Muhammad Ali

According to Ali biographer Thomas Hauser, "at best, it was ill-conceived; at worst, a diplomatic disaster. Ali was unable to explain why the African countries should join the US boycott when it had failed to support the African boycott of the Olympics in protest at Apartheid in South Africa , and was unaware that the Soviet Union was sponsoring popular revolutionary movements in Africa. Ali did, however, convince the government of Kenya to boycott the Olympics.

On January 19, , in Los Angeles , Ali talked a suicidal man down from jumping off a ninth-floor ledge, an event that made national news. When asked to elaborate on his endorsement of Reagan, Ali told reporters, "He's keeping God in schools and that's enough. Around , the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.

Constitution selected Ali to personify the vitality of the U. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Ali rode on a float at the following year's Tournament of Roses Parade , launching the U. Constitution's th birthday commemoration. In , Ali traveled to Iraq prior to the Gulf War , and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali successfully secured the release of the hostages, in exchange for promising Hussein that he would bring America "an honest account" of Iraq. Despite rescuing hostages, he received criticism from President George H.

Bush , diplomat Joseph C. Wilson , and The New York Times. His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser, in In , Ali campaigned to the United States government to come to the aid of refugees afflicted by the Rwandan genocide , and to donate to organizations helping Rwandan refugees. It was watched by an estimated 3. Ali's bout with Parkinson's led to a gradual decline in his health, though he was still active into the early years of the millennium, promoting his own biopic, Ali , in That year he also contributed an on-camera segment to the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert.

In , Ali began working with actor Michael J Fox , who has Parkinson's disease , to raise awareness and fund research for a cure. They made a joint appearance before Congress to push the case in On November 17, , Ali went to Afghanistan as the " U. On July 27, , Ali was a titular bearer of the Olympic flag during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London.

He was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson's rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium. The press attributed his decline in wealth to several factors, including taxes accounting for at least half of his income, management taking a third of his income, [] his lifestyle, and spending on family, charity and religious causes.

In February , Ali's brother Rahman Ali said Muhammad could no longer speak and could be dead within days. On December 20, , Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of pneumonia. Ali was hospitalized in Scottsdale on June 2, , with a respiratory illness. Though his condition was initially described as "fair", it worsened, and he died the following day at age 74 from septic shock. BET played their documentary Muhammad Ali: ESPN played four hours of non-stop commercial-free coverage of Ali.

Ali was mourned globally, and a family spokesman said the family "certainly believes that Muhammad was a citizen of the world … and they know that the world grieves with him. But he only has one hometown. Ali's funeral had been preplanned by himself and others for several years prior to his actual death. On June 10, , the funeral procession went through the streets of Louisville and ended at Cave Hill Cemetery , where Ali was interred during a private ceremony. His grave is marked with a simple granite marker that bears only his name.

Center was held in the afternoon of June Ali had a highly unorthodox boxing style for a heavyweight, epitomized by his catchphrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His footwork was so strong that it was extremely difficult for opponents to cut down the ring and corner Ali against the ropes. He was also able to quickly dodge punches with his head movement and footwork.

One of Ali's greatest tricks was to make opponents overcommit by pulling straight backward from punches.

Draft evasion

Disciplined, world-class boxers chased Ali and threw themselves off balance attempting to hit him because he seemed to be an open target, only missing and leaving themselves exposed to Ali's counter punches, usually a chopping right. Charlie Powell , who fought Ali early in Ali's career and was knocked out in the third round, said: He throws punches so easily that you don't realize how much they hurt you until it's too late. Commenting on fighting the young Ali, George Chuvalo said: When he was young, he moved his legs and hands at the same time.

He threw his punches when he was in motion. He'd be out of punching range, and as he moved into range he'd already begun to throw the punch. So if you waited until he got into range to punch back, he beat you every time. Floyd Patterson said, "It's very hard to hit a moving target, and Ali moved all the time, with such grace, three minutes of every round for fifteen rounds. Darrell Foster, who trained Will Smith for the movie Ali , said: But there were at least six different ways Ali used to jab.

One was a jab that Ali called the 'snake lick', like cobra striking that comes from the floor almost, really low down. Then there was Ali's rapid-fire jab—three to five jabs in succession rapidly fired at his opponents' eyes to create a blur in [the latter's] face so he wouldn't be able to see [Ali's] right hand coming behind it.

Ferdie Pacheco, Ali's corner physician, noted that he had lost his ability to move and dance as before. This physical change led in part to the " rope-a-dope " strategy, where Ali would lie back on the ropes, cover up to protect himself and conserve energy, and tempt opponents to punch themselves out.

Ali often taunted opponents in the process and lashed back with sudden, unexpected combinations.

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The strategy was dramatically successful in the George Foreman fight, but less so in the first Joe Frazier bout when it was introduced. Of his later career, Arthur Mercante said: He was the best fighter I ever saw in terms of clinching. Not only did he use it to rest, but he was big and strong and knew how to lean on opponents and push and shove and pull to tire them out. Ali was so smart. Most guys are just in there fighting, but Ali had a sense of everything that was happening, almost as though he was sitting at ringside analyzing the fight while he fought it.

Ali regularly taunted and baited his opponents—including Liston, Frazier, and Foreman—before the fight and often during the bout itself. He said Frazier was "too dumb to be champion", that he would whip Liston "like his Daddy did", that Terrell was an " Uncle Tom " for refusing to call Ali by his name and continuing to call him Cassius Clay, and that Patterson was a "rabbit.

Ali typically portrayed himself as the "people's champion" and his opponent as a tool of the white establishment despite the fact that his entourage often had more white faces than his opponents' [ citation needed ]. During the early part of his career, he built a reputation for predicting rounds in which he would finish opponents, often vowing to crawl across the ring or to leave the country if he lost the bout.

So keep on bragging, keep on sassing and always be outrageous. In an interview published in , Joe Frazier recalled that he had first met Ali around At this time Ali was continuing his legal fight to get his boxing license back, and Frazier was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Frazier stated that he had campaigned vigorously for Ali to get his license; this included going to Washington and meeting the president to lobby on Ali's behalf. Frazier also lent Ali some money at this time. According to Dave Wolf, former sports editor of Life and a member of Frazier's entourage, Frazier was keen for Ali's return to boxing, because he believed that beating Ali would win him unambiguous acknowledgement as the "best.

Wolf states that Frazier had deep respect for Ali's religious beliefs, and even participated in Muslim services at Ali's suggestion. Until Ali got "nasty" before their first fight , Frazier endorsed Ali's refusal to be drafted; Wolf recalls: Ali and Frazier knew they would become wealthy if Ali returned to the ring. I just want it to go down in history that I didn't sell out or Uncle Tom when I got famous, and I don't think Joe Frazier's going to do that either.

Ali and Frazier fought three fights in the span of five years; the first and third of these are widely regarded to be among the greatest of all boxing bouts, and the Ali-Frazier rivalry has been hailed as one of the greatest any sport has seen. Of all the names joined forever in the annals of boxing—from Dempsey - Tunney to Louis - Schmeling , from Zale - Graziano to Leonard - Hearns —none are more fiercely bound by a hyphen than Ali-Frazier. Not Palmer - Nicklaus in golf nor Borg - McEnroe in tennis, as ardently competitive as these rivalries were, conjure up anything remotely close to the epic theater of Ali-Frazier.

According to Ali, Frazier's style of boxing made him a tougher opponent for him than Liston or Foreman because he was vulnerable to Frazier's in-close left hook. Had he fought with Frazier before his three-and-half year break from boxing, when he was younger, "I'd have danced for fifteen rounds, and Joe wouldn't have ever caught me. After Thrilla in Manila , Frazier called Ali "a great champion", [] and, referring to Ali, graciously stated that "[m]y man fought a good fight"; [] while Ali declared Frazier to be "the greatest fighter of all time next to me.

In the buildup to their bouts, Ali called Frazier "dumb" and an "Uncle Tom" before their first, "ignorant" before the second, and a "gorilla" before the third. On January 23, , five days before their second fight , Ali and Frazier had a public altercation captured on television. ABC Sports' Howard Cosell had arranged for the two to come to the studio to comment on their first fight. Things went smoothly until Frazier commented about Ali having to visit a hospital after the fight. Ali immediately responded by claiming he had gone to a hospital for ten minutes whereas Frazier had been hospitalized for three weeks after the fight, [b] and concluded by calling Frazier "ignorant.

According to veteran boxing commentator Ronnie Nathanielsz, during the buildup to Thrilla in Manilla, Ali once awakened Frazier in the middle of the night by constantly screaming. When Frazier appeared on the balcony of his hotel room, Ali pointed a toy gun at him and shouted: Immediately after Thrilla in Manilla, Ali summoned Frazier's son Marvis to his dressing room and apologized for the things he had said about Frazier.

However when Lewis conveyed this request to Frazier, he was told not to share the phone number with Ali. At a local gym, Frazier came across Ali before a crowd of spectators, and said: Look what's happened to him. All your talkin', man. I'm faster than you are now. Frazier immediately took off his coat, moved to the bag and threw a dozen rapid punches at it accompanied by loud grunts. Without removing his coat, Ali strolled towards the bag, held the ready stance, mimicked one of Frazier's grunts without throwing a punch, and then addressed Frazier with the words "Wanna see it again, Joe?

Later that day, Frazier started walking towards Ali after having had too much to drink. Ali biographer Thomas Hauser , who was present, recalled that for the next 10 minutes Larry Holmes positioned himself between Ali and Frazier, preventing Frazier from reaching Ali. George Foreman then took over and acted as Ali's shield for the next 10 minutes. Throughout this incident, Ali remained oblivious to what was going on.

In his autobiography Smokin' Joe: Truth is, I'd like to rumble with that sucker [Ali] again—beat him up piece by piece and mail him back to Jesus Now people ask me if I feel bad for him, now that things aren't going so well for him. Fact is, I don't give a damn. They want me to love him, but I'll open up the graveyard and bury his ass when the Lord chooses to take him.

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Commenting on Ali lighting the Olympic flame in , Frazier stated that it would have been good if Ali had fallen into the cauldron after lighting the flame, and that he would have pushed Ali in himself if he had the chance to do so. In a interview, Frazier expressed no regret for the words he had used for Ali at the Atlanta Olympics. We were human beings.

He called me a gorilla. I grew up so poor and so black in South Carolina, even the water we drank was colored. The only guy I 'tommed' for was him, giving in to him. God gave him so many gifts. He didn't have to do what he did. In a interview with The New York Times , Ali again apologized to Frazier for calling him names which, Ali claimed, was done to promote their fights. Frazier initially accepted the apology saying it was time to put this issue behind them.

Reacting to this, Ali stated: In his interview in Stephen Brunt 's book Facing Ali , Frazier, referring to how he had contributed to Ali's infirmity, claimed he was sure Ali thinks of him whenever he gets out of bed, and that whatever Ali was undergoing was the will of God. In a interview, Frazier stated he had forgiven Ali, but was unable to comment on whether Ali's present condition was due to divine punishment, as he had earlier stated, since "God works in a mysterious way.

In , on the eve of the 40th anniversary of his first fight with Ali, and the year of his death, Frazier reiterated that he had forgiven Ali. Jesse Jackson asked the mourners to stand and bring their hands together one last time for Frazier. Ali had a cameo role in the film version of Requiem for a Heavyweight , and during his exile from boxing, he starred in the short-lived Broadway musical, Buck White.

Ali appeared in the documentary film Black Rodeo riding both a horse and a bull. His autobiography The Greatest: My Own Story , written with Richard Durham, was published in Senate and battles other former slaves and white sharecroppers to keep the land they have tended all their lives. Ali often used rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry , both for when he was trash-talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism outside of boxing.

He played a role in the shaping of the black poetic tradition, paving the way for The Last Poets in , Gil Scott-Heron in , and the emergence of rap music in the s. In , Ali released an album of spoken word music on Columbia Records titled, I Am the Greatest , and in , he recorded a cover version of the rhythm and blues song " Stand by Me ". Ali was an influential figure in the world of hip hop music. As a "rhyming trickster", he was noted for his "funky delivery", "boasts", "comical trash-talk", and "endless quotables.

Muhammad Ali defeated every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. Ali was named "Fighter of the Year" by The Ring magazine more times than any other fighter, and was involved in more Ring "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He was one of only three boxers to be named " Sportsman of the Year " by Sports Illustrated.

This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen. Earlier that year, a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools Kentucky considered renaming Ali's alma mater, Central High School, in his honor, but the motion failed to pass. In time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.

In , the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete, out of over dead or living athletes, in America. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.

On June 5, , he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's th graduation ceremony. Construction of the mall, the first of its kind in the Philippines, began shortly after Ali's victory in a match with Joe Frazier in nearby Araneta Coliseum in The mall opened in with Ali attending its opening. The Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki fight played an important role in the history of mixed martial arts.

Pride was acquired by its rival, Ultimate Fighting Championship , in The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was introduced in and passed in , to protect the rights and welfare of boxers in the United States. The annual award was originally created in and honors former "sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world. Ali is regarded by boxing commentators and historians as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Ring Magazine , a prominent boxing magazine, named him number 1 in a ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras. As a world champion boxer, social activist, and pop culture icon, Ali was the subject of numerous creative works including books, films, music, video games, TV shows, and other. Muhammad Ali was often dubbed the world's "most famous" person in the media. Ali appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on 37 different occasions, second only to Michael Jordan. On the set of Freedom Road Ali met Canadian singer-songwriter Michel also known as Robert Williams, a co-founder of The Kindness Offensive [] , and subsequently helped create Michel's album entitled The First Flight of the Gizzelda Dragon and an unaired television special featuring them both.

Muhammad Ali , a DC Comics comic book pitting the champ against the superhero. The show's title itself was inspired by the quote "Different strokes for different folks" popularized in by Ali, who also inspired the title of the Syl Johnson song "Different Strokes", one of the most sampled songs in pop music history.

He also wrote several best-selling books about his career, including The Greatest: The Muhammad Ali Effect, named after Ali, is a term that came into use in psychology in the s, as he stated in his autobiography The Greatest: Prior to making the film, Smith rejected the role until Ali requested that he accept it. Smith said the first thing Ali told him was: In , Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the entertainment industry.

Muhammad Ali's fights were some of the world's most-watched television broadcasts , setting television viewership records. His most-watched fights drew an estimated 1—2 billion viewers worldwide between and , and were the world's most-watched live television broadcasts at the time.

The earliest form of pay-per-view boxing telecasts was closed-circuit television , also known as theatre television , where fights were telecast live to a select number of venues, mostly theaters, where viewers paid for tickets to watch the fight live. The use of closed-circuit for boxing telecasts peaked in popularity with Ali in the s and s.

Professional boxing was introduced to pay-per-view home cable television with several Muhammad Ali fights, especially the Thrilla in Manila fight between Ali and Joe Frazier in , which was transmitted through HBO. Foreman wasn't an infighter or a hooker. He was an uppercutter with a right hand and a jab , always looking you in the eye. Liston was scarier than Frazier, but I fought Liston when I was young. Joe stayed on me, always on my chest, and from out of nowhere he'd throw the hook.

If I was young, I'd have danced for fifteen rounds, and Joe wouldn't have ever caught me. But the first time we fought, I was three-and-half years out of shape. Ali asked for me to come to his dressing room before any of the press arrived. I went in there and Ali was real tired and he hugged me and apologized for what he'd said about my father before the fight. He said, 'Tell your father he's a great man'. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Louisville, Kentucky , U. Scottsdale, Arizona , U. Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. Fight of the Century. The Rumble in the Jungle.

Children of Muhammad Ali. Religious views of Muhammad Ali. My enemy is the white people, not Viet Cong or Chinese or Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. You won't even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs—and you want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won't even stand up for me here at home?

Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture. The greatest monument to the great one". Retrieved June 4, Retrieved June 5, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Retrieved July 12, Winning is the Only Thing: Sports in America Since Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Laila Ali - Wikipedia

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Also in , Ali appeared in a Kohl's commercial with a tag line, "I box to win; I shop to win. In March , Ali started appearing as a co-host on multiple episodes of the E! In May , Ali once again filled in for Rancic, who had other commitments and was unable attend the show. She swapped places with singer Angie Stone and tried to instill healthier habits on the family. In April , Ali participated in two episodes of Chopped: All Stars , making it to the final round, competing for a favorite charity.

In , she appeared in the film Falcon Rising. In , Ali wrote with co-author David Ritz the book Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power , [50] meant to motivate and inspire young people. In this book, she confides that she felt isolated at times because of her parents' fame. Ali has also spent some time in jail, and describes her arrests and the physical abuse she experienced in jail. Critics say that Ali's book has a good foundation but she does not give the readers advice; rather she just talks about her own experiences. She met McClain through her sister Hana at her father's 57th birthday party.

McClain became Ali's manager and helped guide her career. They have two children together: Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan credits Laila Ali with saving his life by telephoning him when he was depressed and suicidal.

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Although raised as a Muslim, Laila Ali does not follow the Islamic faith. Ali is the sister-in-law of professional mixed martial artist Kevin Casey , who is married to her sister Hana.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Laila Ali Laila Ali in Archived from the original on March 2, Retrieved February 17, Archived from the original on June 12, Retrieved November 22, Athlete, Boxer, Television Personality — ". Archived from the original on August 8, Retrieved August 16, Archived from the original on June 14, Retrieved March 27, Archived from the original on April 3, Archived from the original on April 2, Laila Ali; For her, nothing beats laying low".

Quite Frankly with Stephen A. They Will Knock You Down". Retrieved August 25, Archived from the original on August 16, Retrieved August 15, Archived from the original on August 25, Ali's chance to knock out the critics". Archived from the original on January 25, Archived from the original on March 4, Archived from the original on December 20, Archived from the original on December 19, Touched by an Angel Muhammad Ali. The Greatest TV Movie documentary performer: My Own Story" by.

The Movie Short special thanks. Chewed Up TV Special documentary thanks. Shameless TV Special documentary personal thanks: The Cinematic Saga of Superman Video documentary special thanks. The Millennium TV Special documentary. Still the Greatest A History of Sports Documentary Himself. Himself - Special Guest. Himself as Cassius Clay. Himself - Pro Boxer. Show all 26 episodes. Show all 23 episodes. Show all 17 episodes. TV Series Himself - Episode 1. TV Series Himself - Episode 2. Show all 6 episodes.

Himself as Muhammed Ali. Himself - Mystery Guest. Charles 'Sonny' Liston vs. Cassius Clay Himself as Cassisus Clay. Doug Jones Himself as Cassius Clay. Floyd Patterson Short Himself - Guest. Himself - Guest as Cassius Clay. The Ali Summit Documentary short.