- Title: VARIOUS: BOXING - Boxing legend Muhammad Ali reaches 70 on January 17
- Date: 17th January 2012
- Summary: FILE HAVANA, CUBA (FILE - JANUARY 19, 1996) (REUTERS) (VIDEO IS 4:3 CONVERTED) ALI MOCK-SPARRING WITH LITTLE BOY DURING HUMANITARIAN MISSION TO CUBA FILE - DUBLIN, IRELAND (FILE - JUNE 21 2003) (VIDEO IS 4:3 CONVERTED) ALI "SHAPES UP" WITH NELSON MANDELA AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS
- Embargoed: 1st February 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cuba, Ireland, Usa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the, United Kingdom
- City:
- Country: Various
- Topics: History,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA19ZG8Q827EW68OF9OUC7HS388
- Story Text: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, arguably the greatest sportsman of all time, is 70 on Tuesday (January 17).
He celebrated his birthday with family and friends in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.
Like no other sportsman before or since, Ali shook up the world. He was a heavyweight boxer of breathtaking skill and speed whose feats in the ring, and outspoken support for black rights out of it, made him the most influential sportsman of the 20th century.
In a 21-year ring career, the self-proclaimed "Greatest" achieved what no heavyweight had done before by regaining the world title more than 10 years after he first held it. He was also the first man to win one of sport's greatest trophies three times.
However, his impact and influence transcended boxing. Ali was the most recognisable man in the world from the late 1960s when his refusal to serve in the United States Army led to him being banned from boxing.
For millions of black and oppressed people, in the U.S. and around the globe, the man who rejected his "white" name of Cassius Clay came to symbolise their struggle and refusal to knuckle under to authority. The audacious confidence of this good-looking boxer grabbed the attention of a world whose conventions were being upended by the social and political currents of the 1960s.
Ali was cocky, articulate and rebellious, characteristics that endeared him to millions and irritated as many others. He boasted "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" and his skill allowed him to beat larger, more powerful opponents such as the late Joe Frazier and Foreman in ferocious fights that captivated the world and made Ali millions.
He is best known for three titanic battles with Frazier, culminating in the "Thriller in Manila" in 1975, and the 1971 "Rumble in the Jungle" in which he knocked out the giant George Foreman in Zaire His later years have been clouded by Parkinson's Syndrome, which he refused to blame on his boxing career. Ali has developed tremors and walks haltingly. In the cruellest twist of all, the one-time motormouth has trouble speaking.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics opening ceremony, the world watched as Ali, his hands shaking uncontrollably because of his illness, lit the Olympic flame. At the same Games he was presented with a gold medal to replace the one he had won at the 1960 Rome Olympics and later thrown in the Ohio River in disgust after being turned away from an all-white restaurant and chased by a gang of white people.
After retirement from the ring he took on some diplomatic tasks, meeting politicians as diverse as Nelson Mandela and Saddam Hussein.
Brief facts on Muhammad Ali's career
1942: Jan 17 - Born in Louisville, Kentucky and named Cassius
Marcellus Clay.
1960: Sept 5 - Clay, representing the United States at the Rome
Olympics, wins the light-heavyweight gold medal by defeating
Zbigniew Pietrzykowski in the final
Oct 29 - In his first professional fight, beats Tunney
Hunsaker in six rounds in Louisville.
1963: June 18 - Defeats Henry Cooper after the Briton floors
him with a left hook.
1964: Feb 24 - Defeats world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston
at Miami Beach, Florida, to win the title. Later he tells the
world that he has joined the Nation of Islam and has renamed
himself as Muhammad Ali.
1965: May 25 - In a rematch with Liston, he knocks the former
champion out in two minutes in Lewiston, Maine.
1967: April 28 - Refuses to join the U.S. Army and serve in
Vietnam and subsequently charged with violating the Selective
Service Act. Two days later stripped of his title and boxing
licence.
June 20 - Convicted for draft-dodging and sentenced to
five years in prison with a $10,000 fine. He appealed.
1970: Sept - Given back his boxing licence.
Oct 26 - Fights for the first time since March 1967
beating Jerry Quarry in the third round in Atlanta, Georgia.
1971: March 8 - Loses the "Fight of the Century" against World
Boxing Association heavyweight champion Joe Frazier at Madison
Square Garden in New York in the first of their three bouts. Ali
is floored in the final round and Frazier retains his title.
June 28 - U.S Supreme Court overturns his conviction.
1974: Jan 28 - Wins rematch against Frazier.
Oct 30 - Regains the world heavyweight title, knocking out George
Foreman in eight rounds in the "Rumble in the Jungle" bout held at
Kinshasa, Zaire.
1975: Sept 30 - Defeats Joe Frazier for the third and final time after
14 rounds in the "Thrilla in Manila".
1978: Feb 15 - Loses title on points to Leon Spinks in Las
Vegas.
Sept 15 - Becomes the first boxer to win the WBA title
three times after defeating Spinks in a rematch in New Orleans.
1980: Oct 2 - Loses title to former sparring partner Larry
Holmes in Las Vegas.
1981: Dec 11 - Loses final fight to Trevor Berbick in Nassau.
First symptoms of Parkinson's syndrome begin to show themselves
affecting both his speech and movement.
1982: Diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome.
1996: July 22 - Lights torch at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
2002: Jan 11 - Has star embedded on the wall of a theatre
complex rather than Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
2011, Nov 14 - Attends Joe Frazier's funeral - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None