A legendary boxer and an inspirational social activist, Muhammad Ali will be revered in time for his larger than life persona. Perhaps his most iconic, yet sometimes controversial asset was his way with words.
Born to his ‘slave name’ Cassius Clay in 1942, nobody could have predicted the level of fame that he would achieve. In 1960 Ali won a Light Heavyweight Olympic Gold Medal in boxing and it didn’t take long for the Louisville native to take the boxing world by storm. Ali later threw his gold medal into the Ohio River, agitated that his triumph hadn’t changed his status as a minority.
In 1964, Ali took on Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Title, at just 22. A heavy underdog in the bout Ali, didn’t seem to have read the script, showing extreme confidence before the bout with his poetry and shocking the world with his stunning KO of Liston, which bore one of the most iconic posters in history.
https://twitter.com/JohnBorukCSN/status/739113116953419777
Ali went on to dominate Heavyweight boxing for the next three years before having his license removed for refusing to go to the war in Vietnam. After three years on the sideline Ali returned and won back his Heavyweight Title in possibly the biggest sporting event in history, Rumble in The Jungle. Ali defeated George Foreman by way of eight round KO.
Ali, known as ‘The Louisville Lip’ or ‘The Greatest’ had become an inspiration for a generation and all generations that followed.
Check out the ‘The Louisville Lip’ in action by clicking below.