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Born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17th, 1942, Muhammad Ali, was given the birth name Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., named after his father. Cassius would grow up at a time of segregation, being in Southern U.S., and had fairly quiet childhood. At the age of 12, Clay would pick up boxing, being taught by a Louisville policeman, Joe Martin. His early boxing career was successful, as before even going professional, he had won a gold medal in the 175-pound division, at the 1960 Olympic Games. Following this with his professional career, Clay became a highly regarded boxer, known for his charm and personality, as well as his spectacular boxing skills. While many hated his arrogance, they couldn’t help but be impressed, because he always backed his words while in the ring. In 1964, after his famous bout with Sonny Liston which he won, he shocked the boxing world once again by announcing that he was joining the movement called Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam, was an African American movement which promoted the religion of Islam, combined with Black nationalist ideologies. Clay would also change his name to his Islamic name, Muhammad Ali. After many more victories in his famous boxing career, Ali slowly shifted his focus to activism, and wanted to take a leading role in the civil rights movement. After the 1960s, Muhammad Ali’s life was filled with controversy after controversy, but nonetheless, his entire career still stands as one of the greatest, among all athletes.

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Muhammad Ali’s influence on Black culture, and American society as a whole, is tremendous. Beginning with his boxing career, he won the hearts of thousands with his ability and uniqueness in the ring. He became inspirational role model for numerous aspiring boxers and became someone who many wanted to copy. His career was moving for many other boxing greats, such as Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr, and others, who have come out and often given Ali his flowers for inspiring them to box. His boxing wasn’t the only impactful part of him however, as his influence during the civil rights movement was substantial. Ali was known to be good with his words, and often used them to stand up to discrimination, and uplift the African American community.

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Muhammad Ali’s style and ability set him apart from everybody of his time. His boxing was unique, fast, and relentless, but gracious all at the same time. When all of that combined with his confidence and determination, Ali was practically unstoppable at his prime. At the end of his career, Ali finished his record with 56 wins, 5 losses, and 37 knockouts, establishing him as a boxing great, even by today’s standards.

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Economy, Peter. “11 Super Inspiring Muhammad Ali Quotes | Inc.Com.” Inc., 5 June 2016, www.inc.com/peter-economy/11-super-inspiring-muhammad-ali-quotes.html.

Hauser, Thomas. “Muhammad Ali.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 5 Mar. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-Ali-boxer.

Herriges, Jeremy. “3 Modern Day Boxers Who Were Influenced by Muhammad Ali.” FanSided, FanSided, 13 Sept. 2021, fansided.com/2021/09/13/3-boxers-influenced-muhammad-ali/.

Johnson, Peter. “Muhammad Ali Highlights - the Greatest.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Aug. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lvkeUjEMlA.

Melton, J. Gordon. “Nation of Islam.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Nation-of-Islam. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.