How Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali: what made “The Great One” change his name? Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in the history of sports, died in the USA. What did Muhammad Ali do?

The legendary boxer Mohammed Ali passed away exactly two years ago. He died on June 3, 2016, after a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Read about the main fragments of the biography of the great athlete and person in our material.

How did you spend your early years?

How did you gain worldwide fame?

In the same 1960, the young boxer won the Amateur Athletic Union tournament and received an invitation to take part in qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games. Performance at this competition has become largely a formality. Having received the coveted ticket to the Olympics, Cassius went to Rome and confidently won the championship there. Golden medal Olympic Games became the first serious success in his career.

In 1964, Cassius Clay received his first championship title in a fight with Sonny Liston, defeating him TKO in the seventh round. That same year, Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

On May 25, 1965, a re-fight 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 Folley.

In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali was drafted into the US Army, but refused to fight in the war. His title was revoked, and the boxer himself was sentenced to five years for evading service. During this time, Ali was prohibited 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" by Ring magazine. In the 15th round, Ali was knocked down, and after the end of the fight the judges came to the conclusion that he lost the fight. This was Ali's first defeat in his career.

End of career

In 1974, the second fight took place between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali won this fight, winning on points.

On October 30, 1974, a fight for the world title took place between George Foreman, current champion, and Muhammad Ali. Experts consider this fight “the greatest and unforgettable.” Ali won it, becoming the champion.

On October 1, 1975, Ali fought another fight, which also remained forever in the history of world boxing. It was a duel in which Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier for the third time and defeated him again.

In 1978, Muhammad Ali decided to end his boxing career. 1976 Olympic champion Leon Spinks was chosen for the final fight, to whom Ali lost. The fight received the status of "Fight of the Year" according to Ring magazine.

During his career, Muhammad Ali earned about 50 million dollars, which was simply an exorbitant amount in those days. However, the boxer managed his finances poorly. Due to the ensuing lack of money in 1980, Mohammed was forced to enter the ring again. That time his opponent was the current champion Larry Holmes, who confidently defeated the veteran. From that moment on, Mohammed never entered the ring again.

Personal life and the fight against illness

Mohammed had four wives in his life. The boxer met the first of them in his youth, but soon broke up due to her reluctance to convert to Islam. The marriage to his second wife Belinda Boyd (later Khalilah Ali) lasted longer and resulted in the birth of four children. Despite this, while married, Cassius Clay began to have an affair with model Veronica Porsche, who, as noted in many sources, was not his only mistress. One way or another, it was Veronica who became the reason for Mohammed’s separation from his ex-wife. They got married in 1977. Soon they had two children.

This union lasted for nine years. After divorcing Veronica Porsche, the legendary boxer married longtime girlfriend Iolanthe Williams. Soon they adopted a five-year-old boy together. In addition, Mohammed has two more illegitimate children from previous unions.

In 1990, Ali was elected to the National Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1996, he carried the torch at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. For the last 32 years, he has been fighting not in the ring, but in life with Parkinson’s disease. Muhammad Ali passed away on June 3, 2016.

In Rome (Italy), Cassius Clay, under his own name, became the Olympic champion in the light heavyweight division. After that he turned professional.

In 1963, Cassius Clay defeated Doug Jones. The fight received the status of "fight of the year" according to Ring magazine.

In 1964, Cassius Clay received his first championship title in a fight with Sonny Liston, defeating him by technical knockout in the seventh round. That same year, Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

On May 25, 1965, a re-fight 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 Folley.

In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali was drafted into the US Army, but refused to fight in the war. His title was revoked, and the boxer himself was sentenced to five years for evading service. During this time, Ali was prohibited 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" by Ring magazine. In the 15th round, Ali was knocked down, and after the end of the fight the judges came to the conclusion that he lost the fight. This was Ali's first defeat in his career.

In 1974, the second fight took place between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali won this fight, winning on points.

On October 30, 1974, a world title fight took place between George Foreman, the reigning champion, and challenger Muhammad Ali. Experts consider this fight to be “the greatest and unforgettable.” Ali won it, becoming the champion.

On October 1, 1975, Ali fought another fight, which also remained forever in the history of world boxing. It was a duel in which Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier for the third time and defeated him again.

In 1976, Muhammad Ali successfully defended his titles against Jean-Pierre Koopman, Jimmy Young and Richard Dunne. In 1977 he defeated Alfredo Evangelista and Ernie Shavers.

In 1978, Muhammad Ali decided to end his boxing career. 1976 Olympic champion Leon Spinks was chosen for the final fight, to whom Ali lost. The fight received the status of "Fight of the Year" according to Ring magazine.

Ali challenged Leon Spinks to a rematch, which took place on September 15, 1978. This time Ali won by unanimous decision. After which he left 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 which Ali finally left 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 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Muhammad Ali - 1960 Olympic champion, absolute world heavyweight champion (1964-1966, 1974-1978), world champion in heavyweight according to WBC (1974-1978), WBA (1967, 1974-1978, 1978). Ring magazine recognized him as “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: Biography of the legendary boxer

From open sources

One of the most famous and recognizable boxers in the history of world boxing died on June 4, 2016 in the hospital, surrounded by his children.

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, is one of the most famous and recognizable boxers in the history of world boxing.

He was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Odessa Clay, a housewife, and Cassius Clay, a sign and poster artist. Two years later, his only sibling Rudolf was born, who later changed his name to Rahman Ali.

Clay's family was much poorer than middle-class white families, but they were not needy. Cassius Sr. painted signs in an attempt to become a professional artist, and his wife sometimes cooked and cleaned the homes of wealthy white families. Over time, their savings were enough to purchase a small cottage in a comfortable “black” neighborhood for $4.5 thousand.

Unlike many black peers who had to provide for their families with early age, Cassius did not work as a child. He only occasionally worked part-time at the University of Louisville (washing desks and blackboards) in order to have pocket money.

In the early 1950s, an atmosphere of racial inequality reigned in Louisville, which greatly influenced the formation of the personality of 10-year-old Cassius. He later recalled that he cried before falling asleep because he did not understand why blacks were considered second-class citizens in society. His mother said that one hot day she and Cassius were waiting for a bus at the bus stop. She knocked on a nearby cafe to ask for a glass of water for her son, but they refused and closed the door on her.

Clay started boxing at age 12 after his red bicycle, which he bought with money he earned, was stolen. The day after the purchase, Cassius and a friend went to a fair, where children were treated to free ice cream. While getting ready to go home, he discovered that the bicycle was missing. Clay was very upset and at that moment he met a white policeman, Joe Martin, and told him that he would beat up the person who stole the bicycle. Martin replied: “Before you beat someone, you must first learn how to do it.” He invited Cassius to the gym, where he trained young boxers.

From the very beginning it was difficult to train him; Clay constantly got into fights with other guys, announcing to the whole room that he best boxer and become world champion. Because of this, Martin had to briefly kick him out of the hall. The trainers, with the exception of Fred Stoner, who taught the young boxer how to properly execute the jab, did not see much potential in Cassius.

Six weeks after his first visit to the gym, Cassius’ debut amateur fight took place. The fight was broadcast on television in the “Future Champions” program. His opponent was white teenager Ronnie O'Keefe, both boxers competed in weight category up to 89 lbs (40.389 kg). Cassius was younger and less experienced, despite this, he won by decision. After the result was announced, Clay began shouting into the camera that he would become the greatest boxer. From that moment on, he worked every day on his boxing technique and endurance. He didn't drink, smoke or use drugs, becoming a healthy eating fanatic.

The start of a brilliant career

For two next years Clay fought approximately one fight every three weeks, winning victory after victory. In 1956, he won the first Golden Gloves tournament of his career. In 1957, he had to give up training for four months because doctors discovered he had a heart murmur. Later it turned out that the heart was completely fine.

At the age of 15, Clay transferred to Central high school Louisville, the largest school for African Americans in the city. Cassius's performance was so poor that he once had to repeat a year, but thanks to the support of school principal Atwood Wilson, he was able to graduate. Wilson was impressed by Clay's dedication and hard training, and wanted the promising boxer to graduate and bring fame to the school. Cassius graduated from the educational institution in June 1960, receiving only a certificate of attendance, but not a diploma, which was issued upon successful completion of his studies. He always had problems with reading, and people around him often had to read to him.

At the same time, by the end of school, Clay had won 100 victories in the amateur ring, suffering only 8 defeats.

Worldwide fame

Clay's debut in professional boxing took place on October 29, 1960, against Tanny Hunsecker.

Between February and July 1962, Clay scored five victories, all fights ending in knockouts no later than the sixth round.

At age 22, Clay became the heavyweight champion of the world, winning a world title fight against Sonny Liston.

After the rematch with Norton, the stage was set for a second fight against Frazier, which was again scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden. Before this, Ali fought a fight against Dutch heavyweight Rudi Lubbers, which took place in Indonesia. Mohammed dominated throughout the fight and won by unanimous decision. A few months before the fight, Ali began his attacks in the press. Fraser tried to concentrate on training and not react to his attacks. But during an interview on the ABC channel, Joe's nerves could not stand it, and he fought with Mohammed right on the air. On the day of the fight, Madison Square Garden was sold out, filled with celebrities, including John Kennedy Jr. and current world champion George Foreman.

Unlike the first fight, Ali decided not to fight near the ropes, but focused on moving around the ring and throwing a large number of jabs; at the slightest danger, Mohammed “tied” his opponent’s hands and did not allow him to hit. At the end of the second round, Ali landed an accurate right hook to Frazier's head, which made his legs give way. After an accurate blow, Mohammed began to develop an attack, but the referee made a mistake: thinking that the round was over, he separated the boxers to their corners, giving Joe time to recover. This oversight by the referee did not help Frazier, who was unable to do anything for 12 rounds; the judges unanimously gave the victory to Ali. After the fight, Joe disagreed with the judges' decision, openly declaring that the victory was stolen from him, and also that his opponent acted "dirty" during the fight

During his career, Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) fought 61 fights, in which he scored 56 victories, 37 of them by knockout.

When Muhammad Ali lost, the audience in the hall cried

For two years, Ali did not enter the ring; during his career he earned about $50 million, but only a small part was invested in business, the rest went to Mohammed’s entourage.

In 1980, Ali felt the need for money, which prompted him to fight again. By that time, Mohammed had little desire to enter the ring again; he was matched with the current world champion Larry Holmes, who was in his prime. The boxers were well acquainted with each other, since Holmes was Ali's sparring partner.

The fight took place on October 2, 1980, at that time Mohammed was 38 years old, he had excess weight, and he looked downright slow. The champion respected Ali and tried not to injure the veteran, but, nevertheless, inflicted numerous injuries on him during the fight. Holmes dominated throughout the fight and won every round comfortably; many believed that he did not seek to knock out Ali because he was afraid of causing him serious injury.

In the tenth round, Angelo Dundee did not let his charge into the ring, shouting: “I am the chief second! I demand that the fight be stopped!” This was the first fight in which Mohammed lost ahead of schedule. The camera captured spectators in the hall, many of whom were crying.

For his last fight, Ali earned about $8 million, which significantly improved his financial situation. This time he used the money wisely, investing it in business and real estate. However, despite his financial success, Mohammed again decided to enter the ring and was surprised to find that none of the leading boxers wanted to fight him, and also that the athletic commissions of most states were not going to issue him a license to fight due to his condition. his health. Despite all the difficulties, Ali managed to get permission to fight in the Bahamas with Canadian heavyweight Trevor Berbick. Mohammed looked much better than in the Holmes fight and even dominated the fifth round. However, despite this, Ali lost by unanimous decision in a 10-round fight. After this fight, Mohammed announced his retirement and never entered the professional ring again.

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, hospitalized the day before due to breathing problems, died on Friday in the United States at the age of 74.
Rest in peace old Clay, you were one of the best.

As a child, Cassius Clay's bicycle was stolen. The boy approached the policeman and asked him to find the thief. “And as soon as you find him, I’ll beat him!” - said Cassius Marcellus Clay. The cop replied that before you hit someone, you need to learn how to do it. Fate or not, that policeman also worked as a trainer in a teenage boxing club. The very next day, the future legendary fighter Mohammed Ali began boxing. Since childhood, he developed boxing strength.
IN professional boxing Like many of the American fighters, Muhammad Ali came after the 1960 Olympic Games. There he confidently won the up to 81 kg category, after which he made his professional debut in a fight with Lamar Clark. Ali knocked out his opponent forever - Clark retired after this fight.

In February 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay entered the title fight against champion Sonny Liston. It was hard for both of them in the ring: Liston had a cut in his eyebrow and a hematoma formed, and Clay started having vision problems in the fourth round. But the future Muhammad Ali still won. Cassius Clay became heavyweight champion.

Actually, the name change occurred precisely after receiving championship belt. Immediately after the fight, Clay officially joined the Muslim organization “Nation of Islam” and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

After that, Ali continuously won for another 7 years, until in 1971 he met Joe Frazier in the ring. The match immediately promised to be interesting, because two undefeated champion. Now one had to lose this title. The battle lasted 15 rounds until Frazier hit Ali hard, and he stopped “fluttering like a butterfly” and fell. Knockdown. Muhammad Ali lost for the first time

Ali decided to leave boxing back in 1978. For last fight Leon Spinks was chosen as a partner, Olympic champion 1976 Ali considered Spinks a weak opponent and was careless in his preparation. For which he paid - the farewell fight turned into the boxer’s third defeat. True, the judges’ decision is still considered controversial, but history is history.
Ali did not want to leave defeated. He demanded revenge. Spinks agreed to a return fight, for which he was stripped of the title (according to the rules, he first had to fight Ken Norton and defend the belt). Mohammed Ali took revenge and defeated Spinks. After the fight, the legendary boxer announced his retirement from boxing.

However, “retirement” did not work out. For financial reasons, Cassius Clay returned to the ring. He resumed his habit of insulting his opponents before a fight. For which he paid: Larry Holmes beat 38-year-old Ali well. He was overweight and moved slowly, but Holmes respected the legendary fighter. Many believe that the knockout did not happen because of Larry's desire to keep Mohammed at least a little bit of self-confidence. One way or another, the battle was lost. Having received $8 million for his participation, Muhammad Ali fought another fight with Trevor Berbick. He lost again and left the sport forever.

Ali's biography includes a long period of interaction with the Nation of Islam, an American religious organization. His participation in it was condemned by both his father and boxing partners, and WBA President Ed Lassman even wanted to deprive Clay championship title. But Ali's popularity retained his belt.

Regardless of religious preferences, Mohammed Ali created a unique fighting style. He moved around the ring on his toes (fluttering!) and dodged his opponent's attacks. It was like a real dance and it was beautiful. Plus, due to his height (191 cm), Ali often hit the head from unexpected angles.

Unfortunately, there was a drawback. Ali paid little attention to protecting his body - over time, opponents learned to use this against him. Speed ​​came to the rescue: Mohammed, being a heavyweight, managed to move around the ring at the level of a middleweight boxer.

But in addition to his physical abilities, Ali knew how to influence his opponent psychologically. He told him the round in which he would lose. He composed insulting poems about his opponent. He knew how to get at him - Joe Frazier did not forgive Ali, even after Mohammed was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. They say that a couple of years before Fraser’s death, they finally made peace, but according to other sources, Joe never received a real apology.

Ali would have been married four times. They divorced again because of religion: the boxer’s mentors from the Nation of Islam were against his marriage to a non-Muslim woman. Ali's last wife was his longtime girlfriend from his hometown of Louisville. And from her third marriage with fashion model Veronica Porsch, Leila Ali was born, who became a world boxing champion, following in her father’s footsteps.

On June 3, 2016, the athlete died in a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was admitted two days earlier with a respiratory illness.

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Muhammad Ali was born in 1942 in Louisville (Kentucky) and received the name Cassius Marcellus Clay. All biography of Muhammad Ali is a story of struggle and victories, not only in the ring, but also in life. He confessed many times best athlete year and even received the title of boxer of the century, took an active part in the public life of America, and after finishing his career he became a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

All over the world, Mohammed is known not only as an athlete, but also as a fighter for the rights of black citizens, a pacifist and a philanthropist.

Muhammad Ali's childhood

The mother of the future great boxer was a housewife, and his father made a living by drawing posters and advertising signs. In addition to Mohammed, there was another son in the family, Rahman, younger by two years.

Muhammad Ali had a special one in his arsenal, with the help of which he was able to so clearly practice all the blows and execute them as if from a cannon!

As children, the brothers more than once experienced the negative attitude of others towards dark-skinned Americans, which became the reason for Mohammed’s constant struggle against the foundations of society.

The boy started boxing at the age of 12. The reason was the theft of a bicycle, which Mohammed bought with his own earned money. After discovering the loss, Mohammed approached police officer Joe Martin and said that he would beat the kidnapper. To which he received the answer that you need to be able to fight in order to beat someone, and he invited the daring boy to the gym, where he taught boxing classes.

Boxing Mohammed Ali I immediately began to perceive it as a chance to achieve success in life. After his first victory, during the broadcast of the fight on TV, the boy shouted into the camera that he would definitely become a famous boxer.

Young Muhammad Ali's Beginning of Life in the Ring

From that time on, Mohammed believed in himself and reconsidered his attitude towards life and sports. He became a devotee healthy image life: did not take drugs, did not drink alcohol, did not smoke, went jogging.

He and his coach began to pay special attention to gaining the ability to fight, acquiring tactical skills, and professional knowledge.

Boxing and fighting Muhammad Ali put it first in life. Already in 1956, he won the first Golden Gloves tournament in his life. Studying at the same time at the most prestigious school for black children in Louisville did not bring pleasure, inclination, and the boy had no desire to gain knowledge. He was retained for a second year several times. I managed to finish school only thanks to the support of the director of the educational institution, who respected Mohammed’s desire to win and his confidence in early success in the adult ring.

In the late fifties and early sixties of the last century, during numerous hard training and participation in competitions, the boxer began to create his own individual style of fighting. He seemed to be dancing around his opponent in the ring, standing on his toes and lowering his relaxed arms. His counterpart was provoked by Mohammed's apparent indifference and tried to strike first, which Ali skillfully dodged and quickly counterattacked.

Young Muhammad Ali's Beginning of Life in the Ring

Many experts and fans did not accept the new style, but changed their attitude towards Mohammed after his landslide victory at the Olympics in Rome in 1960.

How Muhammad Ali entered professional sports

Biography of Muhammad Ali in boxing opens a new main page in October 1960, after his first professional fight with Tanny Hunsecker.

Mohammed's problem was his intractable nature and impudent disposition, because of which many famous coaches refused to cooperate with him.

Over the next few years, the talented athlete won many victories, many of the fights ended in knockouts of opponents who were considered very strong boxers.

Watch Muhammad Ali boxing it became interesting, exciting, spectators bought up entrance tickets for a lot of money, “stuck” to the TV screens during the broadcast of fights with his participation.

In 1967, the athlete had to interrupt his victorious march to the boxing Olympus. He refused to serve in the army and was found guilty. The court revoked Mohammed's license to participate in competitions.

During these years, Ali's oratorical abilities were revealed, and vigorous social activity began. He became the idol of many young people, despite the negative attitude towards the Vietnam War.

In 1970, after filing an appeal and its positive consideration, Mohammed was able to fight his first fight in three years against Jerry Quarry. And in 1971, Mohammed was acquitted by the court and was able to begin professional training.

Until 1980, he performed excellently in the ring with various opponents. Three championship fights were held with Frazier, which allowed Ali to earn a lot of money and become one of the most revered boxers in the world.

Muhammad Ali boxing video continues to attract the attention of fans of this sport and specialists; young boxers are educated using these examples.

Ended sports career great master in the early 80s, when Parkinson's disease began to manifest itself.

Who will win Muhammad Ali or Tyson?

The question is who would win in a hypothetical fight between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Boxing Muhammad Ali – Tyson, unfortunately, was impossible in life, but thanks to modern television and video technologies, contemporaries can imagine how this duel between the two greatest Masters would have taken place.

Under the direction of director Reid Farrington, the hour-long show was created as a tribute to the memory and admiration of the great athletes. The actors demonstrate different stages of the characters' lives and perfectly convey the behavior and individual characteristics of the boxers. The culmination of the spectacle is the fight between Ali and Tyson, which takes place amid general excitement in California. There are no empty seats in the huge arena, the spectators frantically greet their idols, empathizing with every successful blow or missed hook.