MOHAMMED ALI BIOGRAPHY
Mohammed Ali (real name Cassius Marcellus Clay) is a true legend of world boxing. “Fluttering like a butterfly – stinging like a bee” – his motto for many years to come determined the course of this sport, becoming the basis for thousands of trainers and boxers in all over the world. Mohammed Ali was not just a boxer – he was a man who turned the history of world boxing into a new direction. During his career, he spent 61 fights, of which 56 were crowned with victory.
Probably, today there is hardly a person in the world who would never have heard of the “People’s Champion,” the brilliant heavyweight of the 60s and 70s. But is it worth saying that Mohammed Ali is a person about whom absolutely everything is known? Of course not. After all, the human soul is a city in which light is rarely
THE EARLY YEARS OF MOHAMMED ALI
Cassius Clay, better known under the “Islamic” name Mohammed Ali, was born January 17, 1942 in the small town of Louisville, located in Kentucky. His father was a successful advertising artist, a fan of alcohol and a lover of affordable women. That is why in his interviews the heavyweight legend rarely recalled him. As some acquaintances of Cassius noted, he openly did not like his father since binges and “swindles” were a normal norm for him.
A completely different thing is the mother of the future boxer. Odessa Grady Clay was a housekeeper and worked mainly in the homes of wealthy white residents of Louisiana. She cooked and cleaned, and always, whenever possible, recalled that her father was Irish. It is noteworthy that Mohammed Ali himself has repeatedly said that “white blood” makes him weaker. Although the rivals of Cassius Clay, for sure, could argue with this. Our today’s hero began to get involved in sports at the age of twelve after … someone had stolen his bike. His family was not poor, however, despite this, his own “great” always seemed to Cassius a real treasure. That is why the fact of his loss became one of the most difficult episodes in the life of a young guy. On that day, Mohammed Ali vowed that he would certainly “pile on” the thief. With this idea, he first came to the training room for boxing. That is how the legendary career of a great fighter in world sports began. He came to the gym with his two-year-old brother, Rudolph, who later assisted Cassius in sparring. It is noteworthy that initially the coaches, with the exception of Fred Stone, did not see any prospects in the guy.
Soon the first battle of Cassius Clay took place. Once in a three-round confrontation, he defeated a guy from Louisiana – Roni Okiba. After that, the young boxer was invited to local television and appeared in the program “Stars of Tomorrow.”
THE HEYDAY OF MOHAMMED ALI’S CAREER
In 1956, Cassius appeared before the audience at his first ever major boxing competition, Golden Gloves, and immediately won the tournament. This victory was followed by others. In total, by the time the school was over, Cassius Jr. had more than a hundred fights won. It is noteworthy that one day he even managed to win in sparring the real champion – Willy Pastrano. He, of course, was extremely dissatisfied with this turn of events, however, in the end, he admitted that the guy had a great future.
In 1960, the great athlete volunteered for the U.S. Army. It was during this period that he began to create his own unique boxing style. He asked his brother and his army friends to throw stones at him at close range, so that he could learn to dodge them. Moreover, in battles with his rivals, he often “danced” in the ring, standing in front of an opponent with his hands down. This boastful style caused a lot of negative reviews from professional boxers, but attracted the attention of the general public to Cassius.
THE END OF THE CAREER OF MOHAMMED ALI
During his career, Mohammed Ali earned about $ 50 million, which was just a sky-high sum for those times. However, the boxer ordered his finances frankly mediocre, for the most part wasting them on his environment. Due to the lack of money in 1980, Mohammed was forced to enter the ring again. At that time, his opponent was the current champion Larry Holmes, who confidently defeated the veteran. The legendary boxer looked frankly sorry. But despite this, Mohammed received about eight million dollars for that fight.
This time, the money earned was invested in business and real estate. However, despite financial success, in 1981 the boxer again entered the ring. In the battle with the Canadian heavyweight Trevor Berbik, he looked pretty good, but still lost. From that moment, Mohammed no longer entered the ring.
In 1984, a former boxer was diagnosed with a terrible disease – Parkinson’s syndrome, which caused Mohammed’s impaired coordination and breathing. However, the athlete’s mind remained clear, and thanks to the prescribed drug “levodopa” he could cope with everyday affairs. Realizing that there was no question of a boxer’s further career, Mohammed Ali decided to devote his life to charity: he helped those in need, urged wealthy Americans to follow his example, participated in negotiations with radical Islamists in Lebanon and Iraq.
PERSONAL LIFE OF MOHAMMED ALI Mohammed Ali
was married four times. With his first wife, a waitress named Soji Roy, the boxer met in his youth, but a month later the marriage broke up due to his wife’s unwillingness to accept Islam and “immodest behavior.”
The second marriage, with Belinda Boyd (later – Khalila Ali), lasted longer and led to the birth of four children: three daughters and a son, named Mohammed Ali Jr. Soon after the birth of the fourth child, the couple’s relationship cracked, and Mohammed began an affair with model Veronica Porsche, who, as noted in many sources, was not his only lover. One way or another, it was Veronica who became the official reason for the divorce of Mohammed and Khalila.
Mohammed Ali and Veronica Porsche got married in 1977. Soon they had two children.
THE DEATH OF MOHAMMED ALI
On June 2, 2016, Mohammed Ali was hospitalized in one of the Arizona clinics (the city of Phoenix) in serious condition – breathing problems. Parkinson’s disease made itself felt, stopping her with medicines over the years has become impossible. Doctors fought for the life of the great boxer, but could not defeat death – on June 3 he was gone.
