Muhammed Ali
Alejandro Maldonado
Who is Muhammed Ali?
Muhammed Ali was one of the greatest boxer's and a world heavy weight champion. He is known throughout the world for not only his boxing ability but also his personality. He is the only professional boxer that won the world heavy weight championship three times.
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Early Years
Muhammed Ali was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali started boxing at the age of 12. He was coached by Fred Stoner who taught Ali how to move like a dancer in the ring as well as the science of boxing.
Boxing career
Ali started boxing and winning at an early age. At the age of 18 he competed and won in the Olympic Games held in Rome, Italy. His career continued to rise and he got many sponsors due to his ability and his power punch. He was 22 years old when he won the heavy weight championship of the world. He knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round with a punch so powerful but few barely saw it because it happened so fast. He continued to defend his title for several years until he was finally defeated by Leon Spinks in February 1978. He regained his title 7 months later by defeating Spinks in Septemeber 1978.
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Other Passions
Muhammed Ali's birth name was Cassius Clay. However, he was inspired by Malcom X and began following the Black Muslim faith. Cassius changed his name to Cassius X, which was later changed to Muhammed Ali. He was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, but refused to go citing religious beliefs. He was sentenced to 5 years but did not serve jail time because he appealed and it was overturned.
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Summary of info
Muhammed Ali was one of the all time greatest boxing champs. He is known for his trash talking style while in boxing and his powerful punch. Today, Ali is still well known and people respect him.
Works Cited
"Muhammad Ali." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 52. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Biography in Context. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.