Eli sample
Sandra Ward
College Writing
12/1/13

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen; he’s the most dominant boxer of all time. When it comes to Ali, there is no one better than him in my opinion. That is why this research paper is something I’ll enjoy writing about, because his life was and still is impactful to me in so many ways. The way this man went about his life some say was over confident but if you look back on his life he accomplished things that were unheard of. In doing so he has made a legacy of his own. No one will ever be more popular or such the character as he was in the world of boxing. He had his own way of going about boxing, much different than anyone else before or after his time. Muhammad used intimidation as one of his weapons against his opponents. He would taunt his opponents and he made up catchy slogans that would make them look bad and basically told them that there was no chance to beat him. One of Muhammad’s most known sayings is, “Floats like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.” This means that his left jabs are so quick that his opponents can’t see them coming. Because he had such a unique style of rhyming and expressing confidence, Ali had more media time than he should have; seeing that he grew up in the times of racism and discrimination against African Americans. He was always the life of everything; if you were in the same room as him you would definitely know it.
The biological name of Muhammad is Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., and he was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was the first of two boys and his biological parents were Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay. His father was a sign painter who also loved to dance, act, and most of all, sing. Ali’s mother didn’t have a steady job but when money was tight in the Clay family she worked as a cleaning lady. His younger brother was Rudolph Clay but went by “Rudy” and some people called him Rahman Ali. The reason Ali became interested in becoming a boxer was when he got his bike stolen at a young age. He was so upset that he reported it to a local policeman who went by the name of Joe Martin. Joe knew that Muhammad wanted revenge so he told him if he wanted revenge that he should learn to box. Ali took up his offer and he took lessons from the policeman at a local youth center. Once he started coming to the gym on a regular basis Joe realized that he had a knack for boxing and that he could one day be great. Muhammad Ali was only twelve when he took up boxing for the first time. This was the journey to big and better things for Ali, whether he knew it or not. Over the years he competed in youth boxing leagues which made him a better boxer day in and day out. Growing a little older and becoming a more improved boxer, Ali was featured on Joe Martin’s local television show called “Tomorrow’s Champion.” Muhammad then started working out at a Louisville’s Columbia Gym and was taught the science of boxing by an African American trainer who went by the name of Fred Stoner. Ali learned a lot of things from Stoner and among the many things he learned were how to move with the grace and ease of a dancer. Because he devoted all of his time and efforts to his sport, his schoolwork suffered tremendously.
As a teenager, Ali completely devoted his life and time to boxing. He practiced daily and took his training very seriously; he also paid special attention to his diet. The talent of Muhammad was known at a young age but the hard work helped him to bag numerous medals before he turned eighteen. Ali won the National Golden twice, which is a great accomplishment. He won the Kentucky Golden Gloves title a total of six times and he won an Amateur Athletic Union National title. Ali became the youngest boxer to win a gold medal in the Olympics. In 1960, Ali was the Light Heavyweight gold medal winner at the summer Olympics in Rome. He had