BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCChhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTThhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssss SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.......... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnsssssssssssssssssssssssssssss (cid:12)(cid:20)(cid:7)(cid:76)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:76)(cid:77)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:11)(cid:8) by Thomas S. Owens Content Consultant: Erik Arnold, boxing historian Published by ABDO Publishing Company, 8000 West 78th Street, Edina, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2011 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. SportsZone™ is a trademark and logo of ABDO Publishing Company. Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota 112010 012011 Editor: Chrös McDougall Copy Editor: Paula Lewis Series Design: Christa Schneider Cover Production: Emily Love and Christa Schneider Interior Production: Sarah Carlson and Carol Castro Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Owens, Tom, 1960- Muhammad Ali : boxing champ & role model / by Thomas S. Owens. p. cm. — (Legendary athletes) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61714-752-4 1. Ali, Muhammad, 1942- 2. Boxers (Sports)—United States—Biography. 3. Role models. 4. Sports—Biography. I. Title. GV1132.A4O84 2011 796.83092—dc22 [B] 2010046233 (cid:19)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:14)(cid:5)(cid:3) (cid:87)(cid:14)(cid:13)(cid:19)(cid:4)(cid:13)(cid:19)(cid:18) CHAPTER 1 Caterpillar Cassius, Butterfly Ali 6 CHAPTER 2 “ The Greatest” Growing Up 16 CHAPTER 3 Turning Pro 26 CHAPTER 4 Fighting for a Cause 34 CHAPTER 5 The US Army and Ali 44 CHAPTER 6 The Fight of the Century 52 CHAPTER 7 Rumble in the Jungle 58 CHAPTER 8 Thrilla in Manila 68 CHAPTER 9 A Different Kind of Fight 78 CHAPTER 10 Life after Boxing 86 Timeline 96 Essential Facts 100 Glossary 102 Additional Resources 104 Source Notes 106 Index 110 About the Author 112 Before his 1962 fight with Archie Moore, Clay bragged that he would knock Moore out in four rounds. He went on to do so. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 7 (cid:87)(cid:38)(cid:57)(cid:42)(cid:55)(cid:53)(cid:46)(cid:49)(cid:49)(cid:38)(cid:55)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:38)(cid:56)(cid:56)(cid:46)(cid:58)(cid:56)(cid:70)(cid:3) (cid:86)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:57)(cid:42)(cid:55)(cid:43)(cid:49)(cid:62)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:49)(cid:46) (cid:37) efore he was known as Muhammad Ali or called himself “the Greatest,” Cassius Clay might have been “The Loudest.” He bragged, often in rhyme. He not only promised great wins, he often predicted the round in which he would win. His actions infuriated the boxing establishment and the American public. No other athletes at the time acted as he did. Further, few believed he was good enough to back up his words. Clay had begun his professional boxing career in 1960 after competing in the Olympic Games. Throughout the next four years, he beat—and belittled—every opponent in his path. But none of the wins convinced the public that he was a future titleholder. In June 1963, Clay went to London, England, seeking his nineteenth consecutive win. A crowd of 55,000 turned out to see him battle Henry Cooper. His opponent was referred to in London newspapers as “Our ’Enry,” a familiar form of his name borrowed from the working-class cockney 8 LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS dialect of London.1 Clay decided to show England how he wished to be known. He entered the ring dressed in a red robe adorned with the words, “Cassius the Greatest.” Before the fight, Clay’s image appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the daring headline “Cassius Invades Britain.”2 This was the first of 38 times that his image would be on the magazine’s cover. The magazine summed up Clay’s talkative scheme, “Cassius A Helpful Left Hook in England applied the economic (cid:44)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:25)(cid:21)(cid:3)(cid:80)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:3) theory he has found so workable (cid:54)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:81)(cid:92)(cid:3) (cid:37)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:15)(cid:3) (cid:38)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:3) (cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:3) in the US: to sweeten the gate, (cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:3) (cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:73)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:76)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:17)(cid:3) you must first sour the people.”3 (cid:44)(cid:81)(cid:3) (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:3) (cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:15)(cid:3) (cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3) (cid:38)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:183)(cid:86)(cid:3) (cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:15)(cid:3) (cid:87)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3) Clay returned to America with a (cid:36)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:90)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:3) fifth-round knockout, just as he (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:82)(cid:91)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:3) (cid:69)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:17) predicted. His continued success (cid:3) (cid:180)(cid:37)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3) frustrated many boxing fans. (cid:73)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:73)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:183)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3) (cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3) But after 19 wins—with 15 (cid:46)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3) (cid:46)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:17)(cid:3) (cid:36)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:183)(cid:86)(cid:3) (cid:72)(cid:92)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:3) knockouts—Clay finally got the (cid:74)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:93)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:78)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3) (cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:78)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3) title fight he had been seeking. (cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:89)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:17)(cid:3) (cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3) (cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3) (cid:86)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3) (cid:69)(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:88)(cid:83)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:87)(cid:16)(cid:72)(cid:92)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3) (cid:69)(cid:88)(cid:86)(cid:75)(cid:92)(cid:16)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:83)(cid:83)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3) Sizing Up Sonny (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:74)(cid:88)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:3) (cid:68)(cid:3)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:183)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3) Eight months after (cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:90)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:92)(cid:3) beating Cooper, Clay faced (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:74)(cid:75)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:83)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3) (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:3) (cid:37)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:86)(cid:183)(cid:3) (cid:83)(cid:88)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:3) (cid:90)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:3) Charles “Sonny” Liston for (cid:74)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:71)(cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:72)(cid:3) (cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:3) (cid:72)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:15)(cid:3) the heavyweight title. Liston’s (cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:17)(cid:181)(cid:23)(cid:3) MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 9 boxing education occurred behind bars. Armed robbery and assaulting police officers headlined Liston’s 19 career arrests. He took up the sport of boxing at the urging of two prison chaplains. Clay bragged that Liston, the world heavyweight champion, had met his match. But few others agreed; Clay was seen as the underdog. Many questioned whether fans would pay the sky-high ticket prices. On February 25, 1964, even Clay’s wild promises did not fill the Miami Beach Convention Center. Ultimately, the arena attracted just 8,300 paying fans, despite having capacity for 15,744. The mental battle between the two boxers began months before the first bell rang. In July 1963, Liston (cid:14)(cid:51)(cid:42)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:55)(cid:62)(cid:3)(cid:80)(cid:86)(cid:42)(cid:38)(cid:55)(cid:79) When Clay compared Sonny and gave him frequent beatings. Liston to a bear, he was not Liston ran away to St. Louis, thinking of a teddy bear. Liston Missouri, to live with his mother. was born in Arkansas, the twenty- She had left the farm to work in a fourth of twenty-five children (and factory. In St. Louis, Liston joined the tenth Liston’s father had with a street gang and became involved Liston’s mother). The poor family in crime. He was sentenced to five did not even keep track of his birth years in prison for robbery when date. Reporters guessed he was he was approximately 20 years old. born between 1927 and 1932. When he became a Liston never attended school professional boxer in 1953, men and never learned to read or write. who had ties to organized crime Instead, his father sent him to bought his contract. work in farm fields at age eight