From Radical to Icon: The Strange Public Career of Muhammad Ali

Published

11 years ago

December 5, 2013

Muhammad Ali was not always been beloved. In fact, he wasn’t even always Muhammad Ali.

Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. After being introduced to boxing at age 12, Clay established himself on the amateur boxing scene by winning six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two National Golden Gloves titles, an AAU National Title, and a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.

Clay made his professional debut the very same year, and was named number one contender to heavyweight champion Sonny Liston just four years later. Despite being only 22 years old and a heavy underdog in the fight, Clay was already certain he was “The Greatest.”

Others were not so sure. Indeed, the wit and witticism he later became so celebrated for was barely tolerated before his 1964 title fight against Liston. An audacious challenger, Clay taunted Liston by calling him a “big ugly bear.” He told anyone and everyone who would listen to him that he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” in the bout, and dethrone perhaps the most feared heavyweight champion in all of boxing history. Still, Clay was considered by most a good-looking and funny flake with very little chance of actually lifting the title from Liston.

But that’s just what he did. Clay dominated the fight with his tremendous footwork and blindingly fast hands, and he was declared the bout’s winner when Liston refused to answer the bell for the seventh round. After the fight, Clay famously exclaimed “I shook up the world…I must be the Greatest!”

Maybe he was. The boxing world, at least, was starting to notice the brash and flashy puncher from Louisville, but Clay’s precociousness wasn’t exactly winning people over. At least, not yet.

Clay met Liston in a rematch one year later. By then, Clay had converted to the Nation of Islam through the teachings of polarizing Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. Ali quickly dispatched Liston in the rematch in just one round, with a short, hooking-type punch he dubbed an “anchor punch” akin to what he learned from former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson.

But despite solidifying himself as the best heavyweight in the world, it was Ali’s newfound religious conviction that had made the deepest impression on the public. At the time, the Nation of Islam was widely regarded by Americans as a dangerous and extreme organization bent on the separation of black Americans from society. So much so, in fact, that it’s most prominent member, human rights activist Malcolm X, had severed ties with the group in 1964.

The few writers who had supported Ali before his conversion felt betrayed. One referred to Ali as a “once likable loudmouth.” Another called Ali’s conversion “calculated deception” meant to drive up ticket sales for his fight.

Things were about to get worse.

“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America,” said the World’s Heavyweight Champion, Ali, in 1967 after refusing induction into the United States military based on his religious beliefs. “And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father… Shoot them for what? …How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.”

Ali’s boxing license was almost immediately suspended, and he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for draft evasion. In appealing the decision, Ali was thrust into becoming something more than just a boxer who’d held the title from 1964-67, more than just a man with a polarizing religion. He was now a civil rights activist who’d help spark opposition to an ongoing war.

During his exile from boxing, Ali traveled around the United States and gave lectures at college campuses. The topics included everything he knew about boxing, the Nation of Islam, the Vietnam War and racism in America. Ali, nicknamed “The Lip” back in his younger days, had the gift of gab and it showed.

The public at large was split on Ali. For young people growing up in the late 1960s, Ali became a symbol of rebellion against both the Vietnam War and authority itself. For the establishment, Ali was another harrowing reminder of an ever-advancing subculture of people whose values differed quite significantly than their own.

Pulitzer Prize winning author David Remnick, who authored a biography of Ali entitled King of the World, noted, “As he had before and would again, Ali had showed his gift for intuitive action, for speed, and this time he was acting in a way that would characterize the era itself, a resistance to authority, an insistence that national loyalty was not automatic or absolute. His rebellion, which started out as racial, now had widened in scope.”

Ultimately, the Supreme Court would overturn Ali’s conviction and his life inside the ring would begin again.

As the 1970s progressed, so, too, did Ali’s public reputation. Back in his element, the sweet science, Ali solidified himself as one of most successful boxing champions in history. As a heavyweight, only Joe Louis’s reign of 25 title defenses over nearly 12 years rivals that of Ali. Unlike Louis, Ali faced the most remarkable group of heavyweight contenders in the history the sport. There is simply no heavyweight in history that defeated as many fellow all-time greats as Ali.

Upon his return, Ali was unable to reclaim his heavyweight title from newfound rival Joe Frazier when the two met in 1971, in a bout dubbed by promoters “The Fight of the Century,” losing a 15-round unanimous decision.

But Ali went 13-1 until he got his next title shot in 1974, amassing wins over Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Ellis, Bob Foster and a revenge match against Joe Frazier, who had since lost the title to a young and menacing slugger named George Foreman. Ali’s lone loss during this time came against Ken Norton. The two fought back-to-back bouts in 1973, winning one each by split decision. Ali would later take the rubber match in 1976 unanimously.

Ali defeated Foreman in 1974, employing what became famously known as his “rope-a-dope” strategy of luring the champion in close while having his back up against the ropes to encourage the younger, stronger Foreman to tire himself out by throwing punch after punch while Ali miraculously evaded them. Despite being a heavy underdog to the 40-0 Foreman (who had blasted out Ali rivals Norton and Frazier within two rounds each) Ali defeated Foreman by knockout in the eighth round.

By the time he defeated Joe Frazier again 1975, the Vietnam War had finally ended and the fruits of the civil rights movement were in full swing. Ali was now the most popular boxing champion since Jack Dempsey ruled boxing in the Roaring 20s.

Ali retired from boxing in 1981. HIs final ring record stands at 56-5 (37 KOs). Ring historians consider him one of the top heavyweight champions ever, most often being placed in either the first or second position. Ring Magazine ranked him number one among all-time heavyweight champions in 1998 while the International Boxing Research Organization ranked him second (to Joe Louis) under the same criteria in 2006. Moreover, Ali was named “Fighter of the Year” by Ring Magazine more times than any other fighter in history.

Ali’s legacy has continued to have a lasting impact outside of the ring. Not only was Ali the most famous athlete of his time, he was also named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the 20th Century as well as the British Broadcasting Company’s Sports Personality of the Century. He has been the subject of countless books, films and magazines, and he has continued to be a human rights activist even as Parkinson’s disease has stolen his voice.

On January 8, 2005, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush. Later that year, he accepted the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold from the UN Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work as a civil rights advocate.

It is perhaps too easy to say any one thing contributed to his lasting appeal. Instead, one might say Ali has been many things to many people. As a member of the Nation of Islam, Ali was a voice for those seeking religious freedom. As a champion in exile, Ali became a lasting and impactful force for the burgeoning civil rights movement. In his return to the ring after exile, Ali became one of the finest heavyweight pugilists who ever lived.

And so maybe, in the end, it’s simply safer to say that Ali’s transformation from radical to icon was not one thing or another, or even two or three things put together. Rather, it was all things put together, his life, the things he said and did, and the man he came to be to both for himself and others.

Epilogue: Strange Public Careers of Other Heavyweight Greats

Muhammad Ali wasn’t the only heavyweight champion to enjoy a radical shift in public perception during his career. The first African-American heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, was virtually despised during his fighting days. Johnson deliberately inflamed white animosity during the days of Jim Crow segregation by appearing in public with white girlfriends at his side. He defeated a caravan of “white hopes” during his seven-year title reign, most famously besting former heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries in 1910. Johnson’s resurgence in popularity continues to grow to this day, made most apparent by numerous bipartisan posthumous pardon attempts for his 1913 conviction of crossing state lines with a woman for “immoral purposes.”

Jack Dempsey’s image underwent stark changes in the 1920s. Now regarded as one of the most popular fighters in boxing history, Dempsey was dismissed as a draft dodger during the first part of his title reign. Dempsey was mostly reviled by boxing fans until he lost his title to Gene Tunney in 1926. After which, he became somewhat of a folk hero. By 1950, AP sportswriters liked him enough to vote him the greatest boxer of the half-century.

“Big” George Foreman retired from boxing in 1977. Despite winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics and becoming heavyweight champion in 1974, Foreman was largely considered a big, mean nuisance of a man when he retired from boxing in 1977. Foreman had a religious epiphany and became a Christian minister. Big George came back to boxing a changed man in 1987. Instead of his trademark scowl, Foreman was a smiling man now. He went on to become the oldest heavyweight champion in history when he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 at age 45. Foreman’s popularity has endured, and he’s had quite the third career selling his George Foreman grills.

Mike Tyson was the youngest and perhaps most feared heavyweight champion ever when he burst on the scene in the early 1980s. He’s ferocious style inside the ring and tremendous success made him popular if not well-liked, but a lot of that crumbled when he was convicted for rape in 1992 and sent to prison for three years. His return to the ring afterward was marked by more controversy, perhaps most famously biting off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear during their 1997 title fight. After retiring in 2005, Tyson’s popularity has risen to all-time highs. He’s been featured in numerous books and films, and he travels around the world giving his one man show to rave reviews.

Kelsey McCarson is a boxing writer for The Sweet Science and Bleacher Report. Follow him @KelseyMcCarson.

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A No-Brainer: Turki Alalshikh is the TSS 2024 Promoter of the Year

Published

5 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Arne K. Lang

A-No-Brainer-Turki-Alalshikh-is-the-TSS-2024-Promoter-of-the-Year

Years from now, it’s hard to say how Turki Alalshikh will be remembered.

Alalshikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some see him as a poacher, a man who snatched away big fights that would have otherwise landed in places like Las Vegas, New York, and London, and planted them in a place with no prizefighting tradition whatsoever merely for the purpose of “sportswashing.” If that be the case, Alalshikh’s superiors, the royal family, will turn off the spigot once it is determined that this public relations campaign is no longer needed, at which time the sport will presumably recede into the doldrums from whence it came.

Be that as it may, there is no doubt that boxing is in much better shape today than it was just a few years ago and that Alalshikh, operating under the rubric of Riyadh Season, is the reason why.

One of the most persistent cavils lobbied against professional boxing is that the best match-ups never get made or else languish on the backburner beyond their “sell-by” date, cheating the fans who don’t get to see the match when both competitors are at their peak. This is a consequence of the balkanization of the sport with each promoter running his fiefdom in his own self-interest without regard to the long-term health of the sport.

With his hefty budget, Alalshikh had the carrot to compel rival promoters to put down their swords and put their most valuable properties in risky fights and he seized the opportunity. All of the sport’s top promoters – Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn (pictured below), Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya, Tom Brown, Ben Shalom, and others – have done business with His Excellency.

Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn Flank the big Cheese

The two most significant fights of 2024 were the first and second meetings between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. The first encounter was historic, begetting the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. Both fights were staged in Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season, the months-long sports and entertainment festival instrumental in westernizing the region.

The Oct. 12 fight in Riyadh between undefeated light heavyweights between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol produced another unified champion. This wasn’t a great fight, but a fight good enough to command a sequel. (Beterviev, going the distance for the first time in his pro career, won a majority decision.) The do-over, buttressed by an outstanding undercard, will come to fruition on Feb. 22 in Riyadh.

Turki Alalshikh didn’t do away with pay-per-view fights, but he made them more affordable. The price tag for Usyk-Fury II in the U.S. market was $39.99. By contrast, the last PBC promotion, the Canelo vs. Berlanga fight on Amazon Prime Video, carried a tag of $89.95 for non-Prime subscribers.

Almost half the U.S. population resides in the Eastern Time Zone. For them, the main event of a Riyadh show goes in the mid- to late-afternoon. This is a great blessing to fight fans disrespected by promoters whose cards don’t end until after midnight, and that goes double for fight fans in the U.K. who can now watch more fights at a more reasonable hour instead of being forced to rouse themselves before dawn to catch an alluring match anchored in the United States.

In November, it was announced that Alalshikh had purchased The Ring magazine. The self-styled “Bible of Boxing” was previously owned by a company controlled by Oscar De La Hoya who acquired the venerable magazine in 2007.

With the news came Alalshikh’s assertion that the print edition of the magazine would be restored and that the publication “would be fully independent.”

That remains to be seen. One is reminded that Alalshikh revoked the press credential of Oliver Brown for the Joshua-Dubois fight on Sept. 21 at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium because of comments Brown made in the Daily Telegraph that cast a harsh light on the Saudi regime.

There were two national anthems that night, “God Save the King” sharing the bill, as it were, with the Saudi national anthem. Considering the venue and the all-British pairing, that rubbed many Brits the wrong way.

The Ring magazine will always be identified with Nat Fleischer who ran the magazine from its inception in 1922 until his death in 1972 at age 84. It was written of Fleischer that he was the closest thing to a czar that the sport of boxing ever had. Turki Alalshikh now inherits that mantle.

It’s never a good thing when one man wields too much power. We don’t know how history will judge Turki Alalshikh, but naming him the TSS Promoter of the Year was a no-brainer.

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The Ortiz-Bohachuk Thriller has been named the TSS 2024 Fight of The Year

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2024

Arne K. Lang

The-Ortiz-Bohachuk-Thriller-has-been-named-the-TSS-2024-Fight-of-the-Year

The Aug. 10 match in Las Vegas between Knockout artists Vergil Ortiz Jr and Serhii Bohachuk seemingly had scant chance of lasting the 12-round distance. Ortiz, the pride of Grand Prairie, Texas, was undefeated in 21 fights with 20 KOs. Bohachuk, the LA-based Ukrainian, brought a 24-1 record with 23 knockouts.

In a surprise, the fight went the full 12. And it was a doozy.

The first round, conventionally a feeling-out round, was anything but. “From the opening bell, [they] clobbered each other like those circus piledriver hammer displays,” wrote TSS ringside reporter David A. Avila.

In this opening frame, Bohachuk, the underdog in the betting, put Ortiz on the canvas with a counter left hook. Of the nature of a flash knockdown, it was initially ruled a slip by referee Harvey Dock. With the benefit of instant replay, the Nevada State Athletic Commission overruled Dock and after four rounds had elapsed, the round was retroactively scored 10-8.

Bohachuk had Ortiz on the canvas again in round eight, put there by another left hook. Ortiz was up in a jiff, but there was no arguing it was a legitimate knockdown and it was plain that Ortiz now trailed on the scorecards.

Aware of the situation, the Texan, a protégé of the noted trainer Robert Garcia, dug deep to sweep the last four rounds. But these rounds were fused with drama. “Every time it seemed the Ukrainian was about to fall,” wrote Avila, “Bohachuk would connect with one of those long right crosses.”

In the end, Ortiz eked out a majority decision. The scores were 114-112 x2 and 113-113.

Citing the constant adjustments and incredible recuperative powers of both contestants, CBS sports combat journalist Brian Campbell called the fight an instant classic. He might have also mentioned the unflagging vigor exhibited by both. According to CompuBox, Ortiz and Bohachuk threw 1579 punches combined, landing 490, numbers that were significantly higher than the early favorite for Fight of the Year, the March 2 rip-snorter at Verona, New York between featherweights Raymond Ford and Otabek Kholmatov (a win for Ford who pulled the fight out of the fire in the final minute).

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Women’s Prizefighting Year End Review: The Best of the Best in 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 24, 2024

David A. Avila

Women’s Prizefighting Year End Review: The Best of the Best in 2024

It’s the end of the year.

Here are our awards for the best in women’s boxing. But first, a rundown on the state of the sport.

Maybe its my imagination but it seems that fewer female fights of magnitude took place in 2024 than in previous years.

A few promoters like 360 Promotions increased their involvement in women’s boxing while others such as Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions seem stagnant. They are still staging female bouts but are not signing new additions.

American-based promotion company Top Rank, actually lost 50 percent of their female fighter roster when Seniesa Estrada, the undisputed minimumweight champion, retired recently. They still have Mikaela Mayer.

A promotion company making headlines and creating sparks in the boxing world is Most Valuable Promotions led by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. They signed Amanda Serrano and have invested in staging other female fights

This year, the top streaming company Netflix gambled on sponsoring Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, along with Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor and hit a monster home run. According to Netflix metrics an estimated 74 million viewers watched the event that took place on Nov. 16 at Arlington, Texas.

“Breaking records like this is exactly what MVP was built to do – bring the biggest, most electrifying events to fans worldwide,” said Nakisa Bidarian co-founder of MVP.

History was made in viewership and at the gate where more than 70,000 fans packed AT&T Stadium for a record-setting $17.8 million in ticket sales outside of Las Vegas. It was the grand finale moment of the year.

Here are the major contributors to women’s boxing in 2024.

Fighter of the Year: Amanda Serrano

Other candidates: Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, Franchon Crews, Dina Thorslund, and Yesica Nery Plata.

Amanda Serrano was chosen for not only taking part in the most viewed female title fight in history, but also for willingly sacrificing the health of her eye after suffering a massive cut during her brutal war with Taylor. She could have quit, walked away with tons of money and be given the technical decision after four rounds. She was ahead on the scorecards at that moment.

Instead, Serrano took more punches, more head butts and slugged her way through 10 magnificent and brilliant rounds against the great Taylor. Fans worldwide were captivated by their performance. Many women who had never watched a female fight were mesmerized and inspired.

Serrano once again proved that she would die in the ring rather than quit. Women and men were awed by her performance and grit. It was a moment blazed in the memories of millions.

Amanda Serrano is the Fighter of the Year.

Best Fight of the Year – Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor 2

Their first fight that took place two years ago in Madison Square Garden was the greatest female fight I had ever witnessed. The second fight surpassed it.

When you have two of the best warriors in the world willing to showcase their talent for entertainment regardless of the outcome, it’s like rubbing two sticks of dynamite together.

Serrano jumped on Taylor immediately and for about 20 seconds it looked like the Irish fighter would not make the end of the first round. Not quite. Taylor rallied behind her stubborn determination and pulled out every tool in her possession: elbows, head butts, low blows, whatever was needed to survive, Taylor used.

It reminded me of an old world title fight in 2005 between Jose Luis Castillo a master of fighting dirty and Julio Diaz. I asked about the dirty tactics by Castillo and Diaz simply said, “It’s a fight. It’s not chess. You do what you have to do.”

Taylor did what she had to do to win and the world saw a magnificent fight.

Other candidates: Seniesa Estrada versus Yokasta Valle, Mikaela Mayer versus Sandy Ryan, and Ginny Fuchs vs Adelaida Ruiz.

KO of the Year – Lauren Price KO3 Bexcy Mateus.

Dec. 14, in Liverpool, England.

The IBO welterweight titlist lowered the boom on Bexcy Mateus sending her to the floor thrice. She ended the fight with a one-two combination that left Mateus frozen while standing along the ropes. Another left cross rocket blasted her to the ground. Devastating.

Other candidates: Claressa Shields KO of Vanessa LePage-Joanisse, Gabriela Fundora KO of Gabriela Alaniz, Dina Thorslund vs Mary Romero, Amanda Serrano KO of Stevie Morgan.

Pro’s Pro Award – Jessica Camara

Jessica Camara defeated Hyun Mi Choi in South Korea to win the WBA gold title on April 27, 2024. The match took place in Suwon where Canada’s Camara defeated Choi by split decision after 10 rounds.

Camara, who is managed by Brian Cohen, has fought numerous champions including Kali Reis, Heather Hardy and Melissa St. Vil. She has become a pro fighter that you know will be involved in a good and entertaining fight and is always in search of elite competition. She eagerly accepted the fight in South Korea against Choi. Few fighters are willing to do that.

Next up for Camara is WBC titlist Caroline Dubois set for Jan. 11, in Sheffield, England.

Electric Fighters Club

These are women who never fail to provide excitement and drama when they step in the prize ring. When you only have two-minute rounds there’s no time to run around the boxing ring.

Here are some of the fighters that take advantage of every second and they do it with skill:

Gabriela Fundora, Mizuki Hiruta, Ellie Scotney, Lauren Price, Clara Lescurat, Adelaida Ruiz, Ginny Fuchs, Mikaela Mayer, Yokasta Valle, Sandy Ryan, Chantelle Cameron, Ebanie Bridges, Tsunami Tenkai, Dina Thorslund, Evelin Bermudez, Gabriela Alaniz, Caroline Dubois, Beatriz Ferreira, and LeAnna Cruz.

Claressa Shields Movie and More

A motion picture based on Claressa Shields titled “The Fire Inside” debuts on Wednesday, Dec. 25, nationwide. Most boxing fans know that Shields has world titles in various weight divisions. But they don’t know about her childhood and how she rose to fame.

Also, Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) will be fighting Danielle Perkins (5-0, 2 KOs) for the undisputed heavyweight world championship on Sunday Feb. 2, at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. DAZN will stream the Salita Promotions fight card.

“Claressa Shields is shining a spotlight on Flint – first on the big screen and then in the ring on Sunday, February 2,” said event promoter Dmitriy Salita, president of Salita Promotions. “Claressa leads by example. She is a trailblazer and has been an advocate for equality since she was a young lady. This event promises to be one of the most significant sporting and cultural events of the year. You don’t want to miss it, either live, in person or live on DAZN.”

Shields is only 29 years old and turns 30 next March. What more can she accomplish?

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