Sports Memorabilia -> Fan Apparel and Souvenirs -> Boxing
Not that long ago, everyone recognized the name Muhammad Ali. He wasn’t just popular during his heyday, though, even though many of the younger generation might not recognize his name today. As recently as 1999, he was given the title “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated, in conjunction with the British Broadcasting Company. Ali was an American boxing champion who still holds a record today for winning the linear heavyweight championship 3 times. He was also an Olympic gold-medalist.
Muhammad Ali’s real name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. named for his father who was actually named after an abolitionist and politician. When Clay joined the National of Islam in he changed his name to Muhammad Ali, in line with his newfound religious beliefs. No one knew this until he won the heavyweight championship in 1964, and then he revealed his religion. This was controversial then, as his views were considered extreme and racist. He openly condemned interracial marriage, and claimed that the white man hated the black man.
Ali was no stranger to controversy throughout his entire career. Part of the appeal of Muhammad Ali to many wasn’t just his amazing ability in the boxing ring, but his attitude In 1964, he failed the test that would qualify him for the draft because he had sub-par reading and writing abilities. He finally passed the test in 1966, but claimed that he was a conscientious objector of the Vietnam War on religious grounds and refused to serve because Allah had not given him the instruction. When he was drafted and refused to go in 1967, the boxing commission stripped him of his rights to box, and he didn’t enter a professional ring again until 1970.
Muhammad Ali became a 3-time World Heavyweight Champion, with his fights often known by catch-phrases like “The Fight of the Century” when he took on champion Joe Frazier, “Rumble in the Jungle” when he fought against George Foreman, and “Thrilla in Manila” when he fought Joe Frazier again.
One of his most famous lines, recognized widely even by people with no interest in boxing, referred to his style in the boxing ring: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” He was known for the speed of his hands and his ability to do fast footwork and move. He was also steel-jawed, never seeming to fear getting punched by the opponent. His ‘feud” with then famous sportscaster Howard Kosell was just one more thing to get the audience excited and create buzz about Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1984, and has won numerous awards and been giving numerous distinctions since he retired from boxing. Still a practicing and devout Muslim, he travels extensively and contributes time and money to several humanitarian causes, including helping feed the hungry worldwide. Collectibles found on eBay often include photos, old magazines and news clipping, and autographs—compare those with a trusted source to be sure the signature is authentic, he hasn’t signed autographs in several years, so these go for a high price.
Originally posted 2008-10-30 14:00:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Tips for a Sport Collection Collecting a memorability sport collection is something that can be truly exciting as a hobby and also truly profitable. Perhaps you have always had an interest in sports, or perhaps you just love collecting items of value. If you are interested in creating your own sport collection, you need to...... -
Mickey Mantle Sports -> Baseball Memorabilia When asked to list some of baseball’s greatest players, many people would list Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb, but no list would be complete without Mickey Mantle. The Oklahoma native was born to a father who was already a huge baseball fan and actually...... -
Baseball Pennants Sports Memorabilia -> Vintage-Sports Memorabilia -> Pennants-Flags Collecting baseball pennants can be a fun hobby for a sports memorabilia fan, or a fan of a particular baseball team. A collector can choose to collect pennants that were made during a certain year, a certain era, or pennants spanning the entire...... -
Stanley Cup Playoff With a Stanley Cup Playoff that is looking more and more like a repeat of last year, what is happening to the interest and the viewership of the Stanley Cup playoff games? According to some experts, the casual fan may see the teams and the results so far as being...... -
Richard Petty Sports Memorabilia -> Autographs-Original -> Racing-Nascar Richard Petty is a NASCAR driving legend. Known as “The King,” he was one of the most fan-friendly sports figures in the history of racing or any sport, always willing to sign autographs and engage with the fans for as long as they remained......
Related Websites -
The Biggest Loser Couples Season 7, Episode 18 Video Recap with Pete Thomas When the show left off last week Filipe had just left and they followed him home to show how things were going. Tonight they pick up where Filipe had just left and Allison announces to them that they are now to go home and come back in thirty days for... - Wednesday Wadio: Don Lennon's 'Really Dave Matthews'. "Lennon’s fans love his farcical, enigmatic lyrics and his crystalline pop sensibility for what they are. And if he’s not yet a big name in his home town, he may soon be able to look forward to a wider audience in the Gulf region. As one reviewer writes on that......
-
creepy and hatboy - more selected episodes /caption]zombies are fun in night of the living dead the zombies kind of shuffled slowly along, determined to annihilate and chew on the corpses they could create out of screaming young american victims. in evil dead, the zombies shrieked and screamed “dead by dawn!” which was really slippy, and...... -
Review of Heroes Season 3 Episode 12 - Our Father Watch full streaming episode if you haven't, then read my review below: I have decided to do away with the recap of the show scene by scene and instead do full reviews which have garnered better feedback from my audience and inspire people to chime in with their opinions.......
-
The Meek Are Stuffed And Ready For Dessert This post on modern socialism was originally written and published on 21/02/2008 on my old site, 'The God Is You', and may conflict with my current philosophy. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD the proverb, "The meek shall inherit the earth." It is a classic line from the Bible, "Blessed are the......
