Cassius Clark, the first child of Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville Kentucky in 1942. Cassius was a boxer who started at age 12 and won a bronze medal in the Olympics. Clay was denied employment at a Louisville-area restaurant. Louisville was also segregated. Clay protested the treatment of blacks in the south by throwing a chis medal in a River. Ali was a professional heavyweight fighter. Sonny Liston defeated Ali on 25 February 1967 to make him the heavyweight champion. Ali became a Muslim two years later. He changed his surname to Cassius X, later changing his name to Muhammad Ali. Ali defended his world-heavyweight title several times. Ali was called up to fight in Vietnam, but he refused. Ali also stated that he was an objector to conscientious killing. Ali refused to fight in Vietnam and was sentenced to US jail. He also lost his heavyweight title, his boxing license, as well as his passport. To send a message, the authorities confiscated Ali’s passport and took his heavyweight title.
Ali was released on bail and continued to fight his case at the court. Soon, Americans started to support the war and their public opinion began shifting. Many Americans opposed war because of moral reasons, appalled at the destruction and violence. Some claimed that the war was against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention into a foreign civil conflict. Others opposed it because it did not have clear objectives and seemed unwinnable. Muhammad Ali had a positive influence on black organisers, who were the backbone and strength of the Civil Rights Movement. His influence was also remarkably broad. His position as a powerful symbol for the movement was able to bridge the whole spectrum of its ideologies. Ali appealed to many people and organisations in ways no other person could. Bob Moses, an organist, said Ali “galvanized Civil Rights Movement.” Although Ali was severely handicapped by Parkinson’s disease, he continued to be active as a goodwill ambassador and humanitarian. Boxing has been the sport that most exploits athletes, especially Black ones. African slaves were the first American boxers. The iron collars and death-death boxing tactics of white slave owners were a way to amuse themselves. Boxing, even after slavery was abolished, became the first sport that could be desegregated in order to allow white boxing promoters to continue to exploit Blacks. Eugenics was used as a justification for slavery. The science of the day “proved” that Blacks weren’t only physically inferior to whites but mentally too. Ironically early white promoters for fighting created a space that allowed Black boxers to challenge white supremacy and racial hierarchy. The 1910 victory by Jack Johnson over “The Great White Hope,” sparked one of the most significant national racial riots in American history. The embarrassment of seeing a Black man defeat a white fighter led Congress to pass a law banning boxing films. We can see from the history that boxing has produced the greatest champions if we take a quick look at its past. Boxing tends to draw talent from the underprivileged communities. Boxing can be used to show America’s underprivileged. The sport shows the struggles of minorities in order to get up the ladder. Eventually, they make it to the top and disappear from boxing. Tellingly, America’s economic bottom rung is what keeps the minority fighters in the ring.
You saw the rise of unprivileged Jewish boxers. There were also Irish, Italian, African American, and Hispanic-American boxers. Boxing has become a means of escaping from a violently racist society. Boxing was a symbol of the American dream. Minorities must fight for their freedom. The establishment uses the image of Muhammad Ali to market everything from cars to soft drinks to luxury cars. Despite the establishment trying to hide Ali’s true identity, history proves that Ali was a staunch Black Nationalist. He was friends with Malcolm X.
Ali was without doubt the greatest boxer ever, not only because of his successes in the ring, he also brought the fight against war and racism into professional sports. Muhammad Ali was raised in the 1950s-60s, when the Black freedom movement was heating up. Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky as Cassius Clay. He was the son of a domestic worker and a painter. Ali was raised in America’s racist culture from childhood. Ali was guided by Malcolm X, a mentor to Ali, and the Nation of Islam. J. Tinsley wrote that X was one and the same. “Both had been young, handsome, intelligent, and outspoken African Americanmen who terrified White America during a time of racial tension.”
Ali’s greatest legacy may be his voice. Ali’s voice spoke out in support of Blackness. Ali’s voice was as firm in rejecting the trappings wealth and fame as it was against a system that allowed Black children to be raised by German shepherds. Ali’s voice was not seeking acceptance. It demanded to hear. American boxing fans saw Ali’s voice, which was a refreshing contrast to the un-poetic violence of professional boxing, as a refreshing alternative. His doggerel and antics boosted newspaper columns. But, the editorial stance on Ali’s 1964 win at heavyweight was suddenly altered when he revealed that he had converted to Islam. American media began to portray Ali as a racist hothead by using Ali’s voice. The New York Times printed Cassius Clay, a slave name, for many years. They called him a “nauseating childish loudmouth braggart”. White sports writers favored their Negro athletes as quiet, calm, and docile. The voice of the Black American hated was denigrated by the white media and the United States government. After he became unable to speak due to Parkinson’s disease, White America accepted the most outspoken Black athlete of all time. American history was changed by boxing. Boxing was more involved in the advancement of civil rights than any other sport. Muhammad Ali is the greatest American boxer, and he has been vilified more by American media.