cassius clay facts

Before becoming Muhammad Ali, he was briefly known as Cassius X. Policeman Joe Martin told him he better learn how to fight. Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Following Clay's return to Washington, DC, Lincoln issued the proclamation in late 1862, to take effect in January 1863. After defending his title six times, Ali was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army in 1967. "A slight slurring of my speech, a little tremor. No matter how many I threw, I could never hit him.". One of the hardest punches Ali ever received was from a cop. 1. Ken Regan/Walt Disney Television/Getty Images. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He further explained in his autobiography that, while Clay may have gotten rid of his slaves, he "held on to white supremacy." His anti-slavery activism earned him violent enemies. His older brother Brutus J. Clay became a politician at the state and federal levels. In 1999, Sports Illustrated named him as the Sportsman of the century. Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975, recorded a statement that Clay would be renamed to Muhammad Ali.However, Ali would continue to be referred to as Cassius Clay in the media for years after, with only a few journalists initially using his new name. His friendship with Malcolm X partly inspired this temporary change before he became the renowned Muhammad Ali. Ali converted in 1963. He sold the rights to his name and image for $50 million in 2006. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cassius-Marcellus-Clay, Kentucky Educational Television - Biography Of Cassius Clay, National Park Service - Biography of Cassius Marcellus Clay, Madison County Historical Society of Kentucky - Biography of Cassius M. Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In the final he defeated three-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win the gold medal. Nothing critical. According to NBC News, his presence burst onto the scene in the early 1960s — when it truly mattered. Though his return to the ring saw legendary matches like "The Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla in Manila," it was his eventual retirement and Parkinson's diagnosis that truly marked his third act. Muhammad Ali and the Black Panthers. He famously refused, saying that the war did not align with his faith. "My conscience won't let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, some poor, hungry people in the mud, for big powerful America, and shoot them for what?" relive the civil rights movement in 55 powerful photos, 44 declassified Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers. And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: He was emblematic of fighting for what you believe in. He once talked a would-be suicide victim off the ledge. Ali was so angry about racial injustice that he threw his Olympic gold medal in a river. [3] He was influential in the negotiations for the purchase of Alaska.[12]. "If I wasn't famous, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now.". Businessman Alan Amron approached Ali in a Miami restaurant in 1976 and asked if he'd like to help bring the band back together. It was 1981 when he spotted a 21-year-old, and apparently convinced him not to jump. He wasn’t just a groundbreaking athlete whose boxing prowess mesmerized the country — he was also an outspoken activist who denounced the wrongs he saw in the world. He has problems.'". Ali failed his IQ test for the Vietnam War draft with a score of 78. Muhammad Ali almost reunited The Beatles after they split up. The 18-year-old won the gold medal as a light heavyweight, and returned to Louisville to turn professional. The FBI and the NSA spied on Muhammad Ali. They grew apart after Malcolm X criticized Elijah Muhammad, the prophet leader of the Nation of Islam, for being ignorant of the religion and fathering children out of wedlock. God bless the Russians. Read on to find out more facts about Muhammad Ali. "I'm in no pain," he said. Though Ali renounced his birth name Cassius Clay as his "slave name," he was named after a white abolitionist. During the international "Sports and Cultural Festival for Peace" in Pyongyang, one of the North Koreans bragged about how easy they could wipe out Japan or the U.S. Ali's response? They thought I was Superman. Survivors included his daughters, Laura Clay and Mary Barr Clay, who were both women's rights activists.[17]. Cassius Clay, as minister to Russia during that time, was instrumental in securing Russia's aid. This led Ali to conclude: "Why should I keep my white slavemaster's name visible and my black ancestors invisible, unknown, unhonored?"[25][26][27]. Despite being only 18, he won all four of his fights easily. The "Rumble in the Jungle" took place at 4 a.m. local time in Kinshasa, Zaire. Encyclopædia Britannica. He won the World Heavyweight Championship […] While many are familiar with the man through iconic photos, his legendary showmanship, and the biographical feature film about him, Ali’s life is an endless treasure trove of historical significance. I'm afraid of the flight. "Clay, Cassius Marcellus" . New York, New York. Updates? Clay is credited with gaining Russian support for the Union during the American Civil War. [14], In 1878 after 45 years of marriage, Clay divorced his wife, Mary Jane (Warfield) Clay, claiming abandonment after she no longer would tolerate his marital infidelities. Ali learned to dodge punches by dodging rocks. New York, New York. He changed his name in 1964 because he joined a Muslim group and didn’t want a name that had been given to his great-grandfather by slave owners. [3], In 1872, Clay was one of the organizers of the Liberal Republican revolt. (1911). Lincoln sent Clay to Kentucky to assess the mood for emancipation there and in the other border states. His birth name was This article is about the 19th-century emancipationist and politician. A move to Miami prepared him to tackle the heavyweight title. A lively and informative new podcast for kids that the whole family will enjoy! He lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996, despite his trembling arms. Ali had Irish roots. They didn't put no dogs on me.". Ali regularly met with presidents, heads of state, and even the Pope. 6 (11th ed.). Muhammad Ali stands over Sonny Liston and taunts him to get up during their title fight. Ali started boxing at age 12 after his bike was stolen. Following his upset over Liston, Cassius Clay’s membership in the Nation of Islam was publicized. The scabbard of Clay's Bowie knife was tipped with silver, and in jerking the Bowie knife out in retaliation pulled this scabbard up so that it was just over his heart. Recalled to the United States in 1862 to accept a commission from Lincoln as a major general with the Union Army, Clay publicly refused to accept it unless Lincoln would agree to emancipate slaves under Confederate control. In 1855 Fee founded Berea College, open to all races.[9]. He established an antislavery publication, the True American, in Lexington, Ky., in 1845 but was forced by attacks from pro-slavery Kentuckians to move it to Cincinnati, Ohio, and then to Louisville, Ky., where it was renamed The Examiner. He was one of six children who survived to adulthood, of seven born. In the ensuing fight, Clay fought off all six and, using his Bowie knife, killed Cyrus Turner. [4] They had ten children, six of whom lived to adulthood: Later, he adopted Henry Launey Clay, believed to be his son by an extra-marital relationship while in Russia. In the political campaigns of 1876 and 1880, Clay supported the Democratic Party candidates. 1970. These men became known as Cassius M. Clay's Washington Guards. In 1894, the 84-year-old Clay married Dora Richardson, the 15-year-old orphaned sister of one of his sharecropping tenants. If I was in perfect health — if I had won my last two fights — if I had no problem, people would be afraid of me.

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