Muhammad Ali: The Olympic Story

Before embarking on a career unrivalled in the sport of boxing, Muhammad Ali achieved greatness by becoming an Olympic champion. This connection to the historic level of competition found in the Olympics, has continued throughout his life, acting as an inspirational story for athletes of all generations, of all nationalities, and of all sports.

In 1960 the Olympics was to be held in Rome, Italy. At that time Muhammad Ali was known by his original name of Cassius Clay. At just 18 years old, Ali had just become a high school graduate and yet was already renowned for honed athletic skills, and his engaging, charismatic personality. Despite this, the world was yet to be introduced to the greatest boxer who ever lived – the 1960 Olympics served as that introduction.

Ali was a relative unknown at that time in world boxing, even though he had 100 recorded victories as an amateur boxer, as well as being the heavyweight National Amateur Athletic Union champion for two years running from 1950 to 1960, not to mention securing two Golden Gloves in those years. Without much fanfare, it was therefore left to Ali to provide his own promotion and do what he became famous for - talking and boxing to equally eloquent levels.

He initially fought several rounds, starting with Yvon Becaus from Belgium, with the referee having to stop the fight in the second round. After this he went up against the intimidating Russian, Gennadiy Shatkov, a dedicated boxer who won the gold in 1956 for the middleweight category. Needless to say, many may have thought that Muhammad Ali would not have won this fight, but he did, and progressed to the semi-finals where he fought Tony Madigan from Australia. After being awarded another unanimous decision, he finally had to fight Zbigniew Pietrsykowski from Poland. The fight went the distance, with Muhammad Ali coming out on top and almost knocking Pietrsykowski clean out just before the final bell. Thus, Muhammad Ali won the gold medal for the light heavyweight category and began the greatest boxing career the world has ever seen.

Muhammad Ali's contributions to the Olympics continued for decades afterwards. Wanting to acknowledge his place as an Olympic icon, he was given the honour of being the final torch carrier at the Olympics in Atlanta, USA, in 1996. While he has had to struggle against the onset of Parkinson's Disease, Ali continues to be an inspiration to all aspiring Olympic athletes around the world, not to mention African businesspeople and leaders such as Tunde Folawiyo (for more information visit the Tunde Folawiyo Facebook page).

Fighting and Philanthropy: Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, the world-famous American boxer, is in the news this week after a pair of gloves he wore in the legendary 1971 row with Joe Frazier sold at auction for over £230,000. The rivalry between the two great boxers became legendary. Frazier won the 1971 battle and became the heavy-weight world champion, but the title was ultimately taken from him by Ali in a harrowing rematch in 1974. The auction took place in Cleveland, Ohio, where the same auction house once sold another set of Ali gloves for nearly £500,000.

Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942, Ali enjoyed a supportive, middle-class upbringing. He took up boxing at the age of twelve. By 1960, he had several state and national titles, and won the gold medal in the Light Heavyweight category at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Ali, still under the name Cassius Clay, fought Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Championship. It was in a pre-game interview for this fight that Ali said his now-famous line, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” After a surprising six rounds, Ali was declared the winner by technical knock-out, becoming, at the age of 22, the youngest boxer at the time to take the championship title away from another boxer. 

Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam. He lost his title in 1967 for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, and in the years after, he travelled around the country, speaking out against the conflict. The 1971 fight against Frazier was Ali’s first chance to win back his title, which he ultimately did not do until 1974. Ali’s career continued until he retired for health-related reasons. His last fight was in 1981. Ali is considered by some to be one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Ali remained socially and politically active, as well. In 1991, he worked with the governments of the US and Iraq to negotiate hostage releases during the Gulf War, and in the early 2000s he worked with the United Nations to promote peace in Afghanistan, continuing in his early beliefs that war is essentially wrong. A cultural centre and non-profit bearing his name was recently opened in his home town. The Muhammad Ali Centre serves as a tribute to the boxer, but also works to promote his peaceful, unifying values. Many see Ali as a personal influence on their own life and work, including Tunde Folawiyo, a Nigerian businessman with interests ranging from philanthropy to African art. More information can be found on the Tunde Folawiyo African art blog.

The fight that made Muhammed Ali

Muhammed Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr on 17th January 1942, was arguably America's, if not the world's, finest boxer, and a favourite amongst aficionados such as Tunde Folawiyo. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised by a supportive African-American middle-class family, unlike many of his fellow boxers of the time.

Clay's father painted billboards and signs. His mother, Odessa, was a household domestic. He and his brother, Rudolph, were brought up as Baptists. Clay was a descendent of slavery from the American South, predominantly of African-American descent, with English, Irish and Italian ancestors.

First directed towards boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach, Joe E. Martin, Clay was trained by boxing cutman, Chuck Bodak. Cassius Clay proved a formidable opponent, soon racking up the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. By this point in time, he had a stellar amateur record of just five losses to 100 wins.

In 1964, Clay's match with Sonny Liston proved to be the fight of his life, and one of the most anticipated, watched, and controversial fights in boxing history. Liston was the World Heavyweight Champion, and an intimidating opponent. 22 year old Clay had virtually sealed the deal by the third round. Cut under the left eye (the first cut of his boxing career), Liston's legs were buckling: he was already on the ropes. The fight continued for five more unbearable rounds. Clay was pronounced heavyweight champion.

Shortly afterwards, Clay renounced both his faith and his birth name, announcing himself as a member of the Nation of Islam. By 6th March, he had taken the name of Muhammed ("worthy of praises") Ali ("most high").

Many of the press refused to refer to Muhammed Ali by his new name. In 1966, Ali refused to serve in the Vietnam war as a conscientious objector. In 1967, he was found guilty of refusal of induction into the armed forces. He was stripped of his belt, and banned from fighting for 3 1/2 years. His most impressive fight was in 1971, against George Foreman. The fight was dubbed as "The Rumble In The Jungle". Ali won.

Ali announced his retirement in 1979, but stepped back into the ring twice more - he officially retired in 1981. In 1984, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Despite his illness, he carried the Olympic torch in 1996 in Atlanta.
To boxing enthusiasts like Tunde Folawiyo, Muhammed Ali remains one of the greatest boxing legends of all time. For readers who wish to find additional information on Tunde Folawiyo please visit his online profile.