Boxing Champ & Role Model
b y T ho
by
h o ma
homa
mas S
mas
S.. O we
w e ns
wens
ns
LLML
by Thomas S. Owens
Content Consultant:
Erik Arnold, boxing historian
Published by ABDO Publishing Company, 8000 West 78th Street, Edina,
Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2011 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc.
International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
SportsZone™ is a trademark and logo of ABDO Publishing Company.
Printed in the United States of America,
North Mankato, Minnesota
112010
012011
Editor: Chrös McDougall
Copy Editor: Paula Lewis
Series Design: Christa Schneider
Cover Production: Emily Love and Christa Schneider
Interior Production: Sarah Carlson and Carol Castro
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Owens, Tom, 1960Muhammad Ali : boxing champ & role model / by Thomas S. Owens.
p. cm. — (Legendary athletes)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61714-752-4
1. Ali, Muhammad, 1942- 2. Boxers (Sports)—United States—Biography.
3. Role models. 4. Sports—Biography. I. Title.
GV1132.A4O84 2011
796.83092—dc22
[B]
2010046233
LV
W
Caterpillar Cassius,
Butterfly Ali
6
“The Greatest”
Growing Up
16
CHAPTER 3
Turning Pro
26
CHAPTER 4
Fighting for a Cause
34
CHAPTER 5
The US Army and Ali
44
CHAPTER 6
The Fight of the Century 52
CHAPTER 7
Rumble in the Jungle
58
CHAPTER 8
Thrilla in Manila
68
CHAPTER 9
A Different Kind of Fight 78
CHAPTER 10
Life after Boxing
86
Timeline
96
Essential Facts
100
Glossary
102
Additional Resources
104
Source Notes
106
Index
110
About the Author
112
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Before his 1962 fight with Archie Moore, Clay bragged that he
would knock Moore out in four rounds. He went on to do so.
MUHAMMAD ALI
%
W&9*75.11&7W&88.:8F
V:99*7+1>L1.
efore he was known as Muhammad Ali
or called himself “the Greatest,” Cassius
Clay might have been “The Loudest.” He
bragged, often in rhyme. He not only promised
great wins, he often predicted the round in which
he would win. His actions infuriated the boxing
establishment and the American public. No other
athletes at the time acted as he did. Further, few
believed he was good enough to back up his words.
Clay had begun his professional boxing career
in 1960 after competing in the Olympic Games.
Throughout the next four years, he beat—and
belittled—every opponent in his path. But none of
the wins convinced the public that he was a future
titleholder.
In June 1963, Clay went to London, England,
seeking his nineteenth consecutive win. A crowd
of 55,000 turned out to see him battle Henry
Cooper. His opponent was referred to in London
newspapers as “Our ’Enry,” a familiar form of his
name borrowed from the working-class cockney
7
8
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
dialect of London. 1 Clay decided to show England how
he wished to be known. He entered the ring dressed
in a red robe adorned with the words, “Cassius the
Greatest.”
Before the fight, Clay’s image appeared on the
cover of Sports Illustrated with the daring headline
“Cassius Invades Britain.”2 This was the first of 38
times that his image would be on the magazine’s cover.
The magazine summed up
Clay’s talkative scheme, “Cassius
A Helpful Left Hook
,Q D PDWFK DJDLQVW
6RQQ\ %DQNV &OD\ ZDV
NQRFNHG RII KLV IHHW E\ D
OHIWKRRNLQWKHILUVWURXQG
,Q WKDW PRPHQW ZLWK
&OD\·V UHDFWLRQ WUDLQHU
$QJHOR'XQGHHNQHZWKDW
WKH ER[HU ZRXOG VRPHGD\
EHFKDPSLRQ
´%DQNVKLW$OLZLWKWKH
ILQHVW OHIW KRRN ,·YH HYHU
VHHQ,WZRXOGKDYHIORRUHG
.LQJ .RQJ $OL·V H\HV
JOD]HG OLNH KH ZDV RXW RI
LWDQGKLVNHHVWHUKLWWKH
FDQYDV 7KHQ KH VSUDQJ
EDFN XS EULJKWH\HG DQG
EXVK\WDLOHG DQG VWRSSHG
WKH JX\ FROG +H ZRQ E\
D NQRFNRXW 7KDW·V ZKHQ
, NQHZ IRU VXUH , UHDOO\
WKRXJKWIRUDVSOLWVHFRQG
WKDW %DQNV· SXQFK ZDV
JRRGE\H WR HYHU\WKLQJ
WKHQDQGWKHUHµ
in England applied the economic
theory he has found so workable
in the US: to sweeten the gate,
you must first sour the people.” 3
Clay returned to America with a
fifth-round knockout, just as he
predicted. His continued success
frustrated many boxing fans.
But after 19 wins—with 15
knockouts—Clay finally got the
title fight he had been seeking.
Sizing Up Sonny
Eight months after
beating Cooper, Clay faced
Charles “Sonny” Liston for
the heavyweight title. Liston’s
MUHAMMAD ALI
boxing education occurred behind bars. Armed robbery
and assaulting police officers headlined Liston’s 19
career arrests. He took up the sport of boxing at the
urging of two prison chaplains.
Clay bragged that Liston, the world heavyweight
champion, had met his match. But few others agreed;
Clay was seen as the underdog. Many questioned
whether fans would pay the sky-high ticket prices. On
February 25, 1964, even Clay’s wild promises did not
fill the Miami Beach Convention Center. Ultimately, the
arena attracted just 8,300 paying fans, despite having
capacity for 15,744.
The mental battle between the two boxers began
months before the first bell rang. In July 1963, Liston
3*(&7>PV*&7O
When Clay compared Sonny
Liston to a bear, he was not
thinking of a teddy bear. Liston
was born in Arkansas, the twentyfourth of twenty-five children (and
the tenth Liston’s father had with
Liston’s mother). The poor family
did not even keep track of his birth
date. Reporters guessed he was
born between 1927 and 1932.
Liston never attended school
and never learned to read or write.
Instead, his father sent him to
work in farm fields at age eight
and gave him frequent beatings.
Liston ran away to St. Louis,
Missouri, to live with his mother.
She had left the farm to work in a
factory. In St. Louis, Liston joined
a street gang and became involved
in crime. He was sentenced to five
years in prison for robbery when
he was approximately 20 years old.
When he became a
professional boxer in 1953, men
who had ties to organized crime
bought his contract.
9
10
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
defended his title against
Floyd Patterson in Las Vegas.
After Liston’s win, Clay ran to
announcer Howard Cosell in the
ring and seized the microphone:
“The fight was a disgrace! Liston
is a tramp! I’m the champ. I
How Clay Could Pay
%R[LQJ UHSRUWHUV QRWHG
WKDW 6RQQ\ /LVWRQ DV
FKDPSLRQZDVIDYRUHGWR
ZLQWKHILJKWDJDLQVW&OD\
2GGVPDNHUV IDYRUHG /LV
WRQ ² 3HRSOH ZKR EHW
RQWKHOHVVHUIDYRUHG&OD\
WRZLQZRXOGUHFHLYHHLJKW
GROODUV DQG WKHLU RZQ
GROODU EDFN IRU HDFK EHW
RI RQH GROODU :KHQ RGGV
DUH OLVWHG DW ² RU HYHQ
PRQH\LWPHDQVWKDWWKH
SHRSOH DFFHSWLQJ WKH EHWV
IHHO WKDW SUHGLFWLQJ D
ZLQQHUEHWZHHQWZRZHOO
PDWFKHG ER[HUV LV QHDUO\
LPSRVVLEOH
want that big ugly bear!”5
Dancing with Bears
Clay found a strategy.
He could not compete with
Liston’s size or his menacing
background. Instead, Clay led
up to the fight by haunting the
champion with his outlandish
personality, hurling insults,
jokes, and more.
The morning of the fight,
both heavyweights were
required to attend a weigh-in.
Clay appeared wearing a
denim jacket with the words:
bear huntin’. Clay turned the
weigh-in into a circus sideshow
to scare Liston into thinking he
would be fighting a crazy man.
MUHAMMAD ALI
Sonny Liston ducked low to escape a punch from Clay during the
fifth round of their February 25 fight in 1964.
“Round eight to prove I’m great!” shouted Clay,
predicting his victory round. “Bring that big, ugly
bear on!” 6 Clay’s babbling threats stunned the boxing
commission doctor. Clay’s pulse soared to 120 beats
per minute—up from 54. Unless he calmed down, he
11
12
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
would not be allowed in the
ring. Following Clay’s frenzy, the
doctor questioned his fitness to
fight for the championship.
During workouts, even the
night of the fight, Clay and
cornerman Drew “Bundini”
The Cornerman
7KH FRUQHUPDQ LV VLPL
ODU WR D FRDFK :DLWLQJ
RXWVLGH WKH ULQJ URSHV
RQ WKH PDW DSURQ LQ WKH
FRUQHU VRPHRQH OLNH
'UHZ %URZQ PLJKW JLYH
DGYLFH %HWZHHQ URXQGV
D FRUQHUPDQ ZLOO WUHDW D
ILJKWHU·VFXWVDQGEUXLVHV
+H PLJKW RIIHU D GULQN
RU GU\ D ILJKWHU·V VZHDW\
IDFH ´7KURZLQJ LQ WKH
WRZHOµLVDER[LQJSKUDVH
:KHQ D ILJKWHU FDQQRW
FRQWLQXH WKH FRUQHUPDQ
ZLOOZDYHRUWKURZDWRZHO
WR JHW WKH UHIHUHH WR VWRS
WKH ILJKW ZKHQ WKDW VLGH
KDVJLYHQXS
Brown stood toe to toe,
shouting their motto: “Float like
a butterfly, sting like a bee.” 7
The catchy slogan proved to be a
winning game plan.
The Clay–Liston bout
did not last long. Liston was
nine years older than Clay,
and it was clear that he had
underestimated his opponent.
Showing the effects of halfhearted training, Liston was
wearing himself out trying to
catch the fleet-footed Clay.
However, the momentum
quickly turned after the fourth
round; suddenly it was Clay who
looked doomed.
After the bell, Clay returned
to his corner. “I can’t see!” Clay
MUHAMMAD ALI
pleaded.8 He asked to have his gloves cut off. How could
he fight someone he could not see?
Trainer Angelo Dundee looked at his fighter’s
agonized squinting. Dundee sponged water in Clay’s
eyes. He touched the sponge to his own eyes—and
shared the burn Clay felt. Some substance from Liston’s
face or gloves was torturing Clay. Was it a muscle
liniment, ointment for Liston’s cut face, or even a
purposeful powder used to blind a surprising foe?
Regardless of the problem, the trainer knew one
solution. Dundee ordered Clay to go out there and run.
He pushed the blinking boxer back into the ring.
For one round, Clay danced, backpedaled, and
avoided a boxer he could barely see. Sweat and tears
cleansed his eyes by the end of the round. In a deciding
sixth round, Clay skipped his fancy footwork, moved
toward Liston, and delivered a flat-footed barrage of
left hooks and right uppercuts until the bell sounded,
ending the round.
Liston remained seated as the bell rang for the
start of the seventh round. He later claimed that his
shoulder was injured. “My shoulder feel like it’s broke,”
Liston said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with it.” 9 A
doctor confirmed Liston’s torn tendon. However, some
reporters questioned if Liston could have continued.
Wounded pride was another explanation for Liston’s
surrender.
13
14
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
At the ring’s other corner, Clay shouted to the
crowd, “I am the king! King of the world!”10 To the
reporters who once felt Clay had no chance, he yelled,
“Eat your words!”11 Clay had become the heavyweight
champion.
Changing Names
One day later, on February 26, the victor
announced to the world that Cassius Clay was no
more. He said Clay was the name slave owners gave
his ancestors to show whose property they were. The
champion said he wanted to be called Cassius X. He
also confirmed that he was a member of the Nation
of Islam, a religion few Americans knew much about.
Before his next fight, the religion’s leader gave the
new champ a new name: Muhammad Ali, meaning
“Praiseworthy One.”
Ali would soon give America, and the world,
more than a boxer. He would create one of the most
controversial, unforgettable personalities in sports
history.
After his win against Sonny Liston was announced, Clay had to be
held back as he reacted in excitement.
At age 12 and at only 89 pounds (40.4 kg), Cassius made his
amateur boxing debut in Louisville, Kentucky.
MUHAMMAD ALI
%
P-*7*&9*89O
74<.3,5
orn January 17, 1942, in Louisville,
Kentucky, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.
spent lots of time with his brother
Rudy, who was two years younger. Rudy loved to
tell people how his big brother honed his speed.
Cassius would ask Rudy to throw rocks at him.
Rudy claimed that he never hit his brother once,
because Cassius dodged every one. When he was
not playing with Rudy, Cassius kept neighborhood
boys spellbound as a talkative, imaginative leader.
His mother, Odessa, worked as a cook and
housekeeper for many different families. His
father, Cassius, painted signs and murals around
Louisville. Many churches hired the senior Clay
to paint religious murals, paying in cash or fried
chicken dinners.
Odessa recalled her firstborn son spending
time on tiptoe. One cynical relative joked that
Cassius was simply imitating his mother’s
movement in high-heeled shoes. But Odessa
credited his later speed and grace in the ring with
17
18
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
the way he learned to move in his early days. However,
it was not until age 12 that the boy who would become
Muhammad Ali accidentally stumbled upon boxing.
From Biking to Boxing
In 1954, Cassius and a friend rode their bicycles
to the Louisville Home Show. Along with merchant
displays, the show offered attendees free popcorn
and candy. When it was time to leave the auditorium,
Cassius discovered that his new red bike was stolen.
Policeman Joe Martin came across the crying boy
who wanted his bike back. Seeking action, he vowed
to “whup” the thief. 1 The officer, a smiling white
man with silver hair, asked Cassius if he knew how
to fight. After all, he should know what to do if he
planned to whup someone. Martin spent his spare
time teaching boys how to box for the city’s recreation
department. He showed Cassius
Champion of
Nicknames
$V D FKLOG &DVVLXV·V SDU
HQWVFDOOHGKLP**+LV
PRWKHU VDLG WKRVH ZHUH
WKH ILUVW ZRUGV &DVVLXV
HYHU VSRNH /DWHU ZKHQ
&DVVLXV EHFDPH DQ DPD
WHXU ER[LQJ FKDPSLRQ LQ
*ROGHQ *ORYHV FRPSHWL
WLRQV KLV IDWKHU MRNHG
WKDW KLV VRQ·V ILUVW ZRUGV
ZHUHDSUHGLFWLRQ
the auditorium’s basement
gymnasium where they trained.
Martin created instant
sports celebrities. He produced a
local TV show called Tomorrow’s
Champions. Clay showed the
trainer endless determination
even after suffering a bloody
nose and mouth during his
MUHAMMAD ALI
19
first day sparring in the gym. After just six weeks of
training, Cassius boxed his first match. He fought
three rounds, one-minute each, with fellow 89-pounder
(40.4 kg) Ronnie O’Keefe. Cassius won a split decision,
meaning that he landed a few more punches than his
foe. There was no knockout, and it was not a pretty
win. But it was his first win.
Whistling in the Dark
After that win, Cassius began shouting from
the ring about his greatness. Martin did not believe
Cassius’s rants. He felt that the bragging was a way the
young boxer tried to overcome his fears. But Cassius
never stopped doing it.
.,-9.3,947&):&9*
One of Cassius’s earliest
wins was earning a high school
diploma. After his sophomore
year at Louisville’s Central High
School, he left school due to
poor grades. When he returned,
Cassius still was not an honor
roll student. He ranked low in his
senior class, 376th out of 391. Due
to traveling the country in boxing
tournaments, his attendance was
spotty.
Some teachers wanted to keep
Cassius from graduating. However,
Principal Atwood Wilson made a
speech to the faculty, begging that
Cassius get a second chance. After
that, an English teacher allowed
the future heavyweight champion
to give an oral report on the cities
he had boxed in as an amateur,
giving him just enough credit to
pass. Fellow students remember
Cassius at the 1960 graduation
ceremony. While other boys wore
shirts and ties under their robes,
Cassius wore a T-shirt and his
steel-toed work boots.
20
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
Cassius’s endless appetite for boxing led him to
Fred Stoner, who coached young boxing students in a
gym in a church basement. But Cassius’s unwillingness
to take suggestions resulted in Stoner banishing
him from the group. Clay charmed his way back into
Stoner’s graces and even worked out an evening option
for more training.
This was Cassius’s one hobby, his one passion.
As his boxing ability grew, his school football coach
showed interest in the athletic student. The invitation
received a polite turndown. Cassius explained to more
than one classmate, in all sincerity, that someone could
get hurt playing football.
At home, Cassius’s life was less predictable. His
father had more than one encounter with the police.
Most were from drinking-related offenses. Cassius’s
boxing gave him a refuge from an emotionally explosive
parent.
Cassius also grew up during a time in which African
Americans, like himself, were discriminated against in
the United States. Louisville and other US cities were
segregated. That meant many public facilities were
designated whites-only or blacks-only. The whites-only
facilities were usually of higher quality. Segregation
deeply affected Cassius as he was growing up, and those
feelings helped shape his extreme worldviews that
garnered so much attention during the 1960s and 1970s.
MUHAMMAD ALI
Cassius met his future trainer, Angelo Dundee, in 1957.
Room Service
Cassius’s boxing future was shaped by a daring act.
In 1957, he learned that accomplished trainer Angelo
Dundee was in town with future light heavyweight
champion Willie Pastrano. Using the phone in the hotel
lobby, Cassius was connected to Dundee’s room.
Cassius introduced himself as Louisville’s Golden
Gloves champion. Golden Gloves is an organization
that puts on amateur boxing tournaments across the
21
22
L E G E N D A R Y AT H L E T E S
nation. He went on to share outlandish promises of all
the boxing titles he would win in the future. Finally, he
asked the big question: Could he and his brother come
upstairs and say hello?
Pastrano and Dundee agreed to see the kids.
Cassius and Rudy stayed more than three hours,
quizzing Dundee on diet, sleep, and other training
techniques for professional boxers.
In 1959, Dundee and his fighter returned to
Louisville for a match. Cassius, then age 17, found the
trainer and Pastrano at a local gym. He begged to spar
with the pro. Dundee feared
A Boxer, Not a Bully
&DVVLXV QHYHU VHHPHG WR
XVH KLV SXQFKLQJ SRZHU
WR EXOO\ KLV SHHUV ZKLOH
JURZLQJ XS +LJK VFKRRO
FODVVPDWH ,QGUD %URZQ
UHPHPEHUHG KHU IULHQG
ILJKWLQJ RQO\ RQFH ZKHQ
WZRER\VWDXQWHG&DVVLXV
DFURVVWKHVWUHHWIURPWKH
VFKRRO DW D GHOLFDWHVVHQ
+H DVNHG WKHP WR OHDYH
KLPDORQHWKH\FRQWLQXHG
WRKDUDVVKLP
´&DVVLXV ILQDOO\ ZHQW
DIWHURQHRIWKHPµ%URZQ
VDLG ´+H IORRUHG KLP $
ULJKW KDQG 7R WKH MDZ
&DVVLXV DOPRVW FULHG ,
FRXOGWHOOE\KLVYRLFH%XW
WKDW ZDV WKH HQG RI WKDW
7KH\ QHYHU ERWKHUHG KLP
DJDLQµ
the teen could get hurt. But he
remembered Clay’s enthusiasm
and dedication to the sport.
After days of being asked,
Dundee relented.
The result stunned the
trainer and the pro. Cassius
dominated Pastrano for two
rounds. Dundee stopped the
sparring, thinking that his
fighter was stale. Pastrano
confessed that he could not do
anything against this young
unknown.
MUHAMMAD ALI
23
Flying Colors
Cassius was soon challenging boxers throughout
the United States. In a six-year career leading up to
the 1960 Olympic Games, he registered 100 wins
with only eight defeats. Two national Golden Gloves
championships and two Amateur Athletic Union
national titles highlighted his success.
Cassius was seeing cities he had never imagined
possible. However, he encountered the same prejudiced
attitudes while on the road boxing. Martin’s wife
drove Cassius and other amateurs to tournaments
in the family station wagon. If they were not in a
ring, they were in the car. The white driver was the
only one who could go into
segregated restaurants, bringing
sandwiches to the car for the
athletes to eat on the road.
As an Olympian, Cassius
faced another battle with travel.
He had never flown before.
Going by overland train to
US amateur tournaments was
different than going over the
ocean to Rome, Italy, for the
Olympics.
Trainer Martin fought hard
to convince Cassius to fly.
Fighting Brothers
&DVVLXV ZDV FODVVLILHG DV
DOLJKWKHDY\ZHLJKWZKHQ
KH ZRQ KLV 2O\P
SLF JROG PHGDO ,Q WKDW
GLYLVLRQ KH ZHLJKHG SRXQGV NJ +H
ZDQWHG KLV EURWKHU 5XG\
WR TXDOLI\ IRU WKH 2O\P
SLFV LQ WKH KHDY\ZHLJKW
GLYLVLRQ 7KDW QHYHU KDS
SHQHG &DVVLXV·V \RXQJHU
EURWKHU WKHQ NQRZQ DV
5DKDPDQ $OL WXUQHG SUR
LQ +LV UHFRUG ZDV
²² ZLWK VL[ NQRFN
RXWV +H UHWLUHG LQ DIWHUFRQVHFXWLYHORVVHV