Muhammad Ali: The Greatest Boxer of all Time
As a champion Ali now recognized his power in society, he used this power to support and speak for the Civil Rights. These actions were something the white society feared and disliked. Ali became a political symbol of the black society, maybe the person who influenced blacks the most after Martin Luther King and
Malcolm X. During the nextcoming three years, Ali defended his title nine times including the match where Ali outpointed Ernie Terrell and became the undisputed
Heavyweight Champion of the world. On April 28, 1967, one of the most controversial loss of the heavyweight title in boxing history, happened. Ali had been drafted by the army for induction into military service to fight in the
Vietnam war. He refused to step forward when called, on grounds of his religious beliefs. Ali was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title, and received a five year prison sentence, which he immediately appeals. Ali had no more fights for the rest of 1967, nor any fights in 1968 and 1969, as he lost his peak physical years as a boxer to fight against his conviction. Whether Ali did right or wrong, I do not know, but he took his punishment for something he believed in, but we must remember the facts of the case.
Ali claimed he could not fight in the Vietnam war on grounds of his religious beliefs. He had already taken his physical army test and did not qualify. His intelligence test had shown up in the 35th percentile, and to qualify you had to be in the 55th, or higher. Most of the persons who became drafted were of the ages among 18-22, Ali was 25. At this time a lot of black activists conveniently got their draft orders, and had to go to Vietnam.
Why should Ali fight for his country, when the country did not fight for him?
His actions made him even more popular within the black society, and when the supreme court set the stage for his boxing return, when they overturned his conviction, Ali was greeted as a champion. In 1970 Ali made his
Malcolm X. During the nextcoming three years, Ali defended his title nine times including the match where Ali outpointed Ernie Terrell and became the undisputed
Heavyweight Champion of the world. On April 28, 1967, one of the most controversial loss of the heavyweight title in boxing history, happened. Ali had been drafted by the army for induction into military service to fight in the
Vietnam war. He refused to step forward when called, on grounds of his religious beliefs. Ali was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title, and received a five year prison sentence, which he immediately appeals. Ali had no more fights for the rest of 1967, nor any fights in 1968 and 1969, as he lost his peak physical years as a boxer to fight against his conviction. Whether Ali did right or wrong, I do not know, but he took his punishment for something he believed in, but we must remember the facts of the case.
Ali claimed he could not fight in the Vietnam war on grounds of his religious beliefs. He had already taken his physical army test and did not qualify. His intelligence test had shown up in the 35th percentile, and to qualify you had to be in the 55th, or higher. Most of the persons who became drafted were of the ages among 18-22, Ali was 25. At this time a lot of black activists conveniently got their draft orders, and had to go to Vietnam.
Why should Ali fight for his country, when the country did not fight for him?
His actions made him even more popular within the black society, and when the supreme court set the stage for his boxing return, when they overturned his conviction, Ali was greeted as a champion. In 1970 Ali made his