This Day in History: 11 December 2019
11 December 1981
38 years ago, today, Muhammad Ali fought and lost his last fight, losing to TrevorBerbick. Muhammad Ali was a heavyweight boxing champion, with a 56-win record, and is subsequently regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. As well as this, he became an Olympic gold medallist in 1960, and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. Aside from boxing, Ali also converted to Islam during the 1970s, transforming his birth name, Cassius Clay, into the new name of Cassius X, before settling on Muhammad Ali. In 1967, Ali refused to fight in the military on the basis that his religion would not allow him, and therefore his world title and boxing license was taken away but returned in 1970 after missing three prime years in his career. He also was married four times and had nine children.
Muhammad Ali had a total of 56 wins, 5 losses and 37 knockouts before his retirement on 11 December 1981 at the age of 39. As a boxer, he was known for boasting about his skills before a fight, and famously told reporters he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". Ali fought many legendary fights, but his final match was against TrevorBerbick, which was one final loss which led to his retirement. However, three years later, in 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and this progressed and led to the onset of spinal stenosis, a condition that narrows the spine.
Before his death, Ali supported organisations such as the Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation and opened the Muhammad Ali Centre in his hometown of Louisville in 2005. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2007, and the President's Award from the NAACP for his public service efforts in 2009. Unfortunately, Muhammad Ali died in Phoenix, Arizona in 2016, after being hospitalised for a respiratory issue, being 74 years old.
Want to find out more on Muhammad Ali's life? Watch the biopic film, 'Ali', where Muhammad Ali is portrayed by Will Smith, or visithttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-Ali-boxer for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment