds set against him, he conquered the boxing world, and he became known as the self-proclaimed “greatest of all time”. However, Muhammad Ali wasn’t always the great Muhammad Ali we know him as today. He was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942. Louisville was not a particularly kind place to people like Cassius. He had to deal with racism and segregation growing …show more content…
However, he was not always thought of as the hero we know him as today. In fact, many people rooted against him early in his career. Despite the criticism he received, he defeated the police chief of Fayetteville, Tunney Hunsaker, in his first ever professional match (Velen). Eighteen victories later, Clay battled Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship, in a real David and Goliath situation. Despite being the underdog, Clay still attempted to provoke Liston, by calling him a “big, ugly bear”. He also said one of the most memorable quotes of all time: “float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee” (“Muhammad Ali's Impact on Sports”). It was one of the most awaited bouts in boxing history. After six rounds of two titans venturing to knock each other out in any way that was humanly possible, Liston surrendered the fight due to a shoulder injury, leaving the entire world astonished and in disbelief (Velen). After that historic victory, Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad …show more content…
Then, he met Ken Norton, a widely unknown boxer. During the second-round Ali’s jaw was broken as a result of a devastating right hook by Norton. Ali battled until the very end, before being beaten by a split decision. It would not be long be Ali got his rematch. Six months later in “The Revenge: Battle of the Broken Jaw” Ali conquered Norton’s unique techniques, winning the final decision after twelve rounds (Velen). Following an effortless bout against Dutchman Rudi Lubbers, Ali was more than ready to face off against his rival, Joe Frazier, again. In a pre-game interview, Ali called Frazier “ignorant”, resulting in his nemesis attacking him. This altercation would result in a five thousand dollar fine to be issued to both of them. Using the incident as motivation, Ali vanquished his opponent, winning yet another decision