Muhammad Ali Achievements
“I was 12 years old when I got into boxing through weird twist of fate. I grew up in a rough part of Louisville and my bike was stolen. I told my story to Joe Martin, a local police officer and boxing trainer. Martin told me I better learn to fight if I wanted to beat up whoever stole my bike. From that point on, I fought for the rest of my life.” Muhammad Ali who was born, Cassius Clay Jr. in the extremely segregated city of Louisville, Kentucky. He became a world-renowned athlete winning the light-heavy weight Olympic medal at age eighteen and becoming the youngest ever Heavyweight Champion of the world ever. Ali’s achievements in the ring were unrivaled as a champion but they did not match the historic actions he led outside of it. When Ali lost his
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He grew up in the midst of segregation in the racist city of Louisville, Kentucky. His father painted billboards and posters while his mother was a domestic helper. He grew up poor and at the town the best job an African American could earn in his city was a high school. Ali was extremely affected by the racism in his town vividly remembering when restaurant would not give him a drink due to his skin color. At the age of twelve and made his amateur boxing debut in 1954. Winning by split decision, Ali was champion as an amateur and he continued to dominate and get his name out to the public as he won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. Ali claims to have thrown that medal into the Ohio River after being denied service at an all white restaurant. Ali’s childhood moved him to get his word out there and find a new spiritual faith. In 1964 Muhammad Ali publically acknowledged that he was apart of the Islam religious movement and his name would no longer be Cassius Clay, but Now Muhammad Ali. His change in religion led him on a new path and affected the decision he made on the Vietnam War and feelings about racial inequality and prejudices against his
He grew up in the midst of segregation in the racist city of Louisville, Kentucky. His father painted billboards and posters while his mother was a domestic helper. He grew up poor and at the town the best job an African American could earn in his city was a high school. Ali was extremely affected by the racism in his town vividly remembering when restaurant would not give him a drink due to his skin color. At the age of twelve and made his amateur boxing debut in 1954. Winning by split decision, Ali was champion as an amateur and he continued to dominate and get his name out to the public as he won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. Ali claims to have thrown that medal into the Ohio River after being denied service at an all white restaurant. Ali’s childhood moved him to get his word out there and find a new spiritual faith. In 1964 Muhammad Ali publically acknowledged that he was apart of the Islam religious movement and his name would no longer be Cassius Clay, but Now Muhammad Ali. His change in religion led him on a new path and affected the decision he made on the Vietnam War and feelings about racial inequality and prejudices against his