ALI, MUHAMMAD.   Term Paper ID:24172 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Life, career, major fights, skills & strategies, refusal to be drafted, comeback, impact on boxing & society.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Life, career, major fights, skills & strategies, refusal to be drafted, comeback, impact on boxing & society. Paper Introduction: Muhammad Ali Introduction Despite a limited release, Leon Gast's documentary feature When We Were Kings, which chronicles the 1974 Muhammad Ali-George Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle," has won critical and audience acclaim. Namely, the feature has earned approximately 1.5 million dollars as well as an Oscar for the best documentary feature of 1996. Undoubtedly, part of its success is due to America's affection and respect for George Foreman. However, it is even more clear that the major reason for the documentary's success is the mettle of the man who stands at its center, Muhammad Ali. In his 1991 biography of Muhammad Ali, titled Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, Thomas Hauser calls Ali "the most Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Ali, then,knocked Foreman out in the eighth. In his first fight against Jerry Quarry, the "Great WhiteHope," Ali dominated from beginning to end. Cassius' brother Rudolph ValentinoClay was born a few years later, and the family lived in a black working-class neighborhood in the west end of Louisville (Diamond 11). When one sees Muhammad Ali box at his prime, six feet three and two-hundred-ten pounds, it is almost impossible to believe that he began hisboxing career at a mere eighty-nine pounds. Ali latersaid of his entry into boxing, proving correct Hauser's analysis of theopportunities young black males perceived to be offered by the sport: When I started boxing, all I really wanted was someday to buy my mother and father a house and own a nice big car for myself. Following his victory at the Olympics, Cassius signed a managementcontract with the Louisville Sponsoring Group. His activities in Rome's Villaggio Olimpico--the OlympicVillage--demonstrated the bluster and gregariousness that wouldcharacterize his public appearances thereafter throughout his professionalcareer. Ali's chosen strategy in the fight against Foremandemonstrated that he had a character as strong as iron. Ali knew that a fight could be won or lost beforeeither man ever stepped in the ring if either man was mentally unpreparedor distracted by fear. There is a moment in the Gastdocumentary, at the end of the fourth round of the "Rumble in the Jungle,"that Mailer identifies as the moment that defines the character of a man.Up until then, Ali had been taking something of a beating from Foreman,although it certainly was not clear that Foreman was leading the fight.Ali had already demonstrated his skill and dexterity as a boxer byemploying two methods that commentators in general had always decried asfool-hardy. Fred Warner & James Barbour, Editors. Normal Mailer has written numerous books and essays on the sport ofboxing and Muhammad Ali in particular. It is true that Ali's refusal to leave boxing at an early age isresponsible for his suffering Parkinson's Syndrome today. Cassius had been calling for a Liston fight but only after hedefeated Moore was his call taken seriously, from a money point of view.Still, the odds against his beating Sonny Liston were formidable (Diamond35).The Birth of a Hero: Muhammad Ali Hauser argues that from the start of this career, Cassius had beenregarded as a "good colored boy" because his image was one with which whiteAmerica was comfortable (63). His use of this knowledge time and again alsoproves that Ali himself must have suffered from fear at many times in hiscareer, because he seemed to understand quite well how to defeat it.Muhammad Ali is a great man because he had the strength of character toface his fears.Muhammad Ali's Contribution to the Sport of Boxing Arthur Diamond argues that in the 195 s, when Muhammad Ali would makehis first entry into boxing, athletics served as one of the few recognizedways for American blacks to rise to the top of a profession (15). Hauser's description of Ali and his relationship with Americaand the rest of the world is illustrative of the way many people feel aboutAli: For half a century, he has walked among us, his face as familiar as that of a close friend. And the whole world cheered when Ali lit the Olympic Torch at the1996 Olympics despite the debilitating effect on his motor control he hassuffered due to neural damage caused by the sport that made him famous. . Clay had a skittering style, like a pebble over water. What Cassius would prove by sticking to his style of boxing was hisawareness that being a boxer requires more than just the ability to throwpunches. They saw Clay as a runner, not adancer. Martin coached young boxers in his spare time and explained toCassius that he had better learn to fight before he went out to whipanybody. As the decade came to a close, Ali's refusal to beinducted began to make more sense to the public (Hauser 198). He spent much time meeting other athletes, shakingtheir hands, being friendly--and, of course, telling them he was going tobe champion of the world. Muhammad, Ali toldreporters, means "one worthy of praise," Ali was the name of a greatsoldier related to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Nonetheless,their concerns rested with his ability to back up his overstated claims.Starting in September 1963 their concerns would switch to his alignmentwith the ideals they held dear and Cassius would, on many occasions, haveonly the strength of his beliefs and his character for support. That Saturday, Clay watched theshow, filled out an application for the gym and proclaimed, "I want to be aboxer" (Diamond 15). In 196 , he was the Olympic heavyweightchampion. Nonetheless, the story told around theworld as to Cassius's initiation into boxing testifies as to the brashnessand sheer willpower that led him into the ring. San Francisco: North Point Press, 199 . No boxer canbecome a champion unless he has a burning desire to whip everyone else inhis category. He soon began to demonstratehis confidence and his flagrant ability for self-promotion. Cassius also experimented with boxing styles, including his muchbally-hooed sudden backward lean to avoid an oncoming punch to the face.Boxers and trainers criticized this tactic and urged him to stick with thestandard side-to-side way of "slipping" a punch. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.Liebling, A.J. Mailer believes that in that moment Ali was looking intohimself and asking if he had what it took to bring the fight home. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1995.Gast, Leon. . . ThatMailer calls "the psychology of the body" and it was a unique gift CassiusClay brought to boxing (Diamond 39). . The Life of Cassius Clay: Birth of a Boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born on January 17, 1942, inLouisville, Kentucky (Diamond 11). But the mark of ahero is his ability to live his life according to his convictions, despitethe consequences to himself. He could set the tone from the first round andlater he would learn how to begin it a year before he would even meet theother boxer (Diamond 39). While he was exiled from boxing, the worldlearned the Muhammad Ali was bigger than boxing. He lost to heavyweight championJoe Frazier in 1971 (who then lost to George Foreman) and also to arelative unknown named Ken Norton whom he fought for twelve rounds with abroken jaw. The Group retained the option to extend thecontract for four years and Cassius's earnings would be split fifty-fiftyfor the first four years and sixty-forty in his favor thereafter. He was the elder son of CassiusMarcellus Clay and Odessa Grady Clay. Documentary Feature Film. It has just declared its owndocumentary of Ali's life to be one of the ten best Biographies of thecentury. Theolder Ali would be more aware of the inherent inequity in his relationshipto the Group given the history of racism in America. Everything a fighter does affects his profession--whathe eats, what he drinks, how he sleeps, what he does at night (Diamond 14). In fact, Ali was the first to prevail in a heavyweight title at theage of thirty-six years eight months when toppled Leon Spinks to recapturehis crown for an unprecedented third time (Hauser 14). While there is some truth to that statement,the fact remains that many people were not too comfortable with Cassius'sconfidence. The Fight. Then my dreams started to grow (Hauser 19).What Ali's statement reveals is the ambition in the man. A boxer who uses his legs as much as Clay used his in Rome risks deceleration in a longer bout (Liebling 163).Liebling was not the only one who doubted Cassius's championship ability.Hauser notes that many commentators constantly questioned Cassius's styleof holding his hands low and leaning away from instead of slipping punches(41). Until early 1966, Ali's draft status kept him from beinginducted (Diamond 49). Works CitedDiamond, Arthur. major leagues. Cassius's test came in his sixteenth fight against thelegend Archie Moore. During the first three years of the 196 s, Clay fought a series ofundefeated performances (Diamond 33). I don't believe in forcing it, and the Muslims don't believe in it. Cassius's camp had actually begunto pack its bags to leave Miami, where the fight had been scheduled, whenMacDonald backed down and agreed Cassius's renouncement of Islam was notmandatory (Diamond 36). This is how the storygoes. As Arthur Diamond states, being a fighter is more than a job;it's a way of life. Cassius, however, disagreed with Moore's style oftraining and the instruction was short-lived (Hauser 35). Liebling noted that beatingthe old favorite indicated that Clay had something out of the ordinary(214). "Anti-Poetry Night." A Neutral Corner. But in 1974, Ali defeated Frazier, opening the way for him tomake the come-back of a lifetime when he met George Foreman for the "Rumblein the Jungle" on October 3 , 1974.Conclusion Hauser states that one mark of a great champion is his ability to winhis title at a young age and hold on to it until he's old (14). While it might make for entertaining fights, a number of expertsdoubted he possessed any real skill. Clay knew that a fighter who had been put inpsychological knots before he got near the ring had already lost. Within days he was stripped of his title by the WorldBoxing Association and every state's athletic association revoked hislicense to box. Toronto: Little Brown & Co., 1975.----------------------- 6 Liebling, however, notes that thesefights did not yet establish Cassius as a potential champion because thefights were chosen on the assumption that Cassius would win. Six weeks later, eighty-nine pound Cassius MarcellusClay, Jr., made his ring debut, winning a three-minute three-round splitdecision over another novice named Ronnie O'Keefe (Hauser 19). Ali hadalways had a lot of bluster and so had long been predicting to the pressand anyone else who would listen that he would knock Foreman out. Thus, Cassius had a brilliant amateur career. Second, Ali used a method he had been using for years andthat commentators had been decrying for years: his tendency to lean on theropes and let the other guy have at him while he threw punches off fromthat position (Mailer 19 ). Moore had been a great fighter in his day and Cassiushad actually been instructed by Moore for a short time in 196 after he wonat the Olympics. Ali gave up his livelihood because he refusedto serve in the Vietnam War. He was good to watch, but he seemed to make only glancing contact. His foot-work was slower althoughhis hands remained quick. While many journalistswere skeptical of everything the flamboyant fighter did and said andsuspected self-promotion as Ali's chief motive, his Muslim identity wasimportant him. Clay's next goal was tobecome an Olympic champion in the 196 games to be held in Rome, Italy(Diamond 2 ). Undoubtedly, part of its success is dueto America's affection and respect for George Foreman. The trade requires extraordinary self-motivation and Cassius proved thathe was up to the task. He becamemore than a heavyweight champion; he became a social, political and humanchampion. Ali stands in his corner staring at Foreman,but there is a look in his eye that suggests Foreman is not the focus ofhis thoughts. Cassius knew how to make the other boxer feel ridiculous and so forcethem into crucial mistakes. The Clay-Liston fight had been scheduled forFebruary 25, 1964; ticket sales now plummeted and the promoter, BillMcDonald, actually canceled the fight when Cassius refused to renounce anyconnection with the Nation (Diamond 35). He wonseveral Golden Gloves titles in Kentucky, and in 196 won the nationalGolden Gloves heavyweight title in New York City. The other significant event that demonstrated and undoubtedly formedthe character of Muhammad Ali the man was his refusal to serve in theVietnam War. When this was reported by the press before theListon fight, Ali was embarrassed, but he put a good face on it: "I said Iwas the Greatest, not the smartest" (Diamond 5 ). It appeared to them overblown and immodest, especially sincemany people felt he still had to prove himself as a boxer. In January 1964, the Louisville Courier-Journal published aninterview in which Clay discussed his opinions on the Nation of Islam: Sure I talked to the Muslims and I'm going back again. Once again, Ali found himselfwith no one to rely on but himself. A.J.Liebling, one of boxing's historically great commentators, stated in March1962, that while he found Cassius's performance in Rome attractive, itfailed to prove that he possessed the power to become a heavyweightchampion: Amateur boxing compares with professional boxing as college theatricals compare with stealing scenes from Margaret Rutherford [in other words, there's no competition]. He knew, too, from his research into boxing history, that JackJohnson had used the same leaning technique (Diamond 19). This is ausual tactic in boxing when a boxer is attempting to establish himself as alikely contender in his category. However, in February of1966, a new draft ruling made Ali eligible for the draft. Ali told the press "I ain't got no quarrel with themVietcong," signaling his intention not to be inducted but not giving anyidea of the strength of his objection. San Francisco: North Point Press, 199 . However, that night, Ali took it one stepfurther and allowed Foreman to get off so many punches that Foremanpractically wore himself out by the end of the seventh round. The morning after his victory over Sonny Liston heannounced his new name was Muhammad Ali, a name conferred upon him byNation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (Diamond 41). A young up-and-coming fighter against an over-the-hill"name" opponent (Hauser 48). Cassius may not have begun boxing with that intention, butit didn't take long for his character to require it. Nonetheless, Ali did it and it soshocked everyone, including Foreman, that he got some pretty good (andembarrassing) punches in before Foreman was able to re-orient his strategyto avoid them. In his book Black Lights:Inside the World of Professional Boxing, Thomas Hauser argues that boxingis one of the few professions that gave people from the underclass anopportunity to earn large sums of money and be heroes in their native land(Diamond 14). The Importance of Muhammad Ali. Ali was back, but he was older. Ali didthat. Hisnatural ability and speed were such that he could outrun the mistakes hemade against novices. A boxer is essentiallyaccepting money to get beat up. Somewhere in time, he captured a blend of mayhem and magic that carried him deep into the collective psyche of us all.Throughout his career as a boxer, America has alternately loved and hatedMuhammad Ali, but there are few today who would disagree that he has beenone of the greatest personalities of the twentieth century. As part of the Columbia Gym's amateur program Martin produced alocal television show called Tomorrow's Champions, which offered youngboxers the chance of instant celebrity. Diamondobserves, however, that he now also had to prove that he could fight. . He fights lesser contenders to establisham impressive record, but generally everyone knows that the fighter has notyet proven himself. Since theCivil War, Kentucky, with Louisville as its largest city, has beeninfluenced by its nearness to the northern states (Diamond 11). Some people have special resources inside, and when God blesses you to have more than other, you have a responsibility to use it right (Hauser 18).Thus, even from the beginning, Ali knew that the status of second-classcitizenship was not something for which he would settle. Then, too therewas Jackie Robinson. In fact, as is the mark of a true champion, he didmore than merely train his body for boxing, he also educated his mind bypumping anyone and everyone for any kind of helpful information about theart of fighting. But to Cassius it feltright. However, themindset that could lead to such segregation would later often balk at thebrashness and overstated confidence of Cassius Clay, and then Muhammad Ali,the boxer. On March 26, 1964, the Selective Service hadclassified him 1Y, or "legally incompetent" because he failed the writingportion of the tests. . But once he moved to more competitive opposition, alack of fundamentals would bring him down (Hauser 41). But Ali had been out of thegame for three years and questions abounded as to whether he could make acome-back. Ali's strategy in the fight in Zaire demonstrates that he was notnecessarily a good fighter because he threw heavy punches, which heoccasionally did but most champions could land them heavier than he could.Ali was an expert boxer because he was forever planning ways to throw theother guy off his game. He was convicted on June 2 , 1967 for refusing to submitto the draft and given the maximum penalty of a ten-thousand dollar fineand up to five years in prison (Diamond 59). During his exile, the man who couldn't pass the Selective Servicewritten examination became a hit on the college circuit. Thecharacter of a man is often defined by what he does when he has no one torely on but himself. On April 28, 1967, Ali officially refused to be inducted intomilitary service. His popularity began to plummetalmost immediately, the decline only sharpening once he appealed forconscientious objector status. Nonetheless, the 196 contract was likely one the best he could have gotten. Nonetheless, Hauser notes the sport offered hope to many youngAmerican black males (Diamond 14). The white people don't want integration. Althoughit has a history of having more liberal attitudes toward blacks than statesdeeper in the South, in many respects, Kentucky was not different fromother southern states. Also, more andmore information regarding the war became available: the toll in Americanlives, the government's failure to fully disclose the nature of the war ortheir true intent. Gramercy Pictures, 1996.Hauser, Thomas. He went back to the gym and was toldto go to report the crime to the officer Joe Martin (Diamond 14). The Arts &Entertainment Network certainly would not. And I don't know what it was, but I always felt like I was born to do something for my people. Diamond observes that Cassius was probably the most popularathlete in the Village. His jab, to their way of thinking, was a flick, not a punch. Fighting at the championship level can be even morehazardous. One looks at the scrawny kidand wonders at the boldness that would leave him to believe he could everamount to anything as a boxer. . Muhammad AliIntroduction Despite a limited release, Leon Gast's documentary feature When WeWere Kings, which chronicles the 1974 Muhammad Ali-George Foreman "Rumblein the Jungle," has won critical and audience acclaim. He fought in the ring1 8 times, losing only 8 times between 1954-196 (Diamond 2 ). The Group consisted ofeleven white men between the ages of twenty-five and seventy, ten of whomwere millionaires or heirs to old-line Kentucky fortunes (Hauser 3 ).Although the contract signed by Clay and cosigned by his parents was fairand generous for its time, Ali would later let the contract expire in favorof being managed by a black man, a Muslim, named Herbert Muhammad. At the time of their meeting on November 15,1962, Cassius was less then half Moore's age (twenty to Moore's officialforty-six), and he achieved this victory in just the way that people hadbeen predicting somebody would for ten years--by staying on the move andnot letting the veteran pause for a breather. . His appeal was denied and the IllinoisAthletic Commission ordered that he publicly apologize for his comments.Ali refused and suddenly found himself barred not only from fighting inChicago where the Terrell fight was scheduled, but in any major Americancity. . OnceCassius was associated with it, his popularity fell not just with Americanwhites who felt threatened by the Nation but also by a large number ofAmerican blacks who, among other things, disagreed with the Nation'santagonism of whites. . . . However, it is evenmore clear that the major reason for the documentary's success is themettle of the man who stands at its center, Muhammad Ali. Integration is wrong. When We Were Kings. "Poet and Pedagogue." A Neutral Corner. And almost everyone knows the story ofJesse Owens, who in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, had proved the inaccuracyof ideas of white racial superiority by clearly routing Adolf Hitler'sAryan "supermen" in track-and-field events (Diamond 15). Both men have returned to their corners.Foreman's dominance may not be entirely clear but Ali does seem to be indanger of losing the fight. Segregation was a way of life in Kentucky, andreminders of second-class citizenship were everywhere (Hauser 17). But he learned he could take a lot of punishmentand took longer to finish his opponents. His response iswell known. Ali heard about his reclassification while he was in Miami trainingto defend his title against Ernie Terrell (Diamond 5 ). But blacks had been excellingin athletics long before then. Mailer notes thatchampions usually do not employ right-hand leads with one another becausethey can generally see the punch coming a mile away and make all sorts ofplans to avoid and counter it (179). In need of moresoldiers, the armed forces had lowered standards to allow more young men tobe drafted. 213-26.Mailer, Norman. First, he began the first round of the fight leading punches with hisright hand, or, as they are called, right-hand leads. Forexample, in the early fifties Joe Louis's victory over German hope MaxSchmeling remained fresh in everyone's mind. So what's wrong about the Muslims (Hauser 65).In the eyes of the American public, the Nation of Islam was a radicalpolitical group espousing racial hatred, segregation, and violence. 162-74.-----. Ali only further alienated the public by failing to renew hiscontract with the Louisville Sponsoring Group and instead retaining HerbertMuhammad, son of Elijah Muhammad, as his manager. Angry and tearful, he vowed to whipwhoever had made off with his bike. Fifty years before, around the turn of thecentury, Jack Johnson had dominated boxing much to the chagrin of whitesacross the nation (Diamond 15). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. The accessibility of the boxing world to blacks largelydepends on the high-risk factor it involves. Nonetheless, the excellence of blacks in athletics did not guaranteeblack's entry into other areas of endeavor. But, as a manwho lived according to his convictions, it is probable that Muhammad Alicould have done no less. Namely, the featurehas earned approximately 1.5 million dollars as well as an Oscar for thebest documentary feature of 1996. In 1947, when Cassius Clay was five years old, JackieRobinson had become the first black to play professional baseball in theU.S. He received a$1 , signing bonus and, for the first two years, a guaranteed draw of$333 a month against earnings. In October 1954, Cassius left a bazaar at a local gym, the Columbia,and found his brand new bicycle gone. Nonetheless, what Mailer in his essay titled "King of the Hill" fromReading the Fights called "one of young Cassius Clay's greatest boxingweapons" was his ability to work on the vanity of other performers (Diamond19). Fred Warner & James Barbour, Editors. Cassius was now a professional boxer. The fight with Moore was also another tactic used in the developmentof a young boxer. The moment of which Mailer speaks occurs during the break between thefourth and fifth rounds. Ofgrowing up in such a city, Ali stated: When I was growing up, too many colored people thought it was better to be white. But nowthe moment had come when Ali had no one to look to but himself. Undoubtedly, the purpose is to get offmore punches than the other guy, but even in some of the most unevenlymatched fights the other guy will usually get off at least a few punchesbefore he goes down. In that year he also wonthe Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship. His refusal to renouncehis beliefs earned him the respect of the nation and the world. New Yorkfinally renewed his license to box in 197 . In his 1991 biography of Muhammad Ali, titled Muhammad Ali: His Lifeand Times, Thomas Hauser calls Ali "the most recognizable person on earth"(Hauser 13). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.