Muhamad Ali essays

Muhamad Ali essays Boxing is often referred to as the "Manly Art of Self Defense." It is a respectable sport that is rough. Boxing takes place in a sixteen to twenty four foot square area that is known as a boxing ring. To be a great Boxer a person would consist of fast, having great strength, stamina and haveing a mind that is in full control. One boxer that I know of that has all of the traits I just listed is Muhammad Ali. Ali was raised in a small home in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali began taking boxing lessons when he was twelve years old.He spent his teen years at the gym, molding both his body and mind into true campion.As a high school student, he won the national Golden Gloves middleweight championship in 1959 and 1960 and the AAU national light heavyweight title in 1960, then went on to a gold medal in the Olympic light heavyweight division. He had his first professional fight on October 29, 1960. Ali was a underdog when he met Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship on February 25, 1964.. But he won the fight when Liston failed to come out for the 8th round. This win made Muhammad Ali the heavy weight champion of the world. Shortly after becoming champion, Ali announced that he had become a Black Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He defended the title eight times in the next twenty months. In the meantime, he had refused to join into the Army. As a result, his license was revoked by the New York State Boxing Commission, his title was stripped, and he was sentenced to five years in prison for draft evasion. I believe this was a big mistake. Muhammad Ali was not scared to join the army but it was against his beliefs. His refusal to be join into the military, created the largest controversy of his life. The U. S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction on June 29, 1971. Ali won the North American Boxing Federation's championship by knocking out Jimmy Ellis in the 12th round less than a month later. Bu ...