Muhammad Ali
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In 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clays bike was stolen while he and a friend were at the Columbia Auditorium. Young Cassius found a cop in a gym, Joe Martin, and told him he was going to “whup” whoever stole his bike. The cop replied, “You better learn to box first.” Within weeks, 89-pound Cassius had his first fight-and his first win. For the next 27 years, Cassius would remain a champion in the boxing ring.
As a teenager, he never worked. He boxed and trained hard for his 108 amateur fights. The work paid off and Cassius found himself with 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves championships, two National Golden Gloves championships, and two National AAU titles before he was 18 years old. Soon enough he won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1960 in Rome just months after his 18th birthday. Although Cassius returned home to a parade, Louisville was still, in 1960 part of the segregated South. Even with a medal around his neck, Cassius was refused service at a local restaurant.
Cassius blazed a trail through the heavyweight division with his unorthodox style that defied boxing logic. He was a “headhunter” which meant he never threw body shots. And he “danced.” In the ring. Because of Clays powerful legs–maybe the strongest in the history of boxing–he literally floated in the ring. He invented the “Ali Shuffle” a foot maneuver where he would elevate himself, shuffle his feet and deliver a blow while dancing. Another element that Clay brought to boxing was his mouth. He never shut up and became known as “The Louisville Lip.” In a time when boxers never talked to the media—because their managers always spoke for them—Clay did all his own talking. He was the first to predict the outcome of his matches before they happened, and became well known for his public trash-talking of his opponents.
While training for his title fight against the fearsome heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, Clay met Malcolm X. Malcolm and young Cassius bonded on a deep level, and Malcolm brought Cassius into the Nation of Islam. Cassius became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1964 by upsetting Sonny Liston despite 7-1 odds against him. The next day, Clay announced to the world that he was a member of the Nation of Islam and that his name was now Cassius X. He believed the X reflected the unknown name that was taken from him by slave owners centuries before.