Muhammad Ali example essay topic

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on January 17, 1942. One day, when he was 12, his bicycle got stolen. Frustrated, he said to the police officer, Joe Martin, who was also a boxing coach, that if he ever found the kid who stole his bike, he would shred him to pieces, Joe responded by saying that he should learn how to beat someone up. Joe invited Cassius to his gym. Instantly he wanted to be a boxer. His mom, Odessa, thought that boxing was a better pastime than hanging out with other kids.

He graduated out of high school with a D minus average. Before turning professional, he represented the U. S at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. He won the gold medal. He paired up with trainer Angelo Dundee, and turned professional. He won his first heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston.

Later, Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali, and switched his religion to Islam. He became a member of the Nation of Islam, a Muslim religious group. In August, 1964, Muhammad and Sonja Roy got married. At that time, the Vietnam War started. Ali held the draft status 1-A which meant that he was eligible to be drafted into the army.

Ali was denied exemption from the draft. He refused to join the armed forces in any way due to his religion. Ali was prosecuted for draft evasion and found guilty. He was stripped of his boxing championship. Ali did not have to go to jail, but his title, passport, and his license were taken away. Ali was soon given back all his rights and resumed his career against Jerry Quarry.

Ali won. Ali resumed his career and ended up with a record of 56 wins, 37 knockouts, and only 5 losses. Muhammad currently lives with his fourth wife, Lonnie, and their adopted son, Assad in Los Angeles. Altogether Muhammad had nine children. He has Parkinson's disease, a deterioration of the brain that is caused by blows to the head. It is common among fighters after they have fought for a while.

He is considered a national hero, and lit the torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta. Muhammad was the heavyweight champion of the world when President Lyndon Johnson started bombing North Vietnam, to back up their allies, the South Vietnamese. Ali was to be inducted to the army an April 28, 1967. When Ali's name was called out, he refused twice to be inducted into the Army. Ali, in a written statement, wrote that he was a Muslim minister, and, like all clergyman, that he should be able to not participate in the war. His request was refused.

Then, the Army offered to compromise, by saying that he could just entertain the troops, and not fight. Ali did not back down. Before Ali appeared in court for draft evasion, he was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. He was found guilty and was sentenced to five years in jail, plus a 10,000 dollar fine. His attorneys appealed the decision, so he did not have to go to jail. His license was revoked and so was his passport.

In June 1971, the Supreme Court reversed Ali's conviction, by an 8-0 unanimous vote. Muhammad Ali played a role in the civil rights movement, too. He was considered a marvel by many blacks, and whites felt threatened by his success. He followed Elijah Muhammad, despite the fact that Elijah preached that blacks were superior to the whites, who were the devil. Muhammad Ali embraced everyone and anyone. One of his many motto's were "hearts and souls have no color".

Despite having brought honor to his country by winning the gold medal and becoming the heavyweight champion, Muhammad was still denied many things that whites had. As Ali put it, "Here I am, the Heavyweight champion of the world. I have brought honor to my country, but I can't get a burger at a diner because I am black". Legend has it that once, when Muhammad was trying to order food at a diner, the waiter refused. Muhammad proudly said that he was the gold medal winner.

The waiter responded by saying that he didn't care who he was, but he was a black, and a black couldn't get served there. Full of anger and frustration, Muhammad took off his gold medal, and chucked it deep into the Ohio River. He said that he would take any punishment and give up millions of dollars, but he would not sell his people to the white men. Ali spent time in Africa, where he talked to black leaders.

He also went to meetings involving Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. He was publicly praised for his beliefs by both them, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), and other black athletes. Muhammad Ali promoted himself all over the world. He wrote poems and predicted which round his opponent would fall. In his first Heavyweight title match against Sonny Liston the doctor at the weigh-in said Ali was "mentally unfit" and "liable to crack up in the ring". Ali wanted Liston to think he was crazy.

"Who but a fool isn't sacred of a crazy man", he said. Muhammad used his fame to promote his religion. He was not afraid to stand up for his religion. He went to talk shows like the Today Show to talk about his career and about the Nation of Islam, claiming that followers of Islam are the "sweetest people in the world".

Ali fought all over the world, in place like Manila and Kinshasa, Zaire. When in foreign countries, his opponents remained reclusive. All their food and water were flown in from the U.S. A, and they traveled with police dogs. On the contrary, Ali was very outgoing, giving autographs and attending press conferences everywhere. He became an internationally famous figure, and served as an unofficial U. S ambassador.