Mohammad Ali

We cannot speak about boxing and fail to talk about one of the most decorated boxer of this century. This is none other than Mohammed Ali. Born as Cassius Marcellus Jr. in 1942, Mohammed Ali is an American who previously was a professional boxer. He is generally termed as among the biggest heavy weight champions in the history of sports. His start in the career was however mired with a lot of controversy. He was such a polarizing figure during his first moments in his career. However, his success overrode these characteristics that would have otherwise tainted his personality forever. Today, Mohammed Ali is a renowned figure and highly regarded for the skills he showed inside the ring and again for the values he exemplified when outside the ring. He promoted religious freedom, the victory of principle over expedience and racial justice.

Ali is listed among the most recognized figures in the world of sports for the past 100 years having been given the sportsman of the century award by the sports illustrated and the sports personality of the century awarded by the BBC. He started training when he was barely 12 years old and ten years later, he won the world heavyweight championship that was held in 1964. Immediately after that, Ali joined the Islam nation, a move that saw him change his name and later converted to Islam eleven years afterwards in 1975. In 1967, Ali turned down an offer to be conscripted into the United States military due to his religious beliefs and his opposition to the involvement of America in the Vietnam War. America stopped to recognize him as a reliable objector due to Ali’s declaration to fight in a war if advised by Allah or by his prophet Elijah Muhammad.

He would later find himself on the wrong side of the law where he was arrested and found guilty on charges of draft evasion and his boxing title taken away. For about four years, he did not fight that saw him lose a high time of peak performance as would be the case of any career of an athlete. These are some of the important history connected to Mohammed Ali. He has been a figure to reckon for his contribution into the sporting world and his successes. He has been renowned for his charity works and saving of humanity across the world. His philanthropy has been his obsession for some time now.