TopDissertations
Mohammad Ali, also known as Cassius Marcellus Clay, was born in 1942 in Louisville Kentucky. Around that time, blacks in Kentucky were servants who held casual jobs such as cleaning people’s homes as well as tending backstretch. Some of blacks were lucky to join the clergy or teach in public schools where fellow blacks attended. When Ali was twelve years old, his bike was unfortunately stolen and that led him to take up boxing under the tutelage of Joe Martin, a police officer. Mohammad advanced in his boxing and at the age of eighteen he won his first gold medal. This paper focuses on the Mohammad Ali Clay influence on all people, his beliefs as well as a role model for adults and kids.
Mohammad Ali Influence
Mohammad Ali was an outstanding athlete as well as a catalyst for change socially. Moreover, he was a positive imitation model worldwide (Mohammed Ali: Through the Eyes of the World). He inspired people of all races; he did not discriminate whites or blacks. In 1980, Mohammad retired from boxing, but he became busier than when he was fighting (Hauser 148). Despite his disability, he travels to diverse places like New York, Los Angeles, Australia, Morocco, Cuba, and Washington under the protection and guidance of his wife. There he inspired many people. A huge number of celebrities participated in his cultural program the Ali Rap. The program involved Mohammed Ali saying accompanied by music. His second program, also known as Ali’s Dozen, was a highlight of his twelve fights he had won except one. The lost fight against Joe Frazier was celebrated as a moral victory because the fight was around the time of the Vietnam War. Therefore, he seemed to be fighting for the progressions and critics of all Americans. Long after he stopped fighting, Mohammad Ali still commands respect from people worldwide. His earlier flaws and dark moment seem forgotten since he was courageous, and his goodness set an example for generations to come.
was when Mohammad was banned from boxing that he transformed from athletic idol into a struggle for independence representative as well as an integrity messenger (Mohammed Ali: Through the Eyes of the World). To many people, he became an icon of joy and the liberty fight. For instance, an opinion poll held in 1970 of American GIS fighting showed that Malcolm x and Mohammad Ali were viewed as American heroes. The International Olympic Committee also conducted an opinion poll that showed that Clay was among the top five athletic century leaders.
Though Mohammad struggle for his crown recovery, he endured all the tribulations, thus setting an example to those in the moral and physical struggle for better times ahead (Zang 116). Nowadays, Clay is still an example for all who seek a better world because he is an icon of the struggle for freedom.
Mohammad Ali Beliefs
Mohammad admitted that he first heard about the Nation of Islam in the Chicago Golden Gloves competition where he attended the conference in 1961. He started attending the conferences of the Nation of Islam privately. Apparently, he met Malcolm x, who became his mentor religiously and mentally. Unluckily, when he was about to attend his Liston fight, all the Nation of Islam members were present; therefore, it was nearly canceled. Later, Malcolm and Mohammad’s friendship ended when the Malcolm left the Nation of Islam shortly after Mohammed joined. Ali remained with the nations, but he regretted ever leaving Malcolm x. The Nation of Islam labeled the whites as the genocide perpetrators against African Americans. As a result, Clay condemned publicly (Mohammed Ali: Through the Eyes of the World). Ali had a notion that the white people are all unrighteous, and the white man is the devil. It was ironic to him since he had a white wife and most of his colleagues were white. In 1975, Ali converted from the Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam. He later embraced Sufism religious practices.
Mohammad as a Role Model for Adults and Kids
Mohammad is a role model to many children in many ways. According to Hauser, Muhammad had the sheer joy when entertaining kids. Children remarkably displayed happiness in Mohammad presence. Once he had an encounter with a boy suffering from leukemia who wanted to meet him before his fight. He took a photograph of the boy, and later he sent it to the ailing kid with ‘you are going to fight cancer’ inscription. Although the child later died, Mohammad was supportive during the short time that he lived.
Clay had the natural affinity for engaging children. Most of the time, he fought for peace and children’s rights. He also engaged in supplying food and medics to children worldwide who were in need. Mohammad was and still is a role model for many kids; he set up a center to support the children in becoming who they wanted to be.
There were many instances where Muhammad was a role model for the adults. For example, in America, a man threw his watch and beeper in the river in order to relieve physical tension. He did this to emulate Ali who had done that with his Gold Medal (Zang 117). The deed symbolically followed Ali’s remarks on ‘I want to be what I want to be’. In other parts of the world, people saw Ali as a great champion. Most striving people admired Clay as a role model. They watched his televised fights that inspired some to join boxing. Muhammad stood up for the rights of the people, especially the blacks in America. It led to celebrities emulating him by using their celebrity status to promote health in various parts of the world (Mohammed Ali: Through the Eyes of the World).
Ali believed in changing other peoples’ lives through his life. Moreover, he also thought that fate linked his fate with that of the masses. In other words, if he won a fight he could motivate neglected people to rise out of the drain. For instance, Ali believed that if he fought Frazier, he would inspire drunkards to go for rehabilitation, the jobless to look for jobs as well as many to stop abusing drugs.
Although Mohammad was a Muslim, he participated in the humanitarian aid without excluding any group. It is well documented that Muslims and Jews have a long standing conflict, but Ali closed beyond borders by contributing a self-help group Jewish nursing home.
How Mohammad Ali Clay Is an Artifact of Popular Culture
Mohammad Ali is an icon of culture loved worldwide. There are collections of his fight worn gloves that represent the most legendary battles that Ali fought (Hauser 148). The gloves serve as the crown jewels in boxing. They also rank among the most important art crafts ever offered publicly. Ali’s bouts are the most watched, anticipated as well as controversial in the history of sports. Clay entered the fight against Liston as a seven to one underdog that brought him his first heavyweight champion (Mohammed Ali: Through the Eyes of the World). There have been continuous rebroadcasting of his famous proclamations ‘I am the greatest’ as well as ‘I shook up the world’ for decades. It was due to Clay’s jubilant and defiant celebrations with taunts repeatedly. The fight when Ali met Frazier has been among the best contest ever in history of boxing. Although Ali never won the match due to his refusal to be inducted into the Vietnam War, the fight was billed as the struggle of the history.
Ali gloves were also distinct with identifying notations. There are significant artifacts brought together such as the Ali boxing license in 1963, his robe that was ever last white, his working-out dress, as well as the gloves worn when fighting (Hauser 149). Other artifacts include the mouthpiece wore and molds. All these artifacts made him forget his status undisputedly as the greatest all the time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Muhammad Ali was and is very influential worldwide. He did not conquer through fighting countries or the physical world discovery. It was through leading by example. He set an example to be emulated by many and he influenced many persons positively. He lived an exemplary life if when followed, peace and better human relation will reign over the world. Muhammad is an icon to be celebrated for generations.
