How Muhammad Ali empowered African Americans all over America

By Brian Sandjong

There are many ways people are able to influence the world: social media, politics, and television.  But none of them compare to sports. Sports are where kids find heroes that they want to become, and one of these heroes is Muhammad Ali. He showed the world to look at a different point of view when it comes to race and was an inspiration to many little African American children. He was a man that they could look up to and was a man who influenced the world for the better. 

Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942  (in Louisville, Kentucky). Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., which was Muhammad Ali’s original name. He had one sibling named Rahman Ali. At age 12, Clay had his bicycle stolen. Clay reported it to Officer Joe Martin and vowed to pummel the person who took it, and Joe said that he should learn how to fight first, the same officer took him under his wing and this is how the legendary boxer was born. 

The accomplishments and successes of Muhammad Ali 

Muhammad Ali wasn’t the smartest guy but was an excellent boxer. Even at a young age, he was showing people He was the greatest. At age 12, Muhammad won his first boxing competition in 1954 vs. Ronnie O’Keefe by a split decision. At age 18,  Muhammad won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles and two national Golden Gloves titles. He also went on to win two Amateur Athletic Union titles His best accomplishment was winning a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics.

In his professional years, Ali broke a world record by defeating Sonny Liston and becoming the youngest person to dethrone a heavyweight champion at age 23. From March 1967 to October 1970 Muhammad Ali was forced to stop fighting and was stripped of his heavyweight champion title after refusing to join the army because of his religion (Islam).  Even though he couldn’t fight He still stuck to his beliefs and showed the world he was not bending to anyone and convinced many people to do the same. 

Soon after, Muhammad fought against Joe Frazier, the new heavyweight champion because of his record of knockouts. Though Muhammad lost that fight, it was deemed “ the biggest sporting event in history.” It was also his first official loss in his professional career. But, this didn’t stop him from getting that title for a second time. Joe Frazier lost to George Foreman which meant the title was open. This set up a match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman on January 28, 1974, where he won his second heavyweight championship title. The match was called “the greatest sporting event of the 20th century.” 

Muhammad did many things as a boxer; he won many awards and made a name for himself.  He made the world look at a different point of view when it came to African-Americans playing sports. But he didn’t only influence the world in the ring; he also was an activist who fought so African Americans could have a better chance of becoming sports stars. Furthermore, He strived to create a country where they could live in a world where they too could play sports, not being shut down because of how they looked, but being acknowledged because of how they shined. Even today, after his passing, he’s a role model and hero to so many people out there. He was a fantastic boxer and influenced the world for the better.