Muhammad

Ali
The Greatest Journey,
From Zero to Hero

By
Phillip G. Harris
 Phillip G. Harris

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 Muhammad Ali

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 Phillip G. Harris

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................... 5
Chapter 1: Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.: Early Life, And
Career ......................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2: Suspension, The Military Draft, And Politics .... 17
Chapter 3: Comeback, Three Major Fights, And Later
Career ....................................................................................... 21
Chapter 4: Legacy, During And After Boxing ...................... 31
Chapter 5: Family, Religion, Politics, Humanitarian Efforts
................................................................................................... 34
Chapter 6: Style And Memorable Trash Talk Quotes ......... 81
Chapter 7: Ali’s Motivational Quotes .................................... 85
Conclusion ................................................................................ 92
References ................................................................................. 95

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 Muhammad Ali

Introduction
―Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.‖ This is one
of the best-known quotes of all time, not to mention within
sports. You’ve probably heard of ―the Greatest‖ – that
would be the boxer Muhammad Ali referring to himself. If
you haven’t, then perhaps you’ve heard of ―The Rumble in
the Jungle‖ or the even more well-known (and catchier in
my opinion) ―Thrilla in Manila.‖ Why do these quotes
sound so familiar, even to people who are not interested in
the world of boxing? This short book will introduce you to
the figure that stands out so much in boxing and indeed in
athletic history: the Greatest Muhammed Ali.

From his early successes to his choice of religion,

his political stance to his outspoken ―trash talk‖ about
opponents, let’s explore the man that inspired so many of
his generation, his race and simply Americans to be more
than they are. First, we will start with his early life and
career, moving through major fights chronologically, then
I will give you a little background on his political and
religious stance (and he was, as always, controversial).
Finally, we will take a look at his charitable work and how
he has made a lasting impact on global society. For those
uninitiated in boxing, I will sprinkle some technical terms
and names about, but I assure you I will explain it
sufficiently within the scope of this very brief introduction.

Ali was not just a boxer he was a public figure that

loomed larger than life for many. He was controversial but
loved, and he possessed athletic skill alongside tough
mental fighting abilities. He was fast and witty throughout
his career, able to fire up the crowd and influence people.
He applied these strengths to boxing as well as life.

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 Phillip G. Harris

As stated, this is a very brief introduction. If you

want to know more, Muhammed Ali is not an obscure
figure. There are plenty of places to learn much more in-
depth. A quick internet search can give you a wealth of
information, but you can also pick up full-length books
anywhere there is a biography section. Muhammad Ali left
a legacy that can still be felt today, even though his boxing
career ended decades ago. But for now, if you just want to
know the key facts about The Greatest, let’s get started.

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 Muhammad Ali

Chapter 1: Cassius
Marcellus Clay, Jr.: Early
Life, And Career
Gee, gee was the sound that he kept uttering when he
was in his cradle. He was given the nickname of Gee Gee
because of the sound he frequently, made. His mother
later said he told them that what they thought were just
ramblings was him trying to say; ―Golden Gloves,‖ which
he plans on winning one day.

Born on January 17, 1942, to Cassius Marcellus Clay

Sr. and Odessa O'Grady Clay was a child by the name of
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. He was named after his father
who in turn was named after the abolitionist politician
from the 19th century. His family included his parents and
five siblings, not unusually large for the time.

Clay was mostly of African ancestry, though it is

claimed that he also had some Irish and English roots.
Clay, phenotypically of African descent, was born in
Louisville, Kentucky – in 1942. His father was a
commercial painter, and his mother was a domestic
helper. The fact that he grew up in a South that had strict
Jim Crow laws only decades earlier and was still definitely
segregated led to his later outspoken nature on political
issues. And these facts visited him at an early age, with his
mother quoted as recalling an incident when a store
refused to let him have a drink of water only based on his
race; this refusal really affected him.

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 Phillip G. Harris

However, that was not the only time he had to tackle

racism’s ugly head. Once when he was by the railroad
tracks playing with his friends, he was attacked by an older
white man. The older white man dragged Clay by his collar
and started shouting at him. He was then verbally, abused
by the older white man. The man referred to him by the
infamous ―N‖ word. Greater harm might have reached him
if it was not for the swift intervention of another white
man. Clay was only about eight or nine years of age when
this incident occurred. An event such as what happened to
Clay can have a devastating, as well as long-term mental
effect on a child. Instructed by the potter destiny, the
molding hand of struggles, was shaping him to stand
strong in years to come, for him say; ―I Am The Greatest.‖

One day Clay Jr asked his father; ―Why can’t I be

rich?‖ His father touched him on one of his hands and
said; ―Look there. That’s why you can’t be rich.‖ It is ironic
that his father touched his hands to explain to him why he
can not be rich, and it was the use of his hands that gave
him riches and fame. Ali’s father was referring to the
colour of his skin when he told him the reason that he
could not be rich.

If you are unfamiliar with Jim Crow laws, they were a

set of legislative measures that touted ―separate but equal‖
status for African Americans and Caucasian Americans.
They were enacted in the Southern states in 1890, and the
equal part was in the quote only. Bathrooms, restaurants
and other such facilities were separated based on race, by
law but the facilities for the African Americans were always
inferior. They received less money, less investment and
less time from the government. These laws resulted in

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discrimination in every facet of society, from education

and transportation to bank lending practices, housing
segregation and hiring discrimination. The rules had
started to be overturned in the mid-20th century, but their
legality was still in force when Clay was over 20 years old.
Their final removal reached even deeper into his life as
court proceedings ran and of course society needed to
adjust to the new way of life.

Destiny, the sentinel of our faith that propels us

through challenges, which are molders to assist us to
achieve whatever indelible mark we are destined to make
in this world. Sometimes it takes just one situation from
destiny to completely, change our goals. Creating an
amazing adventure that we had never envisage ourselves
having the ability to achieve before that situation occurs.
This is what happened to Clay, his bicycle was stolen while
he was in the Columbia Auditorium of the Louisville
Service Club, attending a convention with his friend. A
delightful evening of popcorn with his friend quickly,
changed into Clay being tearful and enraged. He was
uttering threats of a beat-down if he ever caught the
individual that stole the two bicycles that belonged to his
friend and him. Clay had a red Schwinn bicycle that was a
Christmas gift from his father. He was then told by a
gentleman to go to the basement of the Columbia
Auditorium to report their stolen bicycles to the police
officer, who was supervising the boxing gym at the time.

Clay, while relating the ordeal of what had occurred to

the police officer, was still uttering threats of a beat-down
to the individual that stole their bicycles. The police officer
then asked Clay if he could fight. The response he gave
must have been amusing, as well as surprising to the police

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officer, after listening to all the threats he was uttering.

Clay told the police officer that he could not fight, but he
would sure fight anyway if he saw the person who stole
their bicycles. The police officer then invited him to return
to the boxing gym to learn how to fight. The name of that
police officer is Joe Martin. He became Clay’s very first
trainer. That is how Clay took up his gloves of destiny, and
thus the inception of his life of a boxing legend.

With segregation at its peak, Joe Martin was operating

the only interracial boxing gym in Louisville, and he never
hesitated to treat all the boys he trained equally, including
young Clay. Perhaps Clay also channeled some of the anger
he felt towards segregation into his boxing and by the time
he was 12 he had started to box.

Joe Martin’s knowledge of boxing techniques was very

limited, so Clay started training at another gym as well.
Clay would go to Joe Martin’s gym for two hours in the
afternoons, then leave for another gym owned by a trainer
named Fred Stoner in the East-end of Louisville.

Great is the arm of friendship, when uncertainties and

despondency have crippled one’s mind. Certainly, this was
the case when Clay was supposed to attend the 1960
Olympic Games in Rome. Clay was crippled by his fear of
aeroplanes. Knowing that Clay wanted to become the light
heavyweight champion, Joe Martin sat for approximately,
three hours in Louisville Central Park, convincing him that
he must overcome his fear. Joe Martin told him that
attending the Olympic Games in Rome was the only way
he could earn the title, which he so desperately wanted.

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 Muhammad Ali

Joe Martin was very supportive, and he tried to remain

a part of Clay’s team because he saw the potential that Clay
had. His efforts all ended in failure. Joe Martin had offered
a contract to Cassius Clay Snr to become his son’s
manager. The deal was refused by Cassius Clay Snr. The
reason for the refusal was that Joe Martin could only pay
seventy-five dollars weekly for ten years to young Clay. Joe
Martin made a second attempt to redeem himself and to
capitalize on an opportunity to remain on Clay’s team by
introducing Cassius Clay Jr to William Reynolds. William
Reynolds was the vice president of the Reynolds Metal
Company, and he was a local millionaire. This introduction
was an attempt to facilitate the signing of a contract
between the local millionaire, and young Clay. When an
elated Clay returned from the 1960 Olympic Games in
Rome, Joe Martin met him at the airport with an employee
of William Reynolds.

They gave Clay, who at the time was eighteen years of

age, a tour of New York. Along with the tour was the
opportunity to shop, and eat as much as he wanted.
However, at the end of his shopping, and tour of New
York, Clay instinct told him to refuse the contract William
Reynolds had offered. He instead signed with the
Louisville Sponsoring Group.

The Louisville Sponsoring Group was comprised of

eleven white Louisville millionaires. Even though this
contract was less than what William Reynolds had offered
him, Clay’s contract with the Louisville Sponsoring Group
would allow him to receive fifty percent of all earnings
from his boxing. Additionally, each member of the
Louisville Sponsoring Group invested a total of two

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thousand, and eight hundred dollars as capital towards the

launching of Clay’s professional boxing career.

When Clay rejected the contract with William

Reynolds, Joe Martin had also exhausted his efforts of
remaining a part of Clay’s team. Joe Martin professional
relationship ended with him as the young champion
pursued other ventures to fulfill his destiny as a boxing
legend.

In this our journey called life, destiny will allow the

paths of humans to be entwined. Some will direct us to our
predetermined path, others will only travel apart of the
journey with us, and there will be those individuals that
are destined to be with us until the fatal knock-out from
death separates us. Even though the chance of Joe Martin
having a professional relationship with the young
champion was no longer possible, he remained as one of
the main pillars of moral support for Clay and was
extremely proud of the path he had played in the legend’s
career choice. Destiny had assigned Joe Martin the task of
introducing Clay to his predestined path, and to provide
him with moral support at a crucial time on his journey.

Joe Martin continued to operate his gym, training

young men in amateur boxing. He also remains a very
active member in the Golden Gloves. Joe Martin served as
a representative for Kentucky on the Organization’s
National Board. For forty years’ Joe Martin had operated
the Kentucky franchise. He was inducted into the Amateur
Boxing Hall of Fame in the year 1977. For thirty-four years
Joe Martin worked as a police officer, after his retirement,
he worked in auctioneering. Joe Martin died on September

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14, 1996, in Louisville, and was buried in Litchfield,

Kentucky at the Memorial Gardens Cemetry.

Ali had a number of trainers including Chuch Bodak,

and Angelo Dundee.

Angelo Dundee was hired to train Muhammad Ali in

1960, and he continued training him until his last fight in
1981. Angelo Dundee had also successfully, trained
Carmen Basilio, Chris Dundee his brother, George
Foreman, Hector Camacho, and the infamous Sugar Ray
Leonard.

Chuck Bodak trained Ali for the last four years of his
amateur boxing life. Chuck Bodak, as a trainer, boast an
extensive list of boxing champions under his mentorship,
including Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya. With
the expertise Bodak was able to impart, Clay began his
amateur debut in 1954. During his entire amateur career,
he achieved the Kentucky Golden Gloves twice, a national
Golden Gloves title and an Amateur Athletic Union
national title. He even participated in the 1960 Rome
Summer Olympics, taking home the gold at the young age
of 20. At the end of his amateur career, he could boast an
impressive 100-5 win-loss record for a total of 105 fights.
As some possible foreshadowing to his theatrics that would
later catapult him to fame, there is an account of him
throwing his gold into the Ohio River after he and a friend
were refused service for none other than the color of their
skin.
He boxed his first professional bout on October 29,
1960, against Tunney Hunsaker, whom he defeated after
six rounds. In the next three years, Clay amassed 19 wins,
with 15 of them being knockouts (KO). Then, on March 13,

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 Phillip G. Harris

1963, Clay went to fight at Madison Square Garden. He

took on Doug Jones in a fight that included quite a bit of
Clay belittling his opponent or ―trash talking‖, to use some
psychology to his advantage. Clay insulted Jones as being
―an ugly little man‖ and in a show of arrogance claimed
that Madison Square Garden was ―too small for me.‖

This all led to Clay’s attempt at the heavyweight

championship later that year. With his 19-0 record, Clay
took on Sonny Liston on February 25th, 1964 in Miami
Beach, Florida. Liston was a dominant force in boxing at
the time and had knocked out the previous heavyweight
champion, Floyd Patterson, in just two rounds. Clay went
into the fight as a 7-1 underdog – hardly reassuring odds
for the young boxer.

Clay, however, was as confident as ever, continuing

with more quotable trash talk, calling Liston ―a big ugly
bear. He even smells like a bear. After I beat him, I’m
going to donate him to the zoo‖. That is quite the insult,
especially considering modern sportsmanship rules. Clay
even suggested someone would die at ringside that night.
And he was unusually hyped up, recording a heart rate
double that of his normal resting rate.

At only 22 and posting less-than-encouraging 7-1 odds

of Clay as the underdog, the boxer completely upset those
odds and won the fight in the seventh round with a
technical knockout (TKO), which occurs when a referee or
other official believes one of the participants cannot
continue safely. As Liston did not answer the bell call, the
referee decided it was no longer safe for him to box and
Clay was declared the winner.

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 Muhammad Ali

With this fight, Clay became the youngest boxer to

capture the heavyweight championship from a current
champion. The next time this record was broken was in
1986 when Mike Tyson managed to capture the
championship at 20 years old.

Shortly after the fight, Clay joined the Nation of Islam,

where his mentor, Elijah Muhammad, renamed Clay to
Muhammad Ali, the former meaning ―one worthy of
praise‖ and the latter being an important figure in both
Shia and Sunni Islam. And from this point onward, the
man born as Cassius Marcellus Clay would be known as
Muhammad Ali. Ali even rejected his birth name as a
―slave name‖, in reference to it being a Roman, and hence
European, name.

Ali and Liston fought a rematch a little over a year

later in May 1965. The match ended less than two minutes
after it had started, with Ali once again the winner, putting
his record at 21-0. But the very short duration caused
speculation that the match was fixed. Some rumors even
speculated that the Nation of Islam, of which Ali was now a
member had threatened Liston. Other conspiracy theories
claim Liston bet against himself to pay off debts and made
sure he lost the match.

Ali’s next fight was Floyd Patterson (former

heavyweight champion) in 1965, in which Ali added to his
undefeated record. Then in 1966, Ali was to fight Ernie
Terrell, but he was suddenly enlisted by the United States
Army as a 1-A draft candidate from his previous
classification as 1-Y. Candidates that were 1-Y was not up
for an immediate call to the Armed Forces, as they had not
passed some of the qualifying tests. Supposedly Ali did not
do well on the spelling and writing sections of the test. 1-Y

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 Phillip G. Harris

listed citizens are only called in cases of national

emergency when the government needs all the manpower
they can get. However, the relisting as 1-A as a result of the
Army changing its qualifying minimums meant Ali was
eligible to fight right away. With the United States mired in
the Vietnam War, recruits were needed to fight, and Ali
would likely have been called to fight. Since Ali was
certainly not interested in fighting in the war, he went on a
tour of Europe and Canada before returning to the United
States.

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Chapter 2: Suspension, The

Military Draft, And Politics

It was the mid-1960s and the United States was locked

in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. To stop the spread
of communism, the United States government was
practicing a doctrine known as ―containment.‖ The idea
was to keep the communist world from spreading beyond
the already massive land area occupied by the Soviet
Union and Communist China. One battlefront was
Vietnam, where Communist forces were trying to take over
the whole country.

NASA had not quite made it to the moon yet and the
Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, which was eventually
to have success, was fighting for the rights of African
American citizens. Ali had joined the Nation of Islam,
which was categorized by white Americans and even some
black Americans, as a hate group; and Ali, at least at this
point, favored separatism. He thought segregation might
better serve white and black America than integration (he
did change his stance later).

To protest against the use of African American soldiers

in an America that treated them as secondary citizens, Ali
refused to fight in the war. As he was now a 1-A class draft
candidate, he made a conscientious objection claim. He
was a Muslim and espoused peace through his religion –
the only war he was religiously allowed to fight had to be
called by God or a Muslim leader, certainly not the leader
of a self-proclaimed Christian nation.

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 Phillip G. Harris

At the time, the American public overwhelming

supported the war. To avoid another catastrophe like the
Korean War, which was fought a decade earlier and saw
the division of the country into a communist North and
capitalist South, the US public was ready to enter the war
without resistance. The Korean War’s effects are still felt
even today, with a communist North Korea continuing to
provoke the West. The public was in no mood to see
another such loss and wanted protection against the threat
of a nuclear holocaust at the hands of the Soviets and the
possibility of the elimination of their way of life. Ali, on the
other hand, was not so interested in the war but politics at
home, asking why he should fight for an America that
would not fight for him in his own country.

When Ali returned to the United States after his time

in Europe and Canada, he finally fought Ernie Terrell on
February 6, 1967, in Houston, Texas. He defeated Terrell
in 15 rounds by unanimous decision instead of knockout.
That happens when there is no technical or normal
knockout, but the judges decide after 15 rounds that, even
though both fighters are still standing, one has
accumulated more points and call the match in that
fighter’s favor. This bout, however, would be his last until
October 1970 due to his refusal to fight in Vietnam.

Ali appeared for his army induction on April 28, 1967.

When his name was called for him to step forward in the
ceremonial induction, he refused. Then he refused again
and again. After the third time, the officer conducting the
ceremony warned Ali he would be committing a felony by
refusing to step forward and become a recognized United
States Armed Forces member. When called for the fourth
time, Ali once again refused and was consequently
arrested.

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His trial was held shortly thereafter on June 20, 1967.

He was found guilty of refusing to serve in a mere 21
minutes, shorter than many of his boxing matches. He
posted the bail and remained outside prison while the
decision was appealed, which didn’t happen until 1971. On
June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court of the United States
ruled in Ali’s favor, effectively exonerating him from the
crime. The Justices concluded that there were no grounds
to refuse Ali a conscientious objector claim and thus he
had no duty to fight in Vietnam. Ali, however, had lost four
years of his precious twenties. Any athlete knows that the
twenties are the height of performance. And Ali lost too
many of those years waiting for the highest court in the
country to decide on his fate.

Of course, Ali was fiery as always, and his political

affiliations and ideas were clearly displayed during the
time he lost. As this was the 1960s in America and African
Americans were still fighting for their own rights, Ali had
plenty to say about going to war for a nation that seemed
to treat him as a secondary citizen. His rhetoric strongly
condemned the white power structure existent at the time,
and he had some good points.

Ali stated during a speech that ―my enemy is the white

people, not the Viet Cong or the Chinese or Japanese‖ and
he questioned why he should ―put on a uniform and go ten
thousand miles from home to drop bombs and bullets on
brown people in Viet Nam while so-called Negro people in
Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human
rights?‖ Unfortunately for Ali, when he refused to join the
military, public opinion was not yet against the Vietnam
War, which meant Ali was not scoring a lot of points with
the white public. However, as his case progressed through

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the courts, that public opinion did start to turn against the
war and Ali was seen more and more in a positive light.

Partially as a result of his refusal to join and partially

from his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement (plus
his membership in the Nation of Islam and association
with Malcolm X), the FBI targeted him as part of a larger
operation known as COINTELPRO, an illegal surveillance
program aimed at Civil Rights activists without court-
sanctioned warrants. Ironically, one of Ali’s fights helped
to provide a distraction for the burglary of an FBI office in
Pennsylvania that led to the revelation of the illegal
program.

One significant consequence of Ali’s draft ordeal was

the inspiration it gave to other Americans, especially
young black Americans. Suddenly Ali was not just a great
athlete that should be respected for his athleticism, but he
was also a true believer in what he preached and stood by
his convictions, even when threatened with jail time and a
criminal record. An idol like Ali had strong cultural
influence and could sway his followers, especially as the
tide turned against the war.

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Chapter 3: Comeback,
Three Major Fights, And
Later Career

Following the return of his license to box and the

slightly later Supreme Court decision to exonerate him, Ali
went on to fight three major bouts, all of which became
popular and famous enough to be known by nicknames.
Some of the names were even derived from Ali’s own trash
talk, which he sometimes made from a fast-talking rhyme
scheme. This has been claimed to be a precursor to the
major music genre rap.

Fight of the Century

Ali was 29 when he was able to fight again and this

time, he went for the heavyweight championship title once
more. His opponent was Joe Frazier, another undefeated
champion. Again the fight was held at Madison Square
Garden in New York City. The bout took place on March 8,
1971, to massive hype, including a full crowd of nearly
20,500 and a broadcast to 35 nations. To better get the
feeling of hype, realize that 35 countries received the
broadcast (albeit on closed circuit television) in 1971
during a time when the world was split into three
classifications (the capitalist, communist and third
worlds).

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 Phillip G. Harris

While Ali was unable to box due to his draft issues,

Frazier was racking up wins and even achieved the World
Champion title twice. The fact that both fighters were
undefeated caused a lot of excitement, with the fight being
nicknamed The Fight of the Century. Ringside tickets were
selling for $150, which comes out to about $880 in 2016
and both Frazier and Ali were guaranteed $2.5 million to
take part. One of them was also promised the Heavyweight
Championship title.

Ali’s record stood at 31-0 with 25 KOs, and Frazier’s

stood at 26-0 with 23 KOs, a slightly higher ratio of actual
knockouts. On the other hand, Frazier was three and a half
inches shorter and ten pounds lighter than Ali. Even
though he was heavier and taller, the latter was known for
his speed and agility. Unfortunately for Ali, his legally
forced time away from boxing and the aging process took a
bit of the edge off his abilities.

The mental preparations for the fight included Ali

insulting Frazier as a ―white man’s champion‖ and there
was a real divide between the supposed establishments the
fighters represented. Ali was the fighter for his people, for
those who protested the Vietnam War and those who
wanted change in the social structure of the United States.
Frazier, also an African American, was on the other side,
having been supported by the ruling elite and seen as a
proponent of the Vietnam War. This kind of political
posturing for a sporting event is unlike anything in
America today. The World Cup, however, may be an
indication of such a feeling, where nations compete with
each other, and many people support their home country’s
team simply because it is the home country. The Olympics
are also a venue to display political greatness, especially in
an era when the world was split between the first, second

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and third worlds. This fight, however, was not an

international battle but an internal battle to the United
States for its own citizens to be recognized as truly equal.

During the actual fight, both athletes took turns

dominating the fight. Early on, Ali was able to hit Frazier
with plenty of quick jabs, but Frazier made a great hit right
at the end of the round. In the next round, Frazier started
to take control and by the sixth, Ali was clearly starting to
tire. His pace and agility started to wane, and he was
implementing a style that had him leaning on the ropes
and covering instead of fighting. This somewhat angered
Frazier, who grabbed Ali and threw him to the center of
the ring, after which Ali retaliated, and the fight was
stopped.

In the 14th round, Frazier connected with a substantial

hit that caused Ali to fall on his back. The boxer got
himself up from the blow and managed to continue
fighting until the end of the 15th round, which is the limit
of the championship bouts. At the end of the 15th round,
with no knockouts or technical knockouts, the judges’
points were needed to determine the winner. Frazier stood
ahead of Ali in points and thus handed Ali his first defeat
while fighting as a professional.

The Rumble in the Jungle

Ali’s next major fight was against George Foreman,

another undefeated champion. The fight took place on
October 30, 1974, in Zaire (now known as the Democratic
Republic of the Congo). Due to the location, this fight was
nicknamed The Rumble in the Jungle. This fight drew
quite a bit of attention, too.

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 Phillip G. Harris

True to his outrageous trash-talking, Ali uttered

possibly his most famous lines in the form of a little
rhyme: ―Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands
can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me; now you
don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't.‖ The first
line eventually became almost a tagline for the boxer, and
even those who are not involved in the world of boxing
have probably heard the phrase before. The phrase fits
Ali’s style, too, as he moved around a lot to avoid punches
and would throw them when least expected, like a bee you
accidentally disturb.

With a crowd of 60,000 spectators in the arena,

Foreman and Ali went in with records of 40-0 (37 KO) and
44-2(31 KO), respectively. Again, Ali’s opponent had the
advantage of a higher ratio of knockouts in his record. This
time, in contrast to The Fight of the Century and Frazier,
Foreman was the superior in weight (though only by four
pounds), and they were evenly matched in height.
Foreman was a heavy hitter while Ali, of course, relied on
his strength – and a special tactic he employed before.

As the fight began, Ali knew Foreman’s strength lied in

close-quarter melee. Since Foreman was stronger, Ali
needed to avoid his heavy punches. However, Foreman
was also fast, which led to Ali absorbing a lot of punches.
Every time Ali would take two steps, Foreman would take
one and still land a heavy punch, which meant Ali was
expending more energy and still taking hits. So, starting
with the second round, he switched to his special tactic.

When Foreman began to hit him, Ali would back up

into the ropes and lean against them, guarding himself
defensively. Since the ropes are elastic, the force is
transmitted through the body, and the ropes absorb most

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 Muhammad Ali

of the energy. This causes the recipient to take many hits

without too much damage and it severely tires out the
giver if he does not realize the tactic. Ali later termed this
the ―rope-a-dope‖ tactic, continuing to employ catchy
phrasing in his speech.

This tactic was successful, and Foreman began to tire

of throwing punches at Ali. The latter, on the other hand,
would use every open chance to strike back at Foreman,
and when the two were clinched, Ali was able to
outperform Foreman. This rope-a-dope and clinch time
strategy started to show Foreman tiring in the eighth
round and by the end of the ninth Ali had regained the title
of the heavyweight champion when the referee stopped the
fight.

The Rumble in the Jungle victory credited Ali with the

ability to change tactics in a fight when one was not
working. Instead of ―floating like a butterfly‖ – a butterfly
that was not fast enough to outstep Foreman – Ali started
to employ a technique to tire out his stronger opponent.
This proved Ali’s tactical ingenuity and that The Greatest
was not wearing down as he aged.

While Ali and Foreman both wanted a rematch at

various times, they never did meet again in the ring. They
did, however, become friends after the match and in 1996,
when Ali was receiving an Oscar Award for a documentary
about the fight; Foreman helped Ali to the stage. By that
point, Ali had begun to suffer from Parkinson’s syndrome
and was unable to walk easily to the stage by himself.
Foreman continued to respect Ali and would speak highly
of him when questioned.

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 Phillip G. Harris

The Thrilla in Manila

Nearly a year later, Ali’s last major fight was to take

place. It was another match against Joe Frazier and this
time; it would be held in the Philippines. On October 1,
1975, the two men met in the ring for the third and last
time, Ali boasting a 48-2 (35 KO) record and Frazier
holding a 32-2 (27 KO) record. This time, they were 9
pounds apart, Ali being the heavier fighter. The fight took
place at 10 am local time, which Ali’s physician is quoted
as saying was a terrible time: the humidity of the night was
still thick, but the sun had been warming the air and
moisture for hours. The time, though, was the best
business decision, as the bout was to be shown live in
countries around the world.

Just like all his other fights Ali had plenty of trash talk
to go around before this bout. The nickname of the fight,
The Thrilla in Manila, is derived from another rhyme Ali
spoke before the match: ―It is gonna be a chilla, and a killa,
and a thrilla, when I fight the Gorilla in Manila.‖ It is
definitely a memorable line. However, it is interesting that
Ali would call his opponent, a fellow African American, a
gorilla, especially in a time when racial segregation and the
successes of the Civil Rights movement were still very alive
in the public memory. Ali had insulted Frazier before,
calling him ―the white man’s champion‖ and an ―Uncle
Tom‖ for his support of the Vietnam War, which Ali
viewed as a white elite’s war.

Just before the fight, Ali suffered a bit of a

psychological issue when his wife at the time, Belinda Ali,
witnessed her husband introduce his mistress, Veronica
Porche, as his spouse, all through television. Certainly,
Belinda was quite upset at the introduction of a mistress as

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 Muhammad Ali

Ali’s wife, let alone while she was thousands of miles away
and flew herself to Manila, where she and Ali argued in his
hotel room. Ali would later divorce his wife and remarry
the mistress. As for the match at hand, Ali seemed to go
into it with vigor.

The fight itself was an event to behold. Ali started out

well early, being much quicker than Frazier, and continued
to taunt his opponent. Then, in the third round, Ali started
employing his rope-a-dope strategy again to tire Frazier
out as he had done with Foreman. However, due to
arthritis in Frazier’s elbow, he needed to be close to his
opponent to land good punches. Ali leaning into the ropes
was the perfect way for Frazier to stay close, with Ali
having nowhere to retreat.

As the fight progressed, Frazier started to gain

momentum, and his headwork started to improve. In the
sixth round, Frazier landed solid blows to Ali’s head twice,
both of which caused Ali to hit the ropes as he stumbled
backward. His movements started to become somewhat
stiff, causing him to lose some of his agility. As the fight
continued, Frazier kept landing punches as Ali tried to
make use of his rope-a-dope scheme.

In the ninth round, Ali was clearly tiring, and he told

his trainer ―man, this is the closest I’ve ever been to dying.‖
Then in the 13th round, Frazier had been hit so many
times in the face that he was unable to see much. Finally,
as the fight neared its close, in round 14, the two men were
both clearly spent. Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, called off
the match before the 15th round fearing Frazier could end
up facing an even worse beating. In a sports world close
call, at the end of the 14th Ali had asked his cornermen to
―cut off his gloves‖, which effectively meant Ali was

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 Phillip G. Harris

signaling his resignation. Fortunately for Ali they refused

and later Ali is quoted as saying "Frazier quit just before I
did. I didn't think I could fight anymore‖. And this ended
The Thrilla in Manila, with Ali retaining his title as
reigning heavyweight champion.

Later, when Ali was asked if he had watched the

recording of the bout, he supposedly said: ―Why would I
want to go back and see Hell?‖ Ali considered it to be his
toughest match and apparently felt that he had endured as
much as he could. Fortunately for his legacy, Frazier felt
the same way and quit just moments before Ali would have
himself. This was Ali’s last great fight, though he went on
to dance a few more rounds with other boxers.

Later Career and Retirement

Following Ali’s final fight with Frazier, he went on to

fight a few more boxers, but none of the matches ended
up with enduring nicknames. One notable exception to
regular boxing was a match against Antonio Inoki in Tokyo
in June 1976. Inoki was a martial artist, and the fight was
meant to be a stunt match – no actual knockouts.
However, Inoki’s strikes were still powerful enough that
they left bruises on the boxer, caused him to be affected
by two blood clots and even led to Ali suffering an infection
in his legs. This style of mixed boxing and martial arts fight
is thought to be a precursor to the modern day MMA
fighting, which has become popular in recent years.

Three months later in September Ali fought Ken

Norton and won, but the crowd was not pleased with the
decision. Ali fought Leon Spinks in Las Vegas in February
1978. Spinks had only fought seven times, coming in with

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 Muhammad Ali

a 7-0-1 record (win-loss-draw) against Ali with a 55-3

record. At this point, Ali was 36 years old and had lost a lot
of his speed. He seemed very out of shape in the ring
during the match, and he ended up losing the fight (and
the championship title) to Spinks. Just seven months later,
Spinks and Ali fought a rematch, this time with Ali winning
the title back. The victory made him the first boxer to win
the title three times.

Ali retired after the fight to follow his faith, this time in
the vein of Sunni Islam instead of the more radical,
separatist Nation of Islam interpretation. However, he
came back from retirement shortly after announcing it to
fight Larry Holmes. His hope was to win the title four times,
setting a record he hoped would endure. Holmes, knowing
Ali was not the fighter he used to be, and under
speculation that Ali was doing it mostly for the money, did
not want to participate in the fight. Nevertheless, the fight
went ahead.

On October 2, 1980, in Las Vegas, Holmes took on

Ali, who had been seriously physically weakened by
medication. Before the fight, Ali had started to show signs
of Parkinson’s syndrome as he had some difficulty in
speaking (he would stutter) and his hands would shake
involuntarily. Now, with Ali weakened and a possible
Parkinson’s patient, Holmes was able to dominate the
fight. Holmes was also only 30 years old, eight years Ali’s
junior. This was Ali’s next to last fight but only the fourth
loss in 60 bouts.

Ali’s final fight, on December 11th, 1981, was against

the Canadian fighter Trevor Berbick in the Bahamas. Ali at
this point was nearly 40 years old and lost the match in
just ten rounds. After this fight, nicknamed the Drama in

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 Phillip G. Harris

the Bahamas (this time the name did not seem to endure
the decades), Ali announced his retirement and made it
permanent this time.

Ali ended his career with a solid 61 matches, many of

which have become ingrained in the national psyche, even
to those who do not follow boxing. He went undefeated
until his 31st match against Joe Frazier, a fight that
followed closely after his suspension and consequent loss
of four years of his athletic life. He only lost one more time
until his 58th match, going into that match against Leon
Spinks with a record of 55-2. But by that time, Ali’s
athleticism had started to deteriorate, and he lost his 58th,
60th, and 61st matches, after which he decided it was time
to quit boxing and pursue other parts of his life.

The Greatest’s fighting legacy is seen as an inspiration

to many. His political ideas and resistance, his trash talk
and catchy rhyming and his crowd-electrifying personality
and performances led to Muhammad Ali becoming one of
the best-known athletes of the 20th Century. And while he
was finished with boxing at 39 years old in 1981, he still
had plenty of vitality for him to explore and follow other
aspects of life.

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 Muhammad Ali

Chapter 4: Legacy, During

And After Boxing

While Ali was still boxing, he had started to use his

cultural influence to sway the public and to help people.
Aside from his efforts for the Civil Rights movement in
America, where he famously called the white
establishment his enemy, not the Viet Cong, he also went
around the world to spread Islam and try to help others in
general.

Starting in 1964, Ali visited Ghana. Then a decade

later, he went to a Palestinian refugee camp to speak on
behalf of the Palestinian cause. Ali, a Muslim, supported
the Palestinians in their right to a homeland and declared
so publicly. Then in 1978, he went to Bangladesh (a
Muslim majority nation carved out of former British India)
and even received honorary citizenship. This bestowment
of citizenship can attest to the international acclaim and
attractive power the boxer had accumulated through his
excellent boxing skill and dominant personality. He went
on to declare support for Native American rights, which
could be viewed as a parallel fight to the black Civil Rights
movement of the 1960s. And in 1980, he visited Kenya
where he lobbied the government to boycott the Moscow
Summer Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan.

In 1984 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome,

a disease which can be caused by head trauma and
includes symptoms such as tremors, a rigidity of

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 Phillip G. Harris

movement and the inability to stand or walk properly. Ali

endured this disease for 32 years of his life, evidencing his
strong will to live and his fierce spirit. It is thought by
many, though, that his fierce spirit that led to boxing also
led him to develop the disease, as a possible major cause is
head trauma, which clearly is part of the job description of
boxers.

He had the honor of lighting the flame for the 1996

Atlanta Summer Olympics, which signified his place as one
of the greatest American athletes. There were several
biographies published about his life, including
documentaries about his life and some of his matches.

His great performances and personality landed him a

spot on Time’s 1000 Most Important People of the 20th
Century list in 1999. He also received an award from the
BBC for the Sports Personality of the Century, and Sports
Illustrated awarded him the Sportsman of the Century
award. He even has a namesake US law, the Muhammad
Ali Boxing Reform Act (introduced in 1999 and passed in
2000) that protects the rights of boxers. This could be a
precursor to legislation protecting other contact sports
athletes, notably in the National Football League.

In the Philippines, where the famed Thrilla in Manila

took place, Ali has taken on the image of a god. Many
Filipinos still recall with awe the fight and how the bout
drew global attention to an impoverished island nation
under dictatorial rule, if only for a few days. It helped to
give a position image to the country, which had recently
been placed under martial law. The first major shopping
mall in the Philippines was even named after the man, the
―Ali Mall‖.

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 Muhammad Ali

The Greatest garnered several medals from presidents

and leaders during the 2000s and another namesake
building, The Muhammad Ali Center in downtown
Louisville, which promotes peace, respect of others, social
responsibility, and personal growth, as well as Ali
memorabilia. The center was built for $60 million and
inaugurated on November 19, 2005, which was also Ali’s
19th wedding anniversary to his fourth wife, Yolanda
Williams.

In 2013 and 2014, Ali faced death twice from medical

complications. The first time his daughter quelled the
rumors, saying he was perfectly fine. The second time, he
was hospitalized due to pneumonia and a urinary tract
infection, but he recovered from both without severe
issues. Then finally in 2016, he was stricken by a
respiratory illness that, at first, seemed to be recoverable.
However, his condition worsened and The Greatest that
ever boxed, the Butterfly Who Stung Like a Bee,
succumbed to medical complications on June 3, 2016, at
the age of 74. He was mourned worldwide and was laid to
rest at Cave Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Louisville,
Kentucky.

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 Phillip G. Harris

Chapter 5: Family,
Religion, Politics,
Humanitarian Efforts
Sporting events do not take place in a vacuum, and
many athletes become famous. As famous people,
celebrities are always asked about their opinions on social
issues, and celebrities really cannot ignore the spotlight if
they want to remain celebrities. Actors and athletes are
always questioned over personal issues, and often their
personal lives are known to the public. This was no
different in Ali’s case. He was a prominent speaker on
many issues, including politics and religion. His family life
is somewhat more guarded, though his one daughter (out
of two) also became a professional boxer. Ali never shied
from the spotlight and often relished in the idea that
people would listen to his controversial and provocative
talk. Even in the beginning, when boxers were expected to
speak through their agents instead of directly to the press,
the Greatest preferred himself to be in the spotlight. To
honor that desire, this section explores the personal life,
political leanings, religious convictions and humanitarian
movements Ali associated with himself.

Family Affairs

He charmed his way into the hearts of boxing fans

around the world, with his fast moves and imaginative
mind. Then, outside the ring of boxing, into the ring of

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 Muhammad Ali

chivalry, wearing his heavyweight champion belt of love,

Ali laid his gloves aside, and also charmed his way into
many beautiful women’s heart. Ali was married four times
and divorced three. He had seven daughters and two sons
throughout the marriages, including births from
extramarital affairs and adoptions.

This was the same man that as a teenager when his

boxing peers were ensnared by the essence of beautiful
young ladies, as they travelled to various boxing events, he
sat in the vehicle with the Holy Bible clutched to his chest.
One of Ali’s first crush was Wilma Rudolph, but he was too
shy to utter a word to her about his feelings for her. With
the turning of the hand of time, came maturity, and
confidence. His confidence was not only in his abilities as a
boxer but also in his appearance. He took pride in his
physical attributes, often saying he has a pretty face
compared to other fighters. Ali, then painted his legendary
life as one of the champions of chivalry, charming his way
into the arms and hearts of females.

Love at first sight, for they got engaged on the very

first night they met. The rising heat from the summer sun
rays and the gusting dry summer wind must have helped
to increased the fever of love for Ali, and his first wife,
Sonji Roi. Having lost her parents at an early age, which
led to her assuming the task of financially, supporting
herself Sonji started working in nightclubs. She was also
dashing enough to pursue a career as a model to assist in
satisfying her financial needs.

Basking probably, still in his great victory four months

before he returned from a visit to Africa. Ali arrived in
Chicago where he met Sonji for the first time. Their first
encounter came while Sonji was working as a cocktail

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 Phillip G. Harris

waitress. The couple first met each other in July of 1964.

She was introduced to Ali by Herbert Muhammad who was
the manager of the restaurant that she worked at the time.
Whether it was his love rhyme that created the charm or
maybe, it could have even been his strong arms, along with
his unique facial features, for Ali was able to raise the fever
of love, and swirled his way into Sonji’s heart. This Ali did
after she had captured his heart with her beauty.
Enchanted by the spell of love, the couple got engaged that
night. A couple of days later the couple was traveling to
Louisville for Sonji to meet Ali’s parents.

Blinded by love, as well as being mesmerized by his

religious beliefs of doing the right thing, the echoing bells
of a wedding rang out on August 14th, 1964 in Gary,
Indiana. That was the location that Ali, who was twenty-
two years of age at the time, wed his bride Sonji, who was
twenty-three years of age. Ali’s name was still Cassius Clay
when he got married to Sonji Roi, and so his wife’s name
was changed to Sonji Roi Clay.

Ali was very happy and proud of his spouse, Sonji. He

referred to her as his ―Pretty wife.‖Ali said he was more
relaxed and more settled. Overwhelmed with happiness,
and the thoughts of being a good husband could have been
the reason for Ali writing his quote that says: ―At home, I
am a nice guy, but I do not want the world to
know. Humble people, I have found, do not get
very far.”

The once magnificent union of love that was

intertwined with happiness started to feel the cold thrills
of unhappiness. This helped to lower the temperature of
love especially when Sonji started feeling pressured in
conforming to the principles of the Nation of Islam. This

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 Muhammad Ali

was mentioned as the main issue for the couple’s failing

relationship. Eventually, the cold chills of unhappiness
lowered the temperature of love to a freezing point,
resulting in irreconcilable differences between Ali and his
wife, Sonji. With a cloud of sadness hovering over the
couple, there was only one thing left for them to do, and
that was to file for a divorce in January 1966.

The union between Ali and Sonji produced no

children. However, Sonji after her divorce from Ali later
remarried, and the union between Sonji’s second marriage
produced two sons. Sonji returned to Chicago and
launched her career as a singer. On October 11, 2005, Sonji
was found dead by her nephew, and it seemed she died
from natural causes.

Even though his first marriage was short-lived being

only two years from 1964 to 1966. His second and third
marriages both lasted about a decade, with his third wife,
Veronica Porché Ali, being the mistress that upset his
second wife, Belinda Boyd Ali before the fight in Manila.

Love is in the air, and a lot to share for once again the
wings of love found its resting place in Ali’s heart. The
pressure of love took a toll on the portal of his heart, and
his knees had no choice but to succumbed to the strength
of his love. So, he visited his future bride’s parents home to
asked for her hand in marriage. It was only a year after his
divorce from his first wife Sonji Roi when Ali tied the knot
with Belinda Boyd.

The aroma of freshly baked bread excited the taste

buds and saturated the nasal passage of residents on the
South Side of Chicago in Kentucky, as they yearned for the
hot delicacy. However, there was one individual that the

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 Phillip G. Harris

aroma from the freshly, baked loaves of bread did not

entice as much as the other residents because he is
enthralled with the redolence of a young beautiful black
lady.

Having been recently divorced, he was hungry, and on

the hunt for a new love. Then he gently, rest his chiseled
frame against the counter of the bakery where she worked,
and as his words slowly, shuddered love for him in her
heart, he knew at that exact moment that his hunting was
over, for he had found his full of love once again.

Having caught the love bug, one year after he first saw
her, on August 1967, they both became husband and wife.
The wedding ceremony was held in the living room of their
then two bedrooms house, which was a gift from the
Nation of Islam. She was seventeen years’ of age at the
time of their marriage, and he was approximate eight
years’ older than her. When they said their wedding vows,
his bride’s name was Belinda Boyd, but shortly after they
got married Belinda changed her name.

Belinda changed her name from Belinda Boyd to

Khalilah Camacho-Ali. She was already a devoted Muslin
because it was the same faith that her parents had shared.
Khalilah’s father was a lieutenant in the Nation of Islam.
She was a trained karate expert, and because of her
defending skills, she worked as one of the bodyguards for
Elijah Muhammad, the forefather for the Nation of Islam.

A year after their marriage the couple made

arrangements to welcome a new addition to their family,
for their union produced Ali’s first daughter. Maryum Ali
was born in 1968. She is Ali’s first child and the first of his
nine children. Two years’ later the couple welcomed their

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 Muhammad Ali

second and third children. Twin daughters Jamillah and

Rasheda Ali were born in 1970.

For better or for worse were a few words from their

wedding vows, but Khalilah definitely, stayed with Ali
through his worst. Khalilah supported her husband
through his most difficult time of being banned from
boxing for three years. When things escalated to worst,
and there was no money to support the family, Khalilah
never hesitated to use the money she had saved for college.
She kept the fact that she was using her college funds to
support the family a secret from Ali because she never
wanted to bruise the male ego of her husband being that
he was not able to financially, support the family.

Ali faced uncertainty about his career during his time

of not being able to box and was depressed most of the
time. Khalilah became a living prove that what is said of
behind every successful man there is a virtuous woman is
true. Her efforts were relentless in keeping things together
for her family and motivating her husband in every
possible way that she could. Even if inspiring her husband
meant to provoke his anger a little. Once after Ali’s three
years’ boxing ban was completed, and he became
lackadaisical in training she got a T-shirt printed. The T-
shirt had the words ―I Am The Greatest‖ to the front, and
at the back, it had the words, ―George Foreman.‖

She successfully balanced the task of being his

planner, bookkeeper, devoted wife and mother to their
children. Khalilah booked speaking engagements for Ali in
various colleges in the United States. Those activities were
to assist in keeping him motivated, as he tried to conquer
the challenges of not being able to do his boxing.

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 Phillip G. Harris

Destiny could very well have been at the heart of Ali’s

three years banned from boxing because he got the chance
to developed, as well as introduced his other skill in the
eyes of the public. The speaking engagements he did must
have also provided a booster for his confidence. They
showcased his talent as an inspirational speaker and
served as the starting point to his later career as a
philanthropist. During these thought-provoking years of
his life Ali, embodied his quote when he said; ―The pain
you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow.
For every challenge encountered there is an
opportunity for growth.”

Regardless that the couple got married during the

most difficult time in Ali’s career they still had their
memorable moments. After his three years’ ban, they did
travel to many parts of the world. The couple travelled to
more than a hundred countries, and met with
approximately, fifty heads of state. The fifty heads of state
are inclusive of Queen Elizabeth, Anwar Sadat from Egypt,
Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, Jean-Claude Duvalier of Hati,
Michael Manley of Jamaica, Muhammad Zia Al-Haq of
Pakistan, King Faisal and King Fahd, an Islamic scholar.
Ali and Khalilah even had the chance of meeting the King
of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. They also met
another famous individual who was a singer, actor, and
producer. His name was Frank Sinatra. They appeared on
the cover of Ebony Magazine more than once.

Then the feelings of love that floated like a butterfly

started to sting like a bee in the heart of Khalilah when
Ali’s infidelities began to unravel. 1974 was the year
Khaliah gave birth to the couple’s fourth child and first son
of Ali. However, in that very same year, another young
lady gave birth to Ali’s sixth child. She gave birth to a

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 Muhammad Ali

daughter name Khaliah. The woman’s name was Wanda

Bolton. She later changed her name to Aaisha Ali. Aaisha
Ali was sixteen years of age at the time when she gave birth
to Ali’s daughter Khaliah. Ali’s fourth daughter Miya was
birth reportedly, by a woman named Patricia Harvell in
1972.

From Mistress to Mrs in an escalated love triangle. She

became the new thriller for his heart and the killer of his
marriage. The pain Khalilah felt from Ali introducing his
mistress as his wife in the Philippines led to a very an
immense rumble and then the crumble of his second
marriage.

He was training for the Rumble in the Jungle fight, but

he took a swing over to the Jungle of love using the liana of
lust, with a leaf of beauty, which was rooted in adultery. By
1974 the essence of the then eighteen years of age young
lady named Veronica Porsche was a lure to Ali’s heart, and
he could not resist the temptation of a new love. Ali and
Veronica met in September 1974 at the airport in Salt Lake
City. He met her while she was working as one of the four
young ladies chosen to be poster girls to promote the fight
between him and George Foreman. With an invitation
from Ali, Veronica flew to Kinshasa, Zaire to watch the
bout between him and Foreman.

Only a year later, with just a few minutes before his

fight in Manila, someone punched a hole in Ali’s secret. It
was a defining moment in her husband’s career as he was
about to win another title. She anxiously was watching the
televised sequence of events, but one event left her in
astonishment and fury. There were rumors, but those
rumors turned into facts. Rumors surfaced that Ali was
masquerading another woman around as his wife.

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 Phillip G. Harris

Subsequently, Khalilah saw Ali and his other woman on

television when he was introduced to Ferdinand Marcos
who was the president of the Philippines in 1975.
Unexpectedly, Khalilah turned up in the Philippines. Then
there was an exchange of heat between her, and Ali for
approximately fifteen minutes in his hotel room. It was
definitely, not a heat of passion, but one of angry words for
his adulterous act. The argument between the couple took
place a few minutes before the fight with Frazier.

Ali divorced Khalilah in 1977 and married Veronica the

same year. The bell of pain rang consistently, during the
divorce of Khalilah and Ali. He moved to live in an
apartment approximately a mile away from Khalilah, and
the children. His new home, however, was only ten
minutes away from where Veronica lived. Once Khalilah
had to make a petition to the Nation of Islam to prohibit
Ali from entering the mosque that she worshiped. Khalilah
made the request after Ali started chaperoning Veronica to
the same mosque that she and the children were attending.
The petition from Khalilah was granted by the Nation of
Islam.

Khalilah even though she was infuriated, and hurt by

her husband’s betrayal when the opportunity presented
itself for her to be very bitter towards him, she did not do
so. This was demonstrated when the judge ordered that Ali
paid her lifetime alimony, but instead, she settled for five
years’ of payments. In summation, the money Ali paid to
her over the five years’ was six hundred and seventy
thousand dollars. She was awarded a large home in the
suburb of Chicago, and a Rolls-Royce. Khalilah refused the
Rolls-Royce when she discovered that Ali had allowed his
mistress Veronica to drive it. Ali also opened a trust fund
of one million dollars for the children.

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 Muhammad Ali

After the dust of the divorce was settled, which blew

some of Khalilah’s hurt away, she suggested that they both
could have a relationship of good friends. This good
friends relationship came with conditions. Some of the
conditions of their new relationship, which were put forth
by Khalilah, was that when she took the children to visit
him, his mistresses must show her respect. She said it
would even be better if they made themselves scarce when
she came to visit.

Khalilah’s life after her marriage had dissolved with Ali

took her on an adventure down the aisle of love, which led
to three other failed marriages. Her second marriage was
to a salesman from Chicago in 1981 named Muhammad
Mustafa Ali. In the twinkling of an eye, the couple fell in
love, got married, after three months Khalilah and
Muhammad Mustafa Ali were divorced.

An arrow from Cupid pierced her heart for the third

time, and Khalilah wed Antar Ali in 1984. Antari Ali
worked as a security guard. He certainly did protect the
arrow Cupid sent to both Khalilah and his heart for they
indulged in an undiluted five days of romance. Then they
got married. Sadly, during that same year, the arrow cupid
had sent to both their hearts fell, and their relationship
ended in a divorce as well.

They say a woman reaches her best when her heart is

put to the ultimate test of love. Therefore, in 1989 once
again a love arrow flew to Khalilah’s chest. She got married
to a Puerto Rican named Rene Camacho. Rene worked as a
removal man. The couple’s union produced two daughters.
Then, after four years of marriage, that relationship also
ended in a divorce.

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In an attempt to breathe her own success air, with a

chance to distance herself from the cluster of hurt that had
accrued during her marriage to Ali, Khalilah sought new
ventures. Shortly, after her divorce, Khalilah had also
taken a ride to Tinseltown, the city that created movie
stars, Hollywood. She wanted to star a scene in her life
using her abilities to achieve her very own success and
fame. With her new burning desire, Khalilah left the
children in the care of her parents in pursuit of her
dreams, and the chance to create a better life for herself.
The glitter of success and fame never filtered into her life
as she had initially, percieved. She only got small roles in a
few films such as a witness in some episodes of Hawaii 5-
O, and she was apart of the cast of a variety show starring
the Jacksons. With years’ passing and the success she had
envisaged not glittering in her life, she returned to
Chicago.

Over the years there have been rumors of Khalilah

having financial struggles, but she has never publicly,
admitted it. She sold the home she had in Chicago after a
bank in 2001 attempted to make foreclosure on her home.

In 2008, the only known warmth Khalilah enjoyed was

that of the warm weather that the state of Florida provided
her. She resided in a flat that she had rented in Florida.
Returning to the type of job that had led to her meeting the
legend, Khalilah worked as a waitress at the Mount Sinai
Hospital, which is a private institution. Before Khalilah
began working at the Mount Sinai Hospital, she worked in
the nutrition department of another hospital.

Khalilah is no longer in pursuit of riches or fame, but

just the treasures of wisdom, and serenity that
contentment brings to one’s life. She has since returned to

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Chicago with a desire to venture into the world of acting

once more. She continues with the trade of photography,
which she had started after her divorce to Ali. Additionally,
she has written as well as self-published her book entitled
―Outro‖ and co-starred in the 2013 movie ―The Trials of
Muhammad Ali.‖

With the clearing of the smoke from Ali’s divorce to

Khalilah, and with the flames of his love for Veronica
blazing, it was time for them to hear the ringing bells of
their wedding. Summer of 1977 Ali and Veronica got
married at the Presidential Compound in N’Sele Los
Angeles. Their marriage was done in accordance with the
Islamic traditions. At the time of their wedding, Veronica
had already given birth to a daughter for Ali. Their
daughter was ten months old when the couple wed. Her
name is Hana Yasmeen Ali who was born in March of
1976. Veronica was also three months pregnant with their
second child. Their second daughter, Laila Ali was born on
December 30, 1977.

The unsolved public mystery is if there was a mistress

because the new gossip jingle is that Ali is about to be
single. Ali’s nine years’ of marriage to Veronica had
crumbled with no known reason stated to the public. Then,
in 1986, Ali divorced Veronica and married his fourth and
final wife, Yolanda Williams, who was his wife until his
death in 2016.

Veronica found her share of love for the second time,

which was six years after her divorce to Ali. Jazz artist and
actor, Carl Anderson was the gentleman that mended
Veronica’s, broken heart. The couple got married in 1992;
however, the arms of death stole him from Veronica in
2004. Carl died from leukemia.

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Veronica has enjoyed a few experiences in her acting

career. She appeared in the 1986 film Terror on Alcatraz,
playing the role of a tour guide, named Ranger Emily. Also
appearing as herself in Intimate Portrait: Laila Ali (2001) a
made-for-TV documentary.

In sickness and with wealth, until death do us part,

bitter but not better. The previous statement may very well
be the sentiments that some are sharing about Ali’s fourth
wife, Yolanda ―Lonnie‖ Williams Ali.

Six years of age, and intrigued by the height of a young

man that she saw for the first time. The little girl asked her
mother; ―Who is that big man?‖ to, which her mother
replied; ―That is Cassius Clay.‖ This all took place in May
of the year 1963, in Louisville Kentucky. Almost twenty-
seven years’ later, on November 19, 1986, that little girl,
had grown so that she was able to stand on the same
height as the big man. She had a new question to ask the
big man, and that question was; ―Will you promise to love
me until death do us apart?‖ He gave her a resounding
reply of; ―Yes!‖

Ali’s nurse, trusted friend, and last wife Yolanda

―Lonnie‖ Williams Ali was that little girl, over fifty years’
ago, who became intrigued with his body frame.

It was at the age of seventeen that destiny poked

Lonnie, and the intrusive feeling overpowered her that one
day, she would become Mrs. Yolanda Williams Ali. Lonnie,
who had love trapped in her heart for Ali during all those
years, must have found it a welcome relief to finally, be
with the one she has truly loved. The couple got married
two years’ after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Disease.

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She also converted from Catholicism to Islam to please

Ali during her twenties. Inspired by God and her husband,
Lonnie believes God does not give us more than we can
bear. Even though it might be difficult when you are going
through the situation, difficult situations are what will help
to build inner strength. She said having to care for her
husband have made her a stronger woman. Lonnie also
believes there is wisdom to gain in a struggle, which could
not be acquired through any other medium. Lonnie also
holds the belief that burdens sometimes make us come to
the realization that we are humans, and need the help of a
higher power.

Lonnie said her husband never complained about his

illness. Ali, she said always have a positive attitude about
life, the human condition, other people, and our ultimate
reward. These are the reasons she said Ali still rises.
Lonnie also believes that one of the reasons Ali is still
considered the ―Greatest‖ is because of what he represent
to so many people around the world. In summation she
said; ―It is humanity to others that makes him the greatest
in the hearts, and minds of many.‖

For the few times his illness provided him with the
relief long enough for him to speak, he would ask to be
placed in front of the computer. Ali would communicate
with his grandson, Nico Ali Walsh, using Skype on his
computer. In the simple things of life, which others often
take for granted brought Ali great joy.

Lonnie does not have any children of her own, but she
and Ali adopted a son together. The name of Lonnie and
Ali’s adopted son is Asaad Amin. He was adopted by the
couple when he was only five months old.

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Angry words are swirling, hatred is brewing, and

fingers are pointing, all in the direction of Lonnie. Lonnie
is blamed for the failing relationships with some of Ali’s
bloodline.

While there are those throwing negatives at Lonnie,

others are singing praises about her. Their praises are for
the devotion she has shown to her husband during his
thirty-two years’ fight with Parkinson’s Disease, and for
assisting in snatching him from the palm of bankruptcy.

It is not unusual that in a large family that is inclusive

of ex-wives, there will be some feud in the family. In Ali’s
family this may very well be the case. It would seem that
most of those that are throwing the negative words at
Lonnie are those in dire need of Ali’s financial assistance.
Then, the ones that are singing praises about her have
created their own success path.

Lonnie’s dream is to carry on Ali’s legacy. She wants to

mark the lines of history books as the loyal wife, mother
and the preserver of her husband’s legacy. She also hopes
she can help to make this world a better place.

Lonnie does not believe that her husband legacy

belongs to just her, and his children, or other bloodlines.
She believes that his legacy belongs to the world too. Her
husband she said have left large footprints in the world.
Ali’s footpaths are made up of indelible marks that are rich
in love, wisdom, life lessons and human kindness. Lonnie
is resilient in her passion to preserve her husband’s legacy
that she believes that by not preserving his legacy, would
almost be sinful. She believes that among the many gifts
that God has given the world, was Muhammad Ali, a

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special gift to this world from God. Ali’s life is marked with
many life lessons that can inspire the rest of us.

It is Lonnie’s burning desire to preserve her husband’s

legacy that has left her with some negative punches of
words from some relatives of Ali. Lonnie has power of
attorney for her husband’s property, and she has been
exercising her power.

It is an all gloves off dispute between Lonnie, and

those that are throwing her negative words of punches.
Some of the negative words of punches that have hit
Lonnie is that she had always set her eyes on Ali, with the
intention that she must have him. She moved into an
apartment shortly after Ali started having symptoms of
Parkinson’s Disease. Lonnie then willingly offered her
services as a nurse to Ali. She did all this while Ali was still
married to his third wife, Veronica. They are trying to
knockout Lonnie with the punch that she only got married
to Ali so that she could have his money.

Lonnie seems to be throwing some heavy punches of

her own. Ali’s son Muhammad Ali Jr is accusing Lonnie of
preventing him from seeing his father for the last two years
that his father was alive. Ali’s daughter Kiiursti Mensah
Ali who was born from an extramarital affair he had with
the young lady’s mother for twenty years. Kiiursti said
that a paternity test conducted in 1988 that proved that
she is indeed the child of Muhammad Ali. Ali accepted her,
and gave permission for his name to be added to her birth
certificate. She said her dad use to come and visit her
frequently, but after he got married to Lonnie things
drastically, changed. Then, after awhile Kiiursti was not
able to see her father. The blame for this, she has laid
solely at Lonnie’s feet.

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Rahman, Ali’s younger brother, was sent a jaw

dropping blow when Lonnie got law enforcers to remove
him from the Clay’s family home. After the death of
Muhammad and Rahman’s mother Odessa Clay, Rahman
facing financial struggles decided to move into the Clay’s
family home. The deed for the Clay’s family home was left
in Muhammad’s name. Being that Lonnie has power of
attorney, she had Rahman evicted from the home. After
she had discovered that he left taking some of the furniture
that were in the Clay’s family home, she used the law to
recover the missing furniture as well.

Separate from being a loyal wife and nurse to Ali,

Lonnie is also credited for the handling of Ali’s finances. In
2006 Ali and Lonnie had to sell eighty percent of his
copyright to his image, and name to a company for fifty
million dollars.

Ali had a company by the name of GOAT LLC, which

saw him earning millions of dollars annually. An acronym
for his trademark phrase ―Greatest Of All Times‖ was the
company’s title. His earnings came from entering contracts
with companies such as Adidas and Electronic Art. CKX is
the company that paid to own eighty percent of Ali’s
copyright in his organization. Robert Sillerman is the chief
executive officer of CKX, and it is a publicly traded New
York based company.

The sale of some of Ali’s copyright was done to provide

leverage for Ali’s alleged failing finances. His failing
finances is blamed on his kind heart that would not stop
giving to those in need, along with some unfortunate
business decisions taken by Ali, himself.

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The highly publicized sum from the sale of his

copyright may have caused the re-spill of bad blood
between Lonnie and Ali’s relatives. Lonnie has proven that
she will be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to
Ali’s legacy. She will get one of her desires. Lonnie will
forever be recorded in the books of history, as the devoted
wife, nurse and trusted friend of one of the greatest
humans to grace the face of this earth.

There are no known infidelities of Ali while he was

married to his fourth wife, Lonnie. Ali not committing
adultery could have been one of the reasons for the
marriage between him and his fourth wife lasting that
long. Also, his battle with Parkinson’s Disease may have
helped as well. Ali had realized what his infamous acts of
infidelity caused the ones that are dearest to his heart. The
consequences of his actions during his blissful years’ have
left some very painful scars in many of his family
member’s heart. Reflecting upon the pain he has caused,
could have been the reason he had implemented a strategy
to remind himself not to repeat his past mistakes. Ali said;
―I don’t smoke, but I keep a box of match in my pocket.
When my heart slips towards a sin, I burn a match stick
and heat the palm of my hand. Then I say to myself: Ali if
you can’t even bear this heat, how will you bear the
unbearable heat of hell?‖ (Safiyah, 2017)

Ali was a fighter in sickness, and in good health. He

knocked out Parkinson’s Disease because he never made it
lose the best part of him. The best part of him was his
ability to love unconditionally while remaining humble. He
was a true champion of love and life.

Out of nine children, one of them became a somewhat

famous female boxer, Laila Ali. Previously Ali had spoken

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out against women being boxers, but his daughter ended

up going on to fight 24 matches. She started fighting when
she was 18 in 1999 and ended her boxing career in 2007,
earning an undefeated boxing record of 24 wins and even
accumulating 21 knockouts

Ali’s Children

Ali’s children all have different career paths. It appears

some of Ali’s children are garnering some major
spotlights. However, none have amassed the level of
spotlight that their father had so openly enjoyed.

His first daughter Maryum who is more affectionately,

called ―May, May‖ had once told her dad, when he asked
her what she wanted to become that she wanted to help
people too. Her passion for helping others has placed her
in the spotlight. Though she is not at the same level as her
father, she seems to be the one generating the most
spotlight out of all of Ali’s nine children. Maryum has
made appearances on various international media
networks namely, BBC, BET, ESPN, Centric, Lifetime,
CNN, FOX, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, Hallmark, A&E, and Al
Jazeera.

Maryum passion for helping others is actualized

through her various career choices. For twelve years’ she
provided the best dose of medicine for humans, and that is
laughter, with a career as a stand-up comedian. She
worked at the ―The Comedy Store‖ in Hollywood. Maryum
graced the stage alongside other famous comedians such
as Chris Rock, Jim Carey and Martin Lawrence.

They say when the music hits you, you will feel no
pain. Maryum tried to soothe and inspire the mind, body,
and soul of people with her aspiring career as a rapper.

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―The Introduction‖ is the name of Maryum album released

in 1992 by Scottie Brother’s Record label.

It was time to get hardcore and roll among the

gangsters in her bid to help others. So Maryum went
undercover in a docu-series entitled ―60 Days Under‖ aired
on A&E. She volunteered to enter a prison system for sixty
days as an inmate. Maryum went undercover to discover
any illegal activities operating in the jail, and also for a
first-hand experience of how inmates are treated. The
program is done to improve the prison system and assist
prisoners if any possible irregularities are discovered.
Maryum had to dodge one obvious danger for those sixty
days as an inmate. The organizers of the 60 Days Under
feared that her cover would be blown at any time, if
anyone recognized that she was the great Muhammad Ali’s
daughter. Fortunately, for her that never happened.

Maryum have since settled for a less dangerous means

of assisting individuals. She has attended college,
graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, which
she had finished with Magna Cum Laude. While pursuing
her studies, she also worked as a mediator in Las Vagas,
Nevada at the Clark County Social Services,
Neighbourhood Justice Center. The family seems to be the
center of Maryum’s heart because she has worked in
various capacities, which allowed her to interact with over
three hundred families.

Maryum during her time of employment at the Major’s

office in Los Angeles served in the position of a Regional
Manager for Gang Reduction and Youth Development in
that city. She has fifteen years’ experience working in
Family Development, and Delinquency Prevention.
Recently, she co-piloted a non-profit fundraising program

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with Nason Buchanan. The program is known as DMTL.

This program is to assist in gang prevention and youth
development. Maryum is also one of the spokespersons for
Team Parkinson, and The Parkinson Unity Walk.

She is also a renowned author in the genre of

children’s picture book. Her book is entitled; ―Shook Up
The World: The Incredible Life of Muhammad Ali‖. The
book was written based on events in her father’s life that
inspired her.

Maryum may never have entered a real boxing ring,

but she is certainly, throwing some great punches when it
comes to her humanitarian work. With her every effort she
has thoroughly demonstrated that in her heart, and mind
is the desire to help create a better life, as well as a better
future for humans. Two of her most powerful tools are
effective communication and the sharing of information.
These two tools she uses to inspire and create awareness.

Jamillah, Rasheda, Maryum and Muhammad Jr Ali

after the divorce of their parents had to live with their
mother’s parents. They did not get to see either of their
parents regularly, but when their father came around, they
knew it was always like a holiday for them.

Jamillah and Rasheda said as children they did not

recognize how famous their father was. They just knew Ali
was their dad and he was fun to be around. One thing was
for sure was that Rasheda and Jamillah never liked
sharing their father’s affection with anyone. They said not
even with their other siblings, or any of his fans that would
haphazardly, pull out a chair, and joined them when they
were having dinner in a public place.

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Rasheda and Jamillah actually understood the level of

fame their father had since they became adults. Rasheda
said that she rented eight tapes of her father’s past fights,
and watch every one of them. They also got a deeper
insight into the kind of man their father was through
books that are written about him.

Rasheda is an internationally renowned motivational

speaker, author, and Parkinson’s Disease Advocate.
Inspired by her father’s struggles with Parkinson’s Disease
and her children, Rasheda wrote a book entitled; ―I’ll Hold
Your Hand, So You Won’t Fall – Child’s Guide To
Parkinson’s Disease‖ Her book is translated into four
different languages. The languages that her book is
interpreted into are French, Spanish, English, and Polish.
Her book has received reviews from credible, and
influential sources such as USA Book News, Actor, and
Parkinson’s Disease Advocate Michael J. Fox. She also
received a good review from Medical Editor for ABC News,
Dr. Timothy Johnson. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science
Degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois.

Rasheda has travelled extensively, through her work of

advocating for stem cell research. This she does to
generate awareness and to raise funds for neurocognitive
disorder. She has travelled to South Africa, New Zealand,
Argentina, Buenos Aires, Poland, Canada, Paris, Madrid,
London, as well as all over the United States spreading
hope and giving encouragement to families affected by this
disorder. She serves as an Honorary Chairperson for the
Florida Coalition To Cure Parkinson’s Disease. She is
serving at various organizations in her efforts to assist
others. Some of the organizations at which she is serving
are; Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center at Barrow

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Neurological Institute, as a Patron for the EPDA, and she

is also serving at the Advisory Board Member of
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, a leading Biotech company.

She is also a member of Screen Actors Guild, and The

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Rasheda has served as Host, Writer, and Producer for her
celebrity access show in Las Vegas. She served as Celebrity
Emcee for the Martin Luther King Jr Parade, The Ms.
Arizona Pageant, and the Women In Business Awards.

Rasheda has made international and national

appearances on a few shows. Some of the programs that
she has appeared on are: ―The Insider with Pat O’Brien,‖
―Dateline With Katie Couric,‖ ―Your World With Neil
Cavuto,‖ New York Nightly News With Chuck
Scarborough,‖ News Nation with Tamron Hall and
Geraldo at Large on Fox News.‖ ―Dateline With Katie
Couric,‖ ―Good Morning America,‖ ―The Joy Reid show on
MSNBC,‖ and CNN’s Special ―Daughters Of Legacy.‖

Rasheda is married to Robert Anthony Walsh. She

enjoyed her Muslim wedding. She arrived in a carriage,
which was drawn by horses to attend her wedding
ceremony.

Boxing, the gene that seems to have a fitting in each

generation. Rasheda’s son could be the next Ali that
maintains the family boxing legacy. The teen has already
started his career as a boxer. Ali shared a lot of advice with
Nico. He is training six days per week, working out for two
and half hours each day. Nico has his grandfather’s huge
footprints to step into, but with the talent, he is
demonstrating, he will be able to make his own imprint.

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Jamillah is an employee at the Illinois Secretary of

State’s Office, and she is married to a former senator from
Illinois, son. Her husband’s name is Jeremiah Joyce. He is
a lawyer and a former fighter known as ―Irish Mike Joyce.‖
Joyce assists in promoting young boxers through a club
located at Chicago Leo Catholic High School.

In every family, there is that one person who seems to

wear the tag of an outcast compared to the other family
members. In Muhammad Ali’s family, Muhammad Ali Jr
has been sporting that tag.

Muhammad Ali Jr said that as a child he was the

targeted punching bag for other teenagers, who just
wanted to take pleasure from knowing, they have beaten
the great Muhammad Ali’s son. Out of all his father’s
children, he is the one that is carrying the burden of not
having a bonding relationship with his father during his
youthful years.

Recently, his scars have been irritated by his step-

mother. Lonnie is blamed for depriving him of some of the
precious time he could have spent with his dad.
Muhammad Ali Jr also believes that his father’s adopted
son receives better treatment, and have benefited more
from his father’s finances. He blames Lonnie for all of this.

Muhammad Ali Jr is said to finding it extremely,

difficult to provide for his wife and two children. However,
regardless of his struggles in the past, and presently, he
loves his father. He had gotten the opportunity to spend
some time with his father. The time Muhammad Ali Jr

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spent with his father was before the two years that his
step-mother prevented him from seeing his father.

The playful youth never died with age in Muhammad

Ali. His daughter Khaliah said that her father knew about
the major crush she used to have for Kevin Costner. One
day her dad got one of his friends to pretend to be Kevin
Costner, and he went over to Khaliah’s home. She thought
it was Kevin Costner, and feeling scared to meet her crush;
she locked herself in her bathroom for approximately,
twenty minutes. Only to discover later that her father had
pulled a fast one on her.

Over the years Khaliah struggled with her body weight,

but no matter what her body weight was, her father let her
feel loved. He would always reassure her that she was
beautiful regardless of her body weight. Khaliah was
assured of her dad’s love even when he was very concern
about her health because at age thirty-two she was
weighing three hundred, and thirty-five pounds.

Khaliah was trying to find comfort while struggling

with her body weight used words like; ―I was built like my
father. I was built like the heavyweight champion of the
world.‖ She has lost weight and written her book entitled;
―Fighting Weight‖ in which she shared insights about
weight loss.

Ali had wed Khaliah’s mother in an Islamic ceremony,

which was pronounced by Elijah Muhammad. Her mother
took her when she was a baby to live in a cabin in Deer
Lake. Ali’s Pennsylvania training camp is located near
Deer Lake.

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Ali’s second wife Khalilah was aware of the

relationship between Khaliah’s mother, and her husband.
She said both ladies used to care for each other’s children,
and had even developed a very friendly relationship.

Charity with no limitation is what Miya saw

throughout the time she spent with her father as a child.
She said he would sometimes take homeless people to
come and live with him at his home.

The words that rolled so easily off her tongue to

describe her father are; ―He is a giver. He loves people. He
loves children. He is an ambassador of the United
Nations.‖ Miya spent most of her time as a child with her
mom, and like some of Ali’s other children, she too did not
know how famous her father was.
She said it was not until when she saw him lit the torch
to open the 1996 Olympic Games that she realized he was
very famous.

There is no better way to discover a man’s real

character than to hear the ones he has touched with his
love, for whom he had also been their primary source of
joy, and laughter speaks of him. Hana will allow her father
to hit the soul of your heart, leaving you with moments of
joy, and laughter through the fun memories she has of her
time with him.

Muhammad Ali’s entire story is a box of motivation,

but when it comes to his love for humans especially, his
family and his humility, one has to be moved by the spirit
and memories of this outstanding person.

The most humbling and lovable part of Ali can be

found in his relationship with his children. Hana and her

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sister were born close to when Ali would retire. He would

take them everywhere that he went. Ali had the kind of
spirit that can lit any room he enters, whether through his
poetic lines, his confidence, and in his later years, his
humility.

Hana recalls some of her father’s fun dramatic, way of

doing things. When he wanted to light the wood in the
fireplace in his office, he would take a piece of paper from
his notebook. Then, Ali would go into the kitchen and lit
the piece of paper. He would then run with the burned
paper from the kitchen, back to his office, while holding
little Hana’s hand as she ran beside him. In the evenings
when Hana and her sister got home from school he was
there waiting on them. He would chase them around the
house, wearing different kinds of Halloween costumes,
even when it was not Halloween. He was always
performing magic tricks for them, and even in the middle
of the night when she wanted popsicles he would get it for
her. She said when she begged him long enough, though.
Hana believes her dad went for the popsicles just to get her
to stop asking him. He would have dinner with Hana and
her sister every evening. His favourite meal was
cheeseburger and ice cream. He would even finish their
vegetables for them when they did not want to have their
vegetables. He valued even their little scribblings that they
did as a child. He kept all of them, telling them that they
were very valuable.

No dignitary or a good friend could distract Ali from

spending time and playing with his children. Regularly,
Michael Jackson along with his monkey Bubbles would
visit Ali’s home, but Ali still had his kids with him. The
playful atmosphere that Ali always created with his
children, even had his good friend John Travolta joining

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the fun. John Travolta once jumped up and down on

Laila’s bed with her. The next day when Laila’s loose tooth
fell out, she told people that John Travolta had knocked
her tooth out.

Ali, observing the impact his success and fame had on

his children, had to give them a lesson in humility. He told
them that all people are equal and that they were not
better than anyone. Even though they were Muslims, they
were taught by Ali to respect all religion because he
believed that all religion held some truth. Ali told them
that the truest religion was the religion of the heart. They
learned the art of sharing to the extent that they started
using their lunch money to purchase food for the needy.
They were inspired to do so, because of the acts of
kindness they saw their father did.

He enjoyed making people happy, along with the

positive impact he made in their lives. Hana recalls driving
in the car with her dad, and as people started recognizing
that it was him in the car, he pressed his nose against the
glass in the window of the car, as he smiled and waved to
everyone.

Ali taught his children a poem about friendship that he

had written that says; ―Friendship is a priceless gift that
cannot be bought nor sold. But its value is far greater than
a mountain of gold. For gold is cold and lifeless, it can
neither see nor hear. In time of trouble, it is powerless to
cheer.‖

Ali loved all his kids, and he ensured that they all knew
each other. His big dream was to build a home that was
large enough to accommodate all his children. Sadly, he
died not ever being able to accomplish that goal.

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Hana had helped her dad in writing his autobiography

entitled; ―The Soul of A Butterfly.‖ Hana started writing
poems during her two years of college. Then she wanted to
give her father something special for Father’s Day.
Knowing her father’s love for books, Hana decided to write
a book about him. After she had completed the book, she
showed it to her mother, who thought it was really good.
Hana’s mother called a friend of hers, and that is how her
book got published. The friend that her mother had shown
her book to eventually became her agent. The name of
Hana’s book that she did for her father is ―More Than A
Hero: Muhammad Life’s Lessons Presented Through His
Daughter’s Eyes.‖ Hana’s book was published in 2000 by
Pocket Books.

Kevin Casey, an MMA fighter is the man that has

captured Hana’s, heart. The couple got married in 2013
after Kevin went to ask her dad for her hand in marriage.
Hana said her father gave his approval more as he admired
Kevin’s chiseled frame. She said her dad said; ―He is
looking good. He is in good shape.‖ Hana worked briefly,
as a teacher in Los Angeles in the 90’s. She is employed as
a freelance writer at CNN. Hana says she is proud to be an
Ali and proud to have the great Muhammad Ali blood
running through her veins.

Eight with the faith, to be known as one of boxing

great, for she went through the professional boxing gate.
The only child of Muhammad Ali that dares to take up
boxing as a profession is his eighth child, Laila Ali.

Trouble in the teens, when temper is high, an angry

word will surely fly. Parents not knowing how to control
their troubled child will seek help from a detention center
for a juvenile. From juvenile detention center to walking

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the aisles of the Santa Monica College. Laila during her

teens spent some time in a juvenile detention center. It
did not take long for her to get her priorities straight
because at the age of sixteen she was working as a
manicurist. Later she enrolled, and successfully,
completed her Bachelor’s Degree in business at the Santa
Monica College.

Laila was a thriving entrepreneur, having owned a nail

salon, but decided to leave her business to follow her
passion for boxing. Her passion for boxing was ignited at
the age of eighteen, after watching a fight on television
between the 2 women boxers Deidre Gogarty and Christy
Martin in 1996.

Her mind was made up, and there was no stopping her
now. She had her discussion with her father, who was not
in agreement with her entering the boxing arena.
However, after she assured him that she would only be
fighting other females, and never a male, his reluctance
decreased. Laila next step was letting the world know that
another Ali had professionally, taken up a boxing glove.
Good Morning America, hosted by Diane Sawyers, was
where Laila made her first public announcement that she
was going to become a professional boxer.

A turning point in her life, lights, camera, and thirty-

one seconds of action told the world another great Ali
boxer is about reign again. Laila knocked out her critic’s
doubts about her becoming a fighter, after round one, and
she was declared the winner of her first match. Her critic’s
doubts would be laid to rest through the remainder of
Laila’s illustrious boxing career. Laila’s father punched an
indelible dent in boxing history for Ali men, and she was
about to do the same for Ali females.

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On October 8th, in the year 1999 at the age of twenty-

one, Laila stepped into the ring to fight her first opponent.
The match was at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New
York. The name of her opponent was April Fowler. West
Virginia Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort was
the place that Laila met with her second opponent. That
time her opponent’s name was Shandina Pennybaker.
Declared, the winner for the second time, was Laila Ali.

Eight is definitely, a sign of the great. For eight

consecutive matches, Laila was declared the winner. The
resurrection of an Ali in the boxing arena drove boxing
fans crazy with excitement. They all had an unquenchable
desire that could only be satisfied by a re-match of history.
One in which they could watch an Ali vs Frazier or Ali vs
Foreman.

History treasures it, boxing fans will never forget it,

sponsors want a repeat of it, and time is about to produce a
replay with a next generation. Just a little over two decades
ago, their fathers met in the Rumble in the Jungle, and
Thrilla in Manila.

This generation has also worked for it, boxing fans are
craving for it, time is waiting on the organizers, and history
is ready to record it. Only one of them was sure she would
be in the ring, and that person was Laila Ali. She anxiously
awaited the announcement, if she would be marking the
lines of history with Freeda Foreman or Jacqui Frazier-
Lyde. These young ladies were daughters of Laila’s father
former boxing adversaries George Foreman and Joe
Frazier.

The organizers finally did their job, the time was clear,
history along with boxing fans was eagerly awaiting the

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outcome. Ali vs Frazier IV June 8th, 2001 at Turning

Stone Resort and Casino in Verna, New York, was the
buzzing story that various types of media networks carried.
History had two main things to record on that day. The
first was a fight between the second generation of Ali and
Frazier. Secondly, this match was the first pay-per-view
match between two female boxers.

In the year 2001 on the 8th of June Laila truly lived up

to the words she had spoken at the inception of her career.
Laila had said; ―I am going to be like dad’s son that he
never had.‖ Laila who has her father’s fighting spirit stands
high, with a height of five feet and ten inches. The height
she was at in the heart of her father must have been very
much greater when she fought Jacqui Frazier-Lyde. The
eighth child of Ali, won eight other matches, lasted for
eight rounds, on the 8th of June, when she won her fight
against Jacqui Frazier-Lyde with the majority of points
from all the judges for every round.

Laila a former business woman, while Jacqui Frazier-

Lyde had a career as a lawyer, but Laila meant business
when she entered that ring to fight Frazier. She told
reporters before the fight that she did not just want to
knock out Frazier in the first bout, but she wanted to give
her a good whipping for six good rounds. That Laila surely
did beyond what she had predicted.

One year after her fight with Frazier, Laila’s steps on

the boxing success ladder rapidly increased. In the year
2002 on June 7th, she fought with Shirvelle Williams. Their
fight lasted for six rounds, which Laila was declared the
winner in the end. In the city of Las Vegas on August 17th
in the same year, Laila won the IBA. On June 21st, 2003 in

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Los Angeles she fought and won Mahfood after six rounds
in TKO. This was a re-match between Laila and Mahfood.

August of 2003 saw Laila exchanging punches

between one of the women who had inspired her to start
boxing. A match that lasted for four rounds ended with
Laila defeating Christy Martin by a knockout.

2004 initiated the years for championship titles for

Laila. She fought Gwendolyn O’Neil on September 2004,
and once again at the end of trading punches, Laila stood
as the winner. Winning her fight against Gwendolyn O’Neil
also allowed her to win the International Women’s Boxing
Federation (IWBF) heavyweight title. In 2005 she entered
the ring on June 11th with Erin Toughill and won the fight.
Winning the match against Erin Toughill gave her the
World Boxing Council (WBC) title. Laila marked the lines
of great history after winning the WBC title. On June 7th,
2006 it was recorded that Laila was the second woman to
have won the World Boxing Council title.

Laila is going out with a bang. It was time for Laila to

take off her professional boxing gloves, but not before she
had a rematch with Gwendolyn O’Neil. Johannesburg,
South Africa on February 3, 2007, was the place that Laila
had her re-match with Gwendolyn O’Neil. The match with
Gwendolyn O’Neil was the final match for Laila as a
professional boxer. In just the first round, Laila delivered
the punch that ended the game, and her career because her
punch sent Gwendolyn to the floor. She was able to retire
as an undefeated champion with an impressive record of
24 – 0. In twenty-one of those matches, Laila had won by
knocking out her opponents.

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Laila started throwing punches at success in other

areas apart from in the boxing arena. In 2002 she
published her autobiography entitled ―Reach! Finding
Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power‖. In 2007 Sugar Ray
Leonard the famous boxer and Laila released a series of
workout videos. That same year she also appeared on a
highly televised series on ABC known as ―Dancing With
The Stars.‖ Currently, she is hosting the program
―Everyday Health‖ on ABC. She has also made
appearances in the capacity of health and fitness personnel
on ―The Early Show.‖ The Early Show is aired on CBS.
Laila started co-hosting ―American Gladiators‖ in 2008 on
NBC with former wrestler Hulk Hogan. In 2012 she
competed in the NBC program known as ―Stars Earn
Stripes.‖

Caught in the ring of love, Laila, and Johnny ―Yahya‖

McClain, boxing promoter, wed in 2000. The couple’s
marriage was knocked out by a divorce in 2005. Curtis
Conway, a retired NFL player, was the man to mend Laila’s
heart, and the couple got married in 2007. The couple has
since had two children. Laila gave birth to her son Curtis
Muhammad in 2010, and her daughter Sydney was born in
2011. Laila now resides in Los Angeles with her husband
and children.

Laila like her father, have defied the odds, by punching

her name in the history of boxing. This has opened up the
way for her to skip to success, just as how destiny had
planned.

Asaad was left with Lonnie’s sister by a friend. The

friend asked Lonnie’s sister if she could care for him until
they found someone to adopt him. Muhammad and Lonnie
saw Asaad when they went to visit Lonnie’s sister, and

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compassion filled their hearts for the baby. The couple

then decided to adopt him.

When they adopted Asaad, Ali had already retired

from boxing. Ali ensured his son knew of his success. He
would lie in the ring at his gym and pretend to be knockout
by his son when he was impersonating some of his fights.

Asaad is making his own strides in the sporting arena,

just not in the field of boxing. His footprints are in the
game of baseball and a some in football. In 1992, playing
as a catcher, he led his high school to the Southwestern
Michigan Athletic Conference West Division
Championship. He was recruited by the Anaheim Angels in
2009 in the fortieth round.

At the age of eighteen, he had batted three hundred

and sixty-seven rounds. This he did with four doubles, two
home runs, and eighteen RBIs in twenty-five games.
During 2009 – 2012 Asaad played baseball while
attending university. He had attended the University of
Louisville where he pursued studies in Communication.

The following is a part of a tribute he wrote on social

media for his dad: ―Forever grateful for everything you
have ever given me. You have shown me how to love the
world in ways I didn’t know possible. You have shown me
how to be brave and courageous in situations beyond my
belief. You’ve taught me so much the last 25 years things
that will forever be imprinted in my soul.‖ (Francis, 2016)

Ali’s Little Brother

To find a friend in a brother, you must consider

yourself luckier than others. Younger siblings at some

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point will try to fit into older siblings clothes or shoes. For
young Rudolph Clay, he wanted to fit himself into the huge
imprint his brother was making in the boxing arena and
the world.

Rudolph was always by his older brother’s side, even

the day Ali met Joe Martin, and eventually discovered his
destined gift. Rudolph made his own imprint in the boxing
arena, but his brother’s imprint overshadowed his own.

He was always training with his brother, present at his

brother’s matches, and he was one of Ali’s primary sources
of moral support. When Ali converted to Islam in 1960, his
little brother was there too, and he also got converted. He
then changed his name from Rudolph Clay to Rahaman
Ali.

Rahaman took up his boxing gloves professionally, in

1964. However, by this time his brother was already
making huge strides in the world of boxing.

Rahaman enjoyed a consecutive winning streak after

he won all of his first seven matches. He then fought and
lost two consecutive matches in 1972. Rahaman losses
must have prompted him to hang up his professional
boxing gloves in that same year. When Rahaman entered
retirement, he had a record of fourteen wins and two
losses. One of his losses was a knockout, and the other by a
draw.

Ali’s younger brother share similar sentiments as the

rest of the world about his brother. He said they had their
arguments as children, which led to a few natural siblings
rivalry. Regardless of their childhood disagreements, there
was mutual love, and respect between the siblings. He
described his older brother as a very kind and loving

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individual that would give away even the very shirt off his
back. White or black did not matter to Muhammad Ali
when it came to sharing his love because he just loved
people.

Everyone that has personally, interacted with the great

Muhammad Ali have a tale to share of how he had
impacted their journey in life. His brother Rahaman is no
different, and want to share his memories of his brother
with the world too. This he has done in the book he has
published. The book is entitled; ―That’s Muhammad Ali’s
Brother: My Life on the Undercard.‖

Rahaman sometimes gets teary eyed when he speaks

about his brother, and had always believed in his brother’s
talent as a boxer. He was present on June 18th, 1963, at
Wembley Stadium, when his brother got knockout by his
opponent Henry Cooper. Rahaman knew his brother
would have still walked away from that match victorious
because he believed his brother was the greatest of all
time.

Ali’s Big Brother

Though the hands of time are moving swiftly, the

memories in Lawrence Montgomery’s head all seems like
things just happened yesterday. Lawrence is viewed as the
older brother of Muhammad Ali.

Lawerence who lived across the street from Ali’s

childhood home must have watched him a thousand time
running, and playing across the street. What Lawrence did
not know was that he was looking at one of the greatest
markers in the history of humans.

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Ali’s love and respect for Lawrence surpassed that of a

just a big brother because Ali also referred to him as his;
―First Boss.‖

Separated by eight years’ in age, with Lawrence being

the older one of the two men, he used to look after Ali
when his parents needed a watchful eye for the energetic
lad. Then time turned things around. When Ali became
old enough, and Lawerence needed a watchful eye for his
three children, he would call on Ali to do the job for him.

It came at a cost for Ali to work as a babysitter for the

Lawrence family. However, he did not want money. All he
wanted was that their refrigerator is stocked with baloney.
Then both Ali and his brother Rahaman would turn up to
babysit the Lawrence children.

Ali was a very playful lad, so playing with the children

was not a problem for him. The children, however, had to
sit on the couch and remain very quiet when boxing came
on the television. None of them were allowed to move until
after boxing was finished. Lawerence said that was the
only time his children sat quietly, without moving an inch.

Ali always observed the boxing programs attentively,

the fingers of destiny must have been stirring up hope
inside of him. Just as fate’s voice whispered; ―One day you
will be on television like them, and be known as the
greatest.‖

During Ali’s teenage years, before he became an

amateur boxer, he would be seen practicing all the time.
Many thought his dream was a little crazy; he has lived to
prove them all wrong. When Ali was about twelve or
thirteen years of age, after Lawerence came home from
work, Ali would ask him to put up his hands so that he

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could practice his punches. He used to even shadow

practice on an old Cider Tree at the front of his childhood
home. He was always running and shadow boxing.

Ali refused to take the school bus to school, but

instead, he chose to run beside the bus, all the way to
school. Even then he was saying he was going to be a
heavyweight champion.

Lawrence would work a hectic shift all night at his

postal service job, and when he got home in the early
morning, there would be Ali waiting on him. Ali would be
clad in his jogging suit. Sometimes it was still dark when
Ali started his workout. Other times Lawrence would be
greeted by Ali with his weighted down boots on his feet
asking him to come and punch bags with him.

With the rise of success, Ali became more humbled,

and he never changed from being the fun, loving individual
that he had been before success. This was one of the things
that impressed Lawrence about Ali.

He recalled after Ali making his first mark in world

history when he won his match against Sony Liston, he
would still go to Lawrence home at 3:00 a.m just to see
them. He would knock on Lawrence door saying; ―Get up!
Get up! Everybody should be up at this time of the
morning.‖

Lawrence would then reply saying; ―Man, what do you

want at this time of the morning?‖ Ali then said; ―I wanna
to see you.‖ Then Lawrence said; ―Okay!‖ and let Ali in. He
would not stay long when he made his early morning
visits. Ali mainly wanted to see Lawrence’s wife Violet who
still thought Ali was a bit crazy then.

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Ali enjoyed visiting his friends and often told them

that he never would forget them. Making visits to his
friends at 3:00 a.m. was the only time Ali would not be
bombarded by fans from his neighbourhood. He kept his
promise of never forgetting his friends because he took the
Lawrence’s for dinner at US capital. Then in another year,
he took both Lawrence and his wife Violet to Washington
for a Senate dinner. Lawrence got to meet a lot of senators
because of Ali. He said; Ali, the world most famous man,
took him to meet senators, and Ali, introduced him as if he
was the star.

With the diagnosis of his illness in 1984, the Lawrence

started getting fewer visits from Ali. He mostly stayed at
his home in Arizona. Lawrence said it was heartbreaking
to watch the slow demise of the once most energic, and fun
loving human being they knew. They will forever be proud
of him, and the memories they have of him stands tall in
their minds. He is their town’s hero because he helped to
put Louisville on the map of the world. ―The world is a
better place for having Muhammad in it, it is now a much
sadder place for him being gone,‖ said Lawrence.

Muhammad Ali’s Parents

History books opened a new page; it was time, a

magnificent root was planted among mankind on
November 11, 1912. A baby boy was born by the name of
Cassius Marcellus Clay. He was the son of Herman Clay
and Edith Greathouse. Cassius Marcellus Clay named after
a Republican Politician of the 19th century, who was from
Kentucky as well. One of the reasons for Cassius Marcellus
Clay’s birth is that he is the root of the branch that will

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later be an inspiration for people to read the lines of

history. He was a slick dancer and real charmer of female’s
heart. Apart from his talent as an artist, Cassius Marcellus
Clay could also play the piano and wrote music. He had
four brothers and one sister.

Cassius Marcellus Clay got married to Odessa Lee

O’Grady in 1933. While his son had a weakness for
beautiful ladies, he had a weakness for alcohol. Cassius
Marcellus Clay was able to witness the wonderful impact
his son created in the boxing arena, and the world. He
must have gleamed with pride to know he was the father of
a man that created history for himself, and his hometown.
At the age of seventy-two, on February 8th, 1990, while
returning from a department store in Jefferson County,
Kentucky he died of a heart attack.

The pen of time took hold of the fingers of history on

February 12, 1917. This was the day that the cry of a baby
girl, who later helped to touch the soul of people’s heart
was born. The name of the little girl was Odessa Lee Grady.
She was born in Hopkins County, Kentucky. Her parent’s
names were John Lewis Grady and Birdie Morehead.

Her arms gave him comfort; her side was his carriage
when he was not able to stand on his own. It was a
guarantee that she could be found at ringside in support of
her son. Odessa Lee Grady Ali’s pride for the man her son
became, was never be put to shame. With the passing of
years, he carried her to fame, and the believes that she
instilled in him as a child, helped to nurture his humility
and love for all mankind.

After her separation from her husband Cassius

Marcellus Clay Snr she never got re-married. On Sunday,

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Augst 29th, 1994 at the age of seventy-seven, Odessa Lee

Grady Ali said her final goodbye to this world.

Islam and Ali

They say ―X‖ marks the spot, and that is exactly, what
occurred when Malcolm X was spotted sitting at ringside
at one of Ali’s fight. Ali’s father was a Methodist, and his
mother was a Baptist. Ali was raised as a Baptist. During
Ali’s childhood days he would attend the Mount Zion
Baptist Church every Sunday with his mother and
Rahaman his younger brother. Her beliefs as a devout
Christian, she taught both Ali and his brother Rahaman.
Ali’s mother taught him to love people and treat everybody
with kindness, and that it was wrong to be prejudiced or
hate. These beliefs instilled in him by his mother during
his childhood days must have been the inspiration behind
him writing the following two quotes: ―Service to others
is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
Also when he wrote; ―Hating people because of their
colour is wrong. And it doesn‟t matter which
colour does the hating. It‟s just plain wrong.”

When Ali converted to Islam, he changed some of his

beliefs, but still believed in the God his mother taught him
about. Just that he called God by a different name in his
new religion. In Ali’s quote about Islam, he wrote; ―I
believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah
and peace.”

While Ali was in Chicago for a Golden Gloves

tournament in 1959, he first came into contact with the
Nation of Islam. He met a man selling newspapers on the
street for the Nation of Islam. The name of the man that

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Ali met was Sam Saxon. Ali was intrigued by Elijah

Muhammad and wanted to attend a meeting to hear him
speak. That opportunity came in 1961 when Ali attended
his first Nation of Islam meeting, of which he became a
member. Ali’s friend Sam Saxon introduced Ali to Malcolm
X a year later. Then, Ali and Malcolm X both became good
friends.

At first, he kept his attendance and affiliation a secret

for three years to avoid any public backlash. In his efforts
to keep his affiliation to the Nation of Islam a secret, when
Ali attended meetings he would sneak through the back
door into the meetings. Ali’s reason for keeping his
attendance and affiliation a secret was that he thought he
would be pressured by others that were not a member of
the Nation of Islam.

However, by the time he fought Liston in 1964, known

members of the group including Malcolm X could be
spotted in Ali’s entourage, indicating he was becoming less
concerned about keeping his affiliations a secret. The
backlash indeed occurred and a story run by The Miami
Herald stating that he had joined the group almost caused
the match to be canceled. After Ali’s fight on February 25,
1964, in which he won Sonny Liston, the then reigning
heavyweight champion, which allowed Ali to received his
very first heavyweight championship title, and his power
was straight. Ali made the decision to reveal his affiliation
to the Nation of Islam.

The Nation of Islam is considered by many a black

supremacist group and is even classified by the Southern
Poverty Law Center as a hate group. In the 1960s when the
Civil Rights movement was getting under way, this could
definitely cause issues for Ali’s career. The group held the

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belief that white Americans were responsible for the

genocide of blacks and Ali had more white colleagues at
the time than most African Americans. However, he
remained a member of the group until 1975, when he
converted to the more mainstream Sunni Islam.

Shortly after joining the Nation, Ali changed his name

from Cassius Marcellus Clay to Cassius X. It was the
Nation’s forefather, Elijah Muhammad that gave Ali the
name Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali represented his
transformation from the lineage of an African slave to a
legacy of his own making. Ali’ then started insisting that
people refer to him by his new name.

However, his friendship with Malcolm X, who was also

a member of the Nation at the time, started to break up
when Malcolm X left the Nation just a few short weeks
after Ali joined. Malcolm X was forbidden to speak in
public by Elijah Muhammad. The disagreement between
Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad is what prompted
Malcolm X to leave the Nation of Islam. Muhammad Ali
stayed after his friend Malcolm X left.

Later Ali would claim the split from Malcolm X, not

making amends, and telling Malcolm X how important he
was to him was one of his biggest mistakes. Ali’s failure to
unite with his friend could have been his inspiration for
writing his quote about friendship that states;
―Friendship is not something you learn in school,
but if you have not learned the meaning of
friendship, you really have not learned anything.”
(Muhammad Ali Quote, 2017)

In 1972 Ali made his first Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca,

where he mingled with people from all over the world

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which inspired him to his later humanitarian efforts. In

1975 he converted to mainstream Sunni Islam, and over a
decade later made his second Hajj pilgrimage in 1988, long
after he had quit boxing and turned his life to uniting
people and working towards peace. Finally, in 2005 he
converted to Sufism, another form of Islam.

Following the September 11th terrorist attacks against

the United States, Ali was outspoken about the
perpetrators, claiming they were not real Muslims but
racists using the guise of religion to advance their own
violent cause. He would later even travel to the first
country invaded by the United States after the attacks,
Afghanistan, to do a goodwill mission.

Politics and Humanitarian Efforts

Ali’s fight with major political highlight was that of his

refusal to join the armed services during the Vietnam War
leading to his suspension of boxing and conviction, which
was later overturned. He claimed he was a conscientious
objector due to his Islamic beliefs and the Supreme Court
eventually sided with him but only after he had lost four
years of his career. For a more detailed explanation, see
Chapter 2.

After his career, he supported the reelection of Ronald

Reagan as the President of the United States, as Reagan
was ―keeping God in schools and that’s enough‖. Here Ali
shows how Islam and religion had become the main
drivers of Ali’s life. It seemed Ali was supporting Reagan
on the single social issue of religion in schools. He went on
in 1985 to visit an Israeli detention camp that held Muslim
prisoners to request their release. However, the request
was refused by the Israeli authorities.

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Ali supported the Palestinians again during a rally in

Chicago to support the First Intifada. The Palestinians
staged an uprising against the Israeli military occupation
of the West Bank and Gaza. The uprising started in a
refugee camp (though not the one that Ali had earlier
visited), and spread from there. The uprising paralleled the
civil disobedience and resistance from the Civil Rights
movement in America. However, the uprising had violent
aspects, too, with stones and Molotov cocktails being used
against the Israeli Defense Force. Not only Ali but many
around the world condemned the violence against the
Palestinians, with Israeli soldiers firing live rounds and
killing many Palestinian children.

Prior to the Gulf War, Ali travelled to Iraq to meet with

Saddam Hussein in an attempt to retrieve American
hostages. Using his influence as an entertainer as well as a
fellow Muslim, Ali actually succeeded in bringing the
hostages back home and promised Hussein he would give
America ―an honest account‖ of what had happened in
Iraq. He was met with criticism, however, by then
President George H. W. Bush and the diplomat Joseph C.
Wilson. Later Wilson went on a trip to Niger in 2002 to
investigate the possibility Saddam Hussein was purchasing
uranium for weapons.

Ali’s humanitarian efforts must have inspired him to

speak the following words: I‟m not fighting one man.
I‟m fighting a lot of men. My mission is to bring
freedom to thirty million black people.

In 1998 Ali started to work with Michael J Fox to

promote awareness of Parkinson’s disease. They even
appeared before Congress in 2002, and in that same year,
Ali went to Afghanistan on a mission to spread goodwill

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following the invasion of the country. Over a decade later,

Ali supported the Black Lives Matter Movement that
emerged after the shooting of unarmed black teenager
Trayvon Martin in Florida.

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Chapter 6: Style And

Memorable Trash Talk
Quotes
Ali was known in boxing for two things: his style and
his provocative behavior. When someone wants to
caricature or imitate Ali, especially in the form of comedy,
they produce skits with overly active trash talking
characters. First, we will take a short look at his style of
boxing, including the rope-a-dope mentioned above and
then we will look at some of his more memorable quotes in
a simple to reference list.

With the phrase ―float like a butterfly, sting like a

bee‖, Ali encapsulated his own style. In his earlier career,
he would move about as much as possible, dodging blows
and making quick return strikes. He was not a heavy
hitter, so he had to be fast. This early dancing about the
ring even led some to believe Ali would not become a great
fighter, as he seemed to simply dance around and dodge
his opponent. He developed excellent footwork that made
it hard for opponents to push him towards the ropes. Often
boxers will try to get their opponent against the ropes, so
they have no place to move. Those who boxed him said his
stamina was intense since he could move so much
throughout the entire bout.

One type of punch that Ali coined was the ―snake

lick‖, where he would strike from down low. Since he was
so fast, he could move in and out of range of his opponent
with ease, and hence also used rapid-fire punching, where

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he would punch several times quickly in the face, causing

the opponent’s vision to blur. Then he could throw a
heavier right hand, but the opponent would not be able to
see it coming.

After his forced suspension, Ali lost some of his agility

and stamina, so he had to stand in one place more often.
This meant he could not avoid punches as much, but he
showed he could take the punishment as well as anyone
else. But since he was not able to move around as much,
the Greatest developed a technique whereby he would
purposefully pit himself against the ropes and allow the
attacker to keep punching. He would only punch out often
enough to make the referee believe he was still capable of
participating (otherwise he risked a TKO), but the main
point was for the energy to travel through himself and into
the ropes. This technique entailed taking more hits, but it
also allowed him to be stationary more and save energy.
He used this to great advantage in his fight The Rumble in
the Jungle, which you can read more about in Chapter 3.

Of course, Ali’s style also included a psychology aspect

which was the constant taunting. Not only would he taunt
his opponents before the fight, mustering up plenty of
fanfare but he would also talk to them during the match.
Foreman recalled during The Rumble in the Jungle, when
Ali implemented his rope-a-dope scheme into effect, that
Ali kept taking heavy hits from the boxer and at one point
leaned in; saying ―Is that all ya got George?‖ At that point,
Foreman realized his enraged flurry of heavy punches was
not having the desired effect on his opponent, and Ali went
on to win the match.

As promised, let’s take a look at some of the most well-

known quotes from Ali. Many of these have been stated

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throughout the book in different sections but here is an

easy-to-reference list of some:

1. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands

can‟t hit what his eyes can‟t see. Now you see
me; now you don‟t. George thinks he will, but I
know he won‟t

Ali gave his most memorable line before his fight with
George Foreman at The Rumble in the Jungle. Ali’s style
was still very quick even though he had taken the
suspension time and the line just summarizes Ali’s style so
well.

2. If you even dream about beating me, you better

wake up and apologize!

This quote shows how confident he was and his ability

to play on words. Not one of his catchier quotes, but still
memorable.

3. You know I'm bad, just last week I murdered a

rock | Injured a stone, hospitalized a brick | I'm
so mean, I make medicine sick.

Before the first fight with Foreman, Ali made his gem,
which includes elements of his rhyming schemes. He is not
only remembered for his athletic ability but his poetic
ability, too.

4. I am America. I am the part you won't

recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident,
cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not
yours; my goals, my own; get used to me

This one is more political, and he gave this one in

reference to the poor treatment of blacks, almost like they

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did not exist as citizens of the country. The ―my name, not
yours‖ could refer him changing his ―slave name‖ Cassius
Clay to Muhammad Ali and certainly ―my religion, not
yours‖ references the fact that Ali was Muslim in a vast
majority Christian nation.

5. It's gonna be a chilla, and a killa, and a thrilla,

when I fight the Gorilla in Manila.

Spoken before, the fight in Manila against Joe Frazier.

As mentioned in Chapter 3, this was a great line but
racially crude, especially so close in time to the Civil Rights
movement.

6. My enemy is the white people, not the Viet Cong

or the Chinese or Japanese. Why should I put
on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from
home to drop bombs and bullets on brown
people in Viet Nam while so-called Negro
people in Louisville are treated like dogs and
denied simple human rights?

One of Ali’s political pieces, which he used when he

was still a member of the Nation of Islam (separatists) and
openly opposed to the Vietnam War.

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Chapter 7: Ali’s
Motivational Quotes
Ali’s poetic lines and pun with words spread across the
ring of motivation. His quotes will knock out both the
hand of time and history, earning the belt of one of the
heavyweight champions of inspiration.

Below are some of Ali’s motivating lines that will

empower your mind, giving you a reason to shine, and let
your name stand the test of time:

1. Life is like a boxing match. Defeat is declared

not when you fall, but when you refuse to stand
again.

2. The man that has no imagination has no

wings.

3. It‟s the lack of faith that makes people afraid

of meeting challenges, and I BELIEVE IN MYSELF.

4. If they can make penicillin out of moldy

bread, then they can sure make something out of
„YOU‟.

5. Impossible is not a fact; it‟s an opinion.

(Rovell, 2016)

6. Impossible is not a declaration. It is a dare.

7. Impossible is just a big word thrown around

by small men who find it easier to live in the world

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they have been given than to explore the power

they have to change it. (5 Inspirational Ali Quotes for
Startup Founders & Entrepreneurs, 2017)

8. Only a man who knows what it is like to be

defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul,
and come up with an extra ounce of power it takes
to win when the match is even. (5 Inspirational Ali
Quotes for Startup Founders & Entrepreneurs, 2017)

9. Silence is golden when you can‟t think of a

good answer. (Rovell, 2016)

10. I know where I am going, and I know the

truth, and I don‟t have to be what you want me to
be. I am free to be what I want.

11. I am the greatest. I said that even before I

knew I was. (Rovell, 2016)

12. What keeps me going is goals.

13. To be a great champion, you must believe

you are the best. If you are not, pretend you are

14. Champions are not made in gyms.

Champions are made from something they have
deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision. They
have to have the skill and the will. But the will
must be stronger than the skill.

15. When a man says I cannot, he has made a

suggestion to himself. He has weakened his power
of accomplishing that which otherwise would have
been accomplished.

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16. A man who views the world the same at

fifty as he did at twenty, has wasted thirty years of
his life.

17. Friendship is not something you learn in

school, but if you have not learned the meaning of
friendship, you really have not learned anything.

18. Tolerance and understanding won‟t trickle-

down in our society any more than wealth does.

19. It isn‟t the mountains ahead to climb that

wear you down; it is the pebble in your shoe.
(Rovell, 2016)

20. Inside of a ring or out, ain‟t nothing wrong

with going down. It‟s staying down that‟s wrong.

21. The fight is won or lost far away from

witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out
there on the road, long before I dance under those
lights.

22. It is not about the hits you take; it is about

how you get back up.

23. He who is not courageous enough to take

risks will accomplish nothing in life. (5 Inspirational
Ali Quotes for Startup Founders & Entrepreneurs, 2017)

24. Think one hundred times before you take a

decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by
it as one man.

25. Service to others is the rent you pay for

your room here on earth.

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 Phillip G. Harris

26. We have one life, it soon will be passed.

What we do for God is all that will last.

27. If your dreams do not scare you, they are

not big enough.

28. Do not count the days. Make the days

count. (Rovell, 2016)

29. Even the greatest was once a beginner. Do

not be afraid to take that first step.

30. I do not believe in taking the right decision,

I take a decision and make it right.

31. If my mind can conceive it, and my heart

can believe it, then I can achieve it. (5 Inspirational
Ali Quotes for Startup Founders & Entrepreneurs, 2017)

32. Do not wait for the world to recognize your

greatness. Live it and let the world catch up to you.

33. Do not let those who gave up on their

dreams influence you to give up on yours.

34. I am an ordinary man who worked hard to

develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself,
and I believe in the goodness of others.

35. I prayed to Allah to protect me from

enemies. Suddenly, I began losing friends.

36. It‟s the repetition of affirmations that leads

to belief, and once that belief becomes a deep
conviction, things begin to happen.

37. What you are thinking is what you are

becoming.

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38. You can throw in the towel, or you can use

it to wipe the sweat off of your face and keep
going.

39. There are three reasons why people

change: They have learned a lot. They have
suffered enough. They got tired of always the same
thing.

40. The pain you feel today is the strength you

feel tomorrow. For every challenge encountered
there is opportunity for growth.

41. Live every day as if it were your last

because some day you are going to be right.

42. The best way to make your dreams come

true is to wake up.

43. You lose nothing when you are fighting for

a cause. In my mind, the losers are those who
don‟t have a cause they care about.

44. Others may know pleasure, but pleasure is

not happiness. It has no more importance than a
shadow following a man.

45. I never thought of losing, but now that‟s

happened, the only thing is to do it right. That‟s
my obligation to all the people who believe in me.
We all have to take defeats in life.

46. All through my life, I have been tested. My

will have been tested; my courage has been tested,
my strength has been tested. Now, my patience
and endurance are being tested.

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 Phillip G. Harris

47. I am an America. The part you won‟t

recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident,
cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours;
my goals, my own; get used to me.

48. It‟s hard to be humble when you‟re as great

as I am.

49. It‟s just a job. Grass grow, birds fly, waves

pound the sand. I beat people up.

50. It‟s not bragging if you can back it up.

51. There are no pleasures in fight, but some of

my fights have been a pleasure to win.

Life is a unique route that we all travel on. It can take

us to success or failure based on how we use the
opportunities life gives to us. We can choose to enjoy every
moment of it or live in misery.

Ali wrote a poem entitled “Recipe of Life”

which is shared below:
He took a few cups of love. He took one
tablespoon of patience. One table spoon of
generosity. One pint of kindness. He took one
quart of laughter, one pinch of concern, and then
he mixed willingness with happiness. He added
lots of faith, and he stirred it up well. Then he
spread it over a span of a lifetime, and he served it
to each and every discerning person he met.

It was evident to the world and those close to Ali that

with the turning hand of time, he became more humbled

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by his experiences in life. The indelible mark he has left on

the lines of history will for every inspire mankind. It does
not matter your race or colour, once you are given an
insight into the life of the great Muhammad Ali, you will be
left with a feeling of inspiration. Even a bit envious for
those who had gotten the opportunity to personally,
interact with him.

Feeding your eyes on the words written by

Muhammad Ali, create wonders in your mind as you begin
to search your own soul. You find yourself believing that
you too must have an ounce of greatness within you.
Reflecting on your life’s journey, and the struggles that you
have encountered, the question is asked if any of your
struggles were a signal from destiny. Let the story of this
great man inspire you. Even through his most difficult
times at the end of his life’s journey when he had so much
reason to no longer find the joy in living, he made sure he
found them every chance he got.

Your greatest motivator each day must be you.

Therefore, take long jogs of hard work, sit-ups of
determination, deep breathes of believing in yourself and
deliver the sturdy punch of goal setting. Then, the referee
life will separate you from failure, and when the bell of
success rings, you will be crown one of the heavyweight
champions of success. At that moment, you will be able to
proudly, stand just like Muhammad Ali and say; ―I am the
greatest!‖

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 Phillip G. Harris

Conclusion

The story of Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus

Clay, Jr, began during the throes of World War Two
America, in the southern city of Louisville, Kentucky. Ali
was born to parents of African descent in a place that was
not openly welcoming to such people. He was
discriminated against before and after he gained fame. He
may have even used this discrimination to fuel some of his
fire. However, he was not immune to using racial epithets
against opponents, notably George Frazier.

Ali started boxing at 12 and debuted as a professional

boxer at 18, racking up an impressive 56-5 win-loss record
over a 61-bout, 21-year career. He captured several titles,
including the world heavyweight championship three
times and even managed to take home an Olympic Gold
Medal when he was just 18, the same age he started his
professional career. His career included bouts with huge
names like Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Joe Frazier,
Floyd Patterson, and Ken Norton. He developed a unique
style that incorporated quick punching and footwork
which allowed him to move around the ring without taking
hits. But his fight wasn’t just physical.

His rap-styled trash talk gained him plenty of

notoriety and Ali is remembered as much for his physical
prowess as for his mental fortitude. He taunted opponents
and electrified fans which resulted in his wide-ranging
influence across the globe and indeed across cultures.
Three of his fights have gone down in history with major
nicknames, and The Fight of the Century, The Rumble in

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the Jungle, and The Thrilla in Manila were three of the

best fights of the boxing world in the 20th century.

The Greatest was not only a great boxer, though. He

was politically, religiously, and humanely active. Ali was an
outspoken critic of the Vietnam War due to his Islamic
faith and Ali was looked upon by many Americans as a
traitor for his refusal to serve in the armed forces. This
even manifested in his fight with Frazier, who was seen to
be the other political side of America to Ali. He was exiled
from boxing for four years of his life for his refusal to fight
in the war, but he remained staunch that he was against
the war. His conviction was eventually overturned and by
that point, the public tide in America had turned against
the war.

He was a Muslim, starting off in the early 1960s as a

member of the Nation of Islam, which had rather radical
and anti-white-establishment beliefs. Eventually, Ali
converted to Sunni Islam in the 1970s and again converted
to the Sufism branch of Islam in 2005. He went from being
a black separatist to endorsing a policy of racial
integration. His religious beliefs took him around the
world advocating for various causes, including the
Palestinian cause against the Israeli occupation of Gaza
and the West Bank. He made the sacred Hajj pilgrimage
twice in his life, which took him to Mecca. His faith
resulted in his support of Reagan to be reelected as
president, since Reagan was an advocate of keeping God in
schools.

As a humanitarian, he worked for the causes of

suppressed people and to end war. The Muhammad Ali
Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, promotes
peace, social cohesion and personal growth, which seem to

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fit Ali’s personality well. He helped free hostages from

Iraqi detention before the start of the Gulf War in the
1990s and he convinced Kenyan officials to boycott the
Moscow Olympics in the 1980s to protest the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan. He worked with Michael J Fox to
raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease and he himself
suffered from a similar disease, Parkinson’s syndrome.

Ali was not just a great athlete, a great mental

opponent or a great personality. He was all these things
combined into one human, who, for the latter half of the
20th century, ignited crowds and connected people across
the globe. The Butterfly, the Greatest, Muhammad Ali will
forever be an iconic figure in the world of sports, in the
world of celebrity and in the world at large.

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 Muhammad Ali

References
5 Inspirational Ali Quotes for Startup Founders &
Entrepreneurs. (2017, February 1). Retrieved from
StatusCake.com: https://www.statuscake.com/5-
inspirational-ali-quotes-for-startup-founders-
entrepreneurs/

Francis, A. (2016, June 4). Muhammad Ali's Children Pay

Tribute After His Death. Retrieved from Huffington
Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/06/04/muhamma
d-alis-children-tribute_n_10299718.html

Muhammad Ali Quote. (2017, January 28). Retrieved from

Brainy Quotes:
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/muh
ammadal100736.html

Rovell, D. (2016, June 6). Muhammad Ali's 10 best quotes.

Retrieved from ESPN.com:
http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/15930888/m
uhammad-ali-10-best-quotes

Safiyah, S. (2017, January 24). Review of The Greatest,

Muhammad Ali – My Own Story. Retrieved from
aaila.org: http://aaila.org/issue/january-
2017/article/review-of-the-greatest-muhammad-ali-
my-own-story

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 Phillip G. Harris

Thank You
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