Muhammad Ali was a well-known American professional boxer. He is regarded as one of the all-time great boxers and was noted for his exceptional footwork, speed, and power. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was given the name Ali in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he competed in boxing starting at the age of 12, winning the gold medal in the light heavyweight class. Later that year, he made the transition to the professional ranks, and he rapidly gained notoriety for his brazen demeanor and bold predictions of success, which he notoriously referred to as “trash-talking.”
Some of the greatest famous contests in boxing history occurred during Ali’s three-decade professional career. He defeated Sonny Liston in a stunning upset to win the heavyweight championship in 1964, and he went on to successfully defend his belt against a wide range of opponents. Additionally well-known for his social and political activities was his decision to evade conscription during the Vietnam War. With a record of 56 victories, 5 defeats, and 37 knockouts, Ali ended his boxing career in 1981. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, he was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. At 74 years old, he passed away in 2016.
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Muhammad Ali Quotes
- He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
- People don’t realize what they had till it’s gone.
- The man who has no imagination has no wings.
- Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
- Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.
- Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams – they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do – they all contain truths.
- Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.
- Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.
- It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
- If you lose a big fight, it will worry you all of your life. It will plague you – until you get your revenge.
- Life is a gamble. You can get hurt, but people die in plane crashes, lose their arms and legs in car accidents; people die every day. Same with fighters: some die, some get hurt, some go on. You just don’t let yourself believe it will happen to you.
- A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.
- I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’
- Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
- Friendship… is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.
- 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 the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.
- It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.
- A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he’ll never crow. I have seen the light and I’m crowing.