Muhammad Ali is widely widely considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. However, the man who floated like a butterfly was also a poet, an activist, and a humanitarian. For instance, he started boxing only because someone stole his bicycle. Furthermore, he famously refused to serve in the Vietnam War, which cost him his prime fighting years. Consequently, his legacy extends far beyond the ropes of the boxing ring. Therefore, get ready to rumble with the secrets of the Louisville Lip. You will admire the champion even more.
Muhammad Ali
A stolen bicycle started his career. When a thief stole his red Schwinn bike in 1954, a furious twelve-year-old Ali told a police officer he wanted to “whup” the culprit. The officer, Joe Martin, told him to learn how to box first.
He had a severe fear of flying. Before he flew to Rome for the 1960 Olympics, he bought a parachute from an army surplus store and wore it during the entire flight.
Ali refused to be drafted into the US Army. Citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War, he famously stated, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.”
The government stripped him of his title. Because of his refusal to serve, boxing commissions banned him from the sport for over three years during his physical prime.
His Hollywood Walk of Fame star is unique. Unlike every other star on the sidewalk, his star hangs on a vertical wall. He demanded this because he did not want people walking on the name of the Prophet Muhammad.
He recorded a spoken-word album. Before rap music existed, he released “I Am the Greatest” in 1963. Consequently, critics often call him the poetic father of hip hop.
He starred in a Broadway musical. During his exile from boxing, he played the lead role in a show called Buck White in New York City.
Ali fought Superman in a comic book. In 1978, DC Comics published “Superman vs. Muhammad Ali,” where the two legends fought to save Earth from an alien invasion.
He learned his trash talk from a wrestler. Specifically, he met the flamboyant wrestler “Gorgeous George” in Las Vegas and adopted his bragging style to sell more tickets.
He personally negotiated with Saddam Hussein. In 1990, he flew to Iraq and successfully secured the release of fifteen American hostages before the Gulf War began.
He performed magic tricks for strangers. frequently, he carried a fake thumb and scarves to perform illusions for children and fans he met on the street.
He threw his Olympic gold medal into a river. According to his autobiography, he tossed the medal into the Ohio River after a restaurant refused to serve him because of his race.
Ali invented the “Rope-a-Dope” strategy. In the Rumble in the Jungle, he leaned against the ropes and let George Foreman punch him until Foreman exhausted himself.
He has Irish ancestry. Surprisingly, his great-grandfather was an Irishman named Abe Grady who emigrated from County Clare to Kentucky in the 1860s.
Finally, he changed his “slave name.” After he joined the Nation of Islam, he rejected the name Cassius Clay and eventually adopted Muhammad Ali.
