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Remembering The Greatest

The iconic moment when Muhammad Ali gestures at Sonny Liston after knocking him out on May 25, 1965 (via yahoo.com)
The iconic moment when Muhammad Ali gestures at Sonny Liston after knocking him out on May 25, 1965 (via yahoo.com)
I woke up this morning to some news I wish I didn’t hear. Muhammad Ali has just died and the world is mourning his loss. He’s been an inspiration to not only athletes but black people alike. It’s a shame that people today don’t truly understand his contribution outside of  boxing. He was not only the world’s greatest boxer but a symbol for black power and pride.

Born Cassius Clay in 1942, Ali started boxing when he was 12 and won his first match in 1954. In 1960 he was apart of the U.S. Olympic boxing team where he won a gold. After that his career in boxing took off. He called himself the greatest and famously said he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” I probably don’t need to get into his famous sports career; everyone who knows boxing probably knows it. What I will talk about is his career in activism. Despite his growing boxing career, Ali was an outspoken opponent against racism and American imperialism.
In 1964 Ali joined converted to Islam and joined the Nation of Islam. He changed his name from Cassius Clay and later to the more famous Muhammad Ali. He sternly opposed the Vietnam War and even refused to to join the draft in 1967 on the grounds that his religious beliefs prevented him from fighting in the war. He was arrested but the U.S. Supreme Court appealed it in 1971. This is something that a major athlete had never done before, let alone a black one. He refused to be a part of a war he knew was wrong. His prideful demeanor and rebelliousness was something the black people of America needed. Part of this may have come from the influence from an unlikely friend; Malcolm X
A friendship of legends (via rarehistoricalphotos.com)
A friendship of legends (via rarehistoricalphotos.com)
What many people don’t know about is the friendship between Ali and Malcolm X. They met in 1962 and shortly after Ali joined the Nation of Islam, of which Malcom was a member. Ali was heavily criticized by civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and even baseball legend Jackie Robinson. The NOI was known for its segregationist ideals and its belief of black supremacy. Ali and Malcom grew disillusioned, however, when Malcom left the Nation in 1964 after taking a pilgrimage to Mecca and converting to Sunni Islam. Sadly a reconciliation of the two would never come to pass. On February 20, 1965, Malcom X was assassinated in New York City, leaving Ali with one of his biggest regrets, which was never patching things up. Ali followed suit and left the NOI  himself.
However Ali was fighting more than just opponents and racism. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a degenerative neurological disease that causes tremors and loss of speech, up until his death he had been fighting the disease for 32 years. The disease had silenced the speech of the outspoken legend of boxing. After his diagnosis, Ali had become one of the one of the biggest faces for the fight against Parkinson’s and even had a center, dedicated to fighting the disease, named in his honor.
Via nydailynews.com
Ali at the Parkinson center named in his honor (via nydailynews.com)
From a kid, growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, to a civil rights icon and a sports legend, Muhammad Ali left an indelible mark on the world. It saddens me that such an honorable man had to pass so unexpectedly. But he died doing the very thing that would cement his place in history; fighting. Rest in peace Muhammad Ali. You are and will forever be “The Greatest”.
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