Muhammad Ali became a real boxing legend, and he achieved victories not only in the ring, but also on the personal front - Ali was always surrounded female attention and even being married, he could not deny himself short-term novels that did not influence his personal life in the best way.
The first wife of Muhammad Ali, the waitress Sonji Roy, did not live with him for long - the boxer's mentors from the Nation of Islam opposed this marriage, forcing him to break off relations with a woman who professed a different religion (Ali was a Muslim), and, moreover, worked as a simple waitress.
Their divorce proceedings lasted about a year, and among the main reasons for the divorce, Muhammad Ali called the wife's unwillingness to dress like a real Muslim woman, and love for revealing outfits.
In the photo - Ali with his first wife
The second wife of Muhammad Ali, Belinda Boyd, tried not to make the mistakes of the first wife of the boxer - almost immediately after the marriage, she converted to Islam and even changed her name, becoming Khalila Ali. She gave birth to four children - three daughters Mariyum, Jamila and Rashida and a son Muhammad Ali Jr.
However, the family idyll began to crumble after three years of marriage - Ali's numerous admirers, who followed him everywhere, haunted not only him, but also his wife, who was tired of enduring her husband's endless betrayals.
In the photo - Muhammad Ali, his second wife Khalila and their children
One of the girls who was not opposed to having an affair with the famous boxer was fashion model Veronica Porsche, who starred for a poster of one of Muhammad's fights.
Their romance began in front of the boxer's wife, who at that moment was with him in a training camp where Muhammad was preparing for a fight with George Foreman. Ali divorced Khalila after ten years of marriage, then he already had a one-year-old daughter from Veronica Khan, and after Porsche became the official wife of Muhammad Ali, she gave birth to him another child - daughter Leila, in the future, like her father, who dedicated her life to boxing and even became the absolute world champion in this sport.
In the photo - Ali with his third wife Victoria Porsche
The marriage with Veronica Porsche lasted almost nine years, and immediately after the divorce, Ali married for the fourth time - to Iolanthe "Lonnie" Williams, whom he had known in his youth. Mohammed did not have joint children with Iolanta, but they adopted the boy Asaad Amin.
The number of children of the famous boxer is not limited to those born in marriage - Ali also had two illegitimate daughters - Mia and Kalia. Thus, Muhammad had seven children, two of whom also devoted their lives to sports.
Pictured with Yolanta Williams
Ali himself was not born into a large family - he had only one brother, Rudolf, two years younger than him. Their family belonged to the middle class, his father was a member of the US House of Representatives and the Senate from Kentucky, and his mother was a housewife.
Parents raised their sons, trying to instill in them best qualities- taught drawing, my father tried to instill a love of poetry. Mohammed came to boxing quite by accident, trying to get justice after a bicycle was stolen from him, which he bought with his own money. The policeman, whom Ali turned to in search of a fair punishment for the offenders, advised the boy to take up boxing in order to always be ready for self-defense. So, at the age of twelve began sports biography future great boxer.
In the photo - Muhammad Ali with his daughter Leila
At the very beginning, no one could even imagine that in front of them future star boxing - the coaches did not see any potential in Ali, moreover, he was very cocky and constantly disrupted training. Only Fred Stoner, who taught Muhammad the first tricks, became interested in the boy and was not mistaken. In his first fight, broadcast on television as part of the Future Champions program, Ali won an unconditional victory over his peers and immediately shouted right into the camera that he would become the greatest boxer, and devoted his whole life to this - Ali never drank, never smoked , did not use drugs, became a fan healthy eating, practiced endlessly, and his dream eventually became a reality.
In youth fights, he won victory after victory, from the age of fifteen, Ali studied at the Central High School of Louisville, but due to poor performance, he was able to graduate from it only thanks to the personal support of the director, who hoped that the purposeful novice boxer would someday become famous and make the school known throughout the world. Muhammad Ali, who received only a certificate of graduation from school, did not even learn to read well, but he became what he had dreamed of becoming since childhood.
74 years ago, a black woman Odessa Clay gave birth to him. The boy was named after his artist father Cassius. The father painted advertising signs, and the family lived quite well compared to other blacks. But racism flourished in America in the 50s: blacks were considered second-class people. Cassius' great-grandfather was Irish, but that didn't matter.
Once a bicycle was stolen from a boy and he wanted to beat the offender. And then, fortunately, he happened to make friends with a white policeman Joe Martin, who part-time worked as a boxing coach. And after six weeks, he wins his first fight. And in the 56th year, Cassius wins the Golden Gloves tournament.
He always had problems with his studies. No one could force him to sit down for books. As a result, until the end of his life, he did not even really know how to read.
In 1960 he was invited to the Olympics in Rome. Despite the terrible aerophobia, Cassius flew to Europe (having bought a personal parachute for himself!), confidently reached the final and won gold. Even then, he had a corporate identity: he seemed to be dancing around rivals on his toes, lowering his arms and skillfully dodging their blows.
In October 60, he won the first fight in the professional ring. Money appeared, and the family moved to Miami. Then he became interested in Muslim values, took a name for himself and became a member of the Nation of Islam.
Our hero really wanted to serve in the army. But they didn't take him. Ali failed the "mental ability" test, unable to answer the question of how many hours a person works from six in the morning to three in the afternoon, including an hour for lunch.
Muhammad Ali several times became the “boxer of the year”, “of the decade” and even “boxer of the century.” In the early 90s, he got into the International Boxing Hall of Fame to forever remain a sports legend.
In 1984, Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He began to hear and speak poorly, all motor functions failed. An incurable disease has become a consequence of professional sports activities: the champion often wins, he himself has been in heavy knockdowns more than once.
Mohammed was married four times. He fled with his first wife at an early age because of her unwillingness to become a Muslim. Second companion Belinda Boyd(after marriage Khalila Ali) bore him four children. But Ali was not an exemplary husband, and his betrayals caused another divorce.
his mistress Veronica Porsche married him, becoming the third wife, in 1977. The marriage lasted nine years. After that, Muhammad married one of his many girlfriends. Yolanthe Williams. They even adopted a child. By the way, in addition to the legitimate children listed above, Muhammad still has two illegitimate daughters.
V last years he often suffered from severe pneumonia. In early June, he was again hospitalized due to serious problems with the respiratory system. The doctors, alas, were powerless.
Muhammad Ali: Biography of the legendary boxer
From open sources
One of the most famous and recognizable boxers in the history of world boxing died on June 4, 2016 in a hospital, surrounded by his children.
Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, is one of the most famous and recognizable boxers in the history of world boxing.
He was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Odessa Clay, a housewife, and Cassius Clay, a sign and poster artist. Two years later, his only brother Rudolph was born, who later changed his name to Rahman Ali.
Clay's family lived much poorer than middle-class white families, but were not destitute. Cassius Sr. painted signs in an attempt to become a professional artist, and his wife occasionally cooked and cleaned the homes of wealthy white families. Over time, their savings were enough to buy a small cottage in a well-maintained "black" quarter for $4,500.
Unlike many black peers who had to provide for their families from an early age, Cassius did not work as a child. He only occasionally worked part-time at the University of Louisville (washing desks and blackboards) in order to have pocket money.
In the early 1950s, an atmosphere of racial inequality reigned in Louisville, which greatly influenced the formation of the personality of 10-year-old Cassius. He later recalled that before falling asleep, he cried, because he did not understand why blacks were considered second-class people in society. His mother said that one hot day she and Cassius were waiting for a bus at a bus stop. She knocked at the nearest cafe to ask for a glass of water for her son, but she was refused and the door was closed in front of her.
Clay started boxing at the age of 12 after his red bicycle was stolen from him, which he bought with the money he earned. The day after the purchase, Cassius, along with a friend, went to the fair, where children were treated to ice cream for free. On his way home, he discovered that the bike was missing. Clay was very upset and at that moment he met a white police officer, Joe Martin, and told him that he would beat up the one who stole the bike. Martin replied: "Before you beat someone, you first need to learn how to do it." He invited Cassius to the gym, where he trained young boxers.
From the very beginning it was difficult to train him, Clay was constantly bullying with other guys, announcing to the whole room that he best boxer and become world champion. Because of this, Martin had to briefly kick him out of the hall. Coaches, with the exception of Fred Stoner, who taught the young boxer how to properly perform the jab, did not see much potential in Cassius.
Six weeks after the first visit to the hall, Cassius made his debut amateur fight. The fight was broadcast on television in the program "Future Champions". His opponent was a white teenager Ronnie O'Keefe, both boxers competed in weight class up to 89 pounds (40.389 kg). Cassius was younger and less experienced, despite this, he won by decision. After the announcement of the result, Clay began to shout into the camera that he would become the greatest boxer. From that moment on, he worked every day on boxing technique and endurance. He did not drink, smoke or use drugs, becoming a healthy eating fanatic.
Start of a brilliant career
For two next years Clay fought about one fight every three weeks, winning victory after victory. In 1956, he won the first Golden Gloves tournament of his career. In 1957, he had to give up training for four months because doctors discovered he had a heart murmur. Later it turned out that the heart is in perfect order.
At the age of 15, Clay transferred to Louisville Central High School, the largest African-American school in the city. Cassius' performance was so poor that one day he had to stay for the second year, but thanks to the support of the headmaster, Atwood Wilson, he was able to graduate. Wilson was impressed by Clay's determination and hard training, and he wanted the promising boxer to graduate and bring fame to the school. Cassius graduated from an educational institution in June 1960, having received only a certificate of attendance, but not a diploma, which was issued upon successful completion of studies. He always had problems with reading, and people around him often had to read to him.
At the same time, by the end of school, Clay won 100 victories on amateur ring, having suffered only 8 defeats.
worldwide fame
Clay's debut professional boxing took place on October 29, 1960, his opponent was Tanni Hunsecker.
Between February and July 1962, Clay scored five victories, all of the fights ended in knockouts no later than the sixth round.
At 22, Clay became the world champion in heavyweight, winning the fight for the world title against Sonny Liston.
After the rematch with Norton, the stage was set for a second fight against Frazier, which was supposed to take place again at Madison Square Garden. Before that, Ali fought against the Dutch heavyweight Rudy Lubbers, which took place in Indonesia. Mohammed dominated throughout the fight and won via unanimous decision. A few months before the fight, Ali began his attacks in the press. Frazier tried to focus on training and not react to his attacks. But during an interview on the ABC channel, Joe's nerves failed, and he grappled with Mohammed right in live. On the day of the fight, Madison Square Garden was sold out, the hall was filled with celebrities, including John F. Kennedy Jr. and reigning world champion George Foreman.
Unlike the first fight, Ali decided not to fight at the ropes, but focused on moving around the ring and inflicting a large number of jabs, at the slightest danger, Mohammed "knitted" the opponent's hands and did not let him hit. At the end of the second round, Ali landed an accurate right hook to Frazier's head, from which his legs buckled. After an accurate blow, Mohammed began to develop an attack, but the referee made a mistake: thinking that the round was over, he spread the boxers to their corners, giving Joe time to recover. This oversight by the referee did not help Frazier, who could not do anything for 12 rounds, the judges unanimously gave the victory to Ali. After the fight, Joe disagreed with the decision of the judges, openly stating that he had been robbed of the victory, and also that his opponent acted "dirty" during the fight
During his career, Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) fought 61 fights, in which he won 56 victories, 37 of them by knockout.
When Muhammad Ali lost, the audience in the hall cried
For two years, Ali did not enter the ring, during his career he earned about $ 50 million, but only a small part was invested in business, the rest went to Mohammed's entourage.
In 1980, Ali felt the need for money, which prompted him to fight again. By that time, Mohammed had no great desire to re-enter the ring, he was brought together with an in his prime reigning champion world by Larry Holmes. The boxers were well acquainted with each other, since Holmes was Ali's sparring partner.
The fight took place on October 2, 1980, at that time Mohammed was 38 years old, he had excess weight, and it looked frankly slow. The champion respected Ali and tried not to injure the veteran, but, nevertheless, inflicted numerous injuries on him during the fight. Holmes dominated throughout the fight and confidently won every round, many believed that he did not seek to knock out Ali, as he was afraid to inflict serious injury on him.
In the tenth round, Angelo Dundee did not let his ward into the ring, shouting: "I'm the main second! I demand to stop the fight!" This was the first fight in which Mohammed lost ahead of schedule. The camera snatched out the audience in the hall, many of whom were crying.
For your the last fight Ali earned about $ 8 million, which significantly improved his financial situation. This time he disposed of the money prudently, investing them in business and real estate. However, despite the material success, Mohammed decided to enter the ring again and was surprised to find that none of the leading boxers wanted to fight him, and also that the athletic commissions of most states were not going to issue him a license to fight due to his condition. his health. Despite all the difficulties, Ali managed to get permission to fight in the Bahamas with Canadian heavyweight Trevor Berbick. Mohammed looked much better than in the fight with Holmes, and even dominated in the fifth round. However, despite this, Ali lost by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout. After this fight, Mohammed announced his retirement and never entered the professional ring again.
The legendary athlete, who in itself has become synonymous with the word "boxing" for several generations of lovers of contact competitions. If the name given to him at birth, Cassius Clay Jr., is known to many, then the history of his beliefs can be called very strange and little covered. The disgusting men decided to study the issue and figure out what role the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, segregation and other attributes of racial and religious conflict of people of different colors played in the life of the legend.
“My war was spiritual. Not the kind of war that makes people die... I lost the title, lost my financial security. But I have achieved something else, something greater.”
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was an outstanding boxer, but the history of his spiritual rushing outside the ring may be more interesting stories his knockouts and victories. Yet he was not a machine flailing his fists, but a man with his own convictions, ideals and values. His association with the highly controversial Nation of Islam is a topic that would be enough for more than one article.
Why are we lower than them?
In the city of Louisville, where Clay was born in 1942, blacks were treated very lousy even for those times: separate toilets, lack of service in restaurants and other signs of racism in the spirit of the fifties. One hot day, ten-year-old Cassius and his mother, Odessa Clay, were waiting for a bus at a bus stop; the boy was thirsty, and the woman knocked on the door of the nearest cafe to ask for a glass of water for her son. She was answered with a sharp aggressive refusal and the door was slammed in her face. Such situations happened more and more often, and this had a very strong effect on little Cassius, who cried in the evenings and asked a simple question: “why are we lower than them?”
Cassius is only 13 years old.
Throughout his life, Mohammed was pursued by racism - from everyday to ideological. No matter how many medals he had on his chest, they still refused to serve him in restaurants, no matter how many championship belts he wore, he was always looked askance and hostility. All these looks and humiliating attempts to gain respect made Clay wonder if he was doing everything right in his life.
What if Jesus was black?
In 1959, when Cassius had already won more than a hundred victories at the amateur level and was ready to go to the 1960 Olympics in Rome, the boxer first heard the speech of the leader of the "Nation of Islam" Elijah Muhammad. At that time, this organization preached the ideology of "black nationalism", aimed at complete isolation from whites, and advocated the achievement of black independence in the economic and religious spheres. At the same time, the doctrine condemned the use of alcohol, gambling, physical abuse of black women, and failure to protect the family from white attacks.
Ali and one of the leaders of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, at the temple in Chicago.
Strictly speaking, this organization had little in common with traditional Islam and mostly limited itself to borrowing the name and some ideas. The "Nation of Islam" was precisely a form of protest against the privileged position of whites. Its origins were more socio-ideological than religious. Although over time, as is often the case, it has developed into a full-fledged cult.
A year after hearing Elijah Muhammad's speech, while training in Miami, Cassius had already personally met Abdul Rahman. He was one of the ardent followers and preachers of the "Nation of Islam" and invited the boxer to listen to his lecture "On the History of Our Ancestors" in the mosque.
Mohammed Ali in the ranks of the Nation of Islam.
Abdul spoke with pain in his heart about the hardships of blacks, up to "knowledge about their race", since blacks, according to him, were taught to hate themselves and their kind. In order to destroy the reminder of their ancestors, slave owners named black slaves in their honor, calling them by their own last name, literally considering them personal property.
Subsequently, Rahman explained to Cassius the main provisions of the ideology of the "Nation". They could not but please the hot, suffered from the whites and at the same time rather naive boxer. It was argued that the first and true people on Earth was the black race, which is already more than 60 billion years old, and white people are the creations of the mad scientist Yakub, who were born 6600 years ago, when Jews were brought out of Africans with the help of selection, and then the rest light-skinned peoples.
Wallace Fard Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam.
In addition, one of the main postulates was the idea that the founder of the "Nation of Islam", Fard Mohammed, is literally God in a human body and the long-awaited Messiah of Christians and Mahdi of Muslims. This part of the teaching seems almost stranger than anything that has been said before. The fact is that despite all the beliefs about the superiority of the black race and pan-Africanism, Fard himself was obviously white. Paradoxically, this did not bother his ardent followers at all. In 1934, he disappeared without a trace, which only confirmed his supernatural power in the eyes of believers. origin.
The story of Abdul Rahman made an indelible impression on Clay and sunk into the soul of Cassius. But he really got into the idea after the embarrassment that happened to him upon his return from the victorious Olympics. At the airport in his native Louisville, the champion was met by the mayor of the city and hundreds of fans - but almost immediately he learned another cruel lesson: the gold medal around his neck, which Cassius did not part with even during sleep at first, did not make him a full-fledged person in the eyes of the whites.
In the quarterfinals, Ali met with the Soviet boxer Gennady Shatkov, then defeated the Australian Tony Madigan, and in the final beat Zbigniew Petiszkowski from Poland.
With a medal on his chest, the champion went into a diner with a sign typical for the United States of that time in front of the entrance: "Only for whites."
“I thought I would put them in their place,” he recalls. “Still, I won the Olympics.” But Clay heard only the outrageous "We don't serve Negroes!" “It's all right,” the 18-year-old champion responded. “I am not a beggar.” However, he was simply thrown out into the street. Having met such an attitude, Cassius went to the Ohio River, where he sent his gold medal conquered by him for the state. In 1996, this medal was awarded to him again.
Then the young Cassius attracted the attention of Jeremiah Shabazz, the leader of the Muslims of the US South, who came to Atlanta specifically to meet the talented boxer. Jeremiah immediately came up with trump cards and asked a question that turned all Cassius' ideas about the world and religion: "If Europeans and white Americans worship the white Christ, then why don't black Americans worship black?"
Cassius was struck by the realization that all the paintings in public places always depicted only white people; there was never a word about blacks - as if they did not exist. Also, little black boys and girls straightened their hair to look white. Following this, Ali learned that according to Islam, God and his prophets cannot be represented by the human imagination. Whites in the eyes of Cassius Clay finally lost their monopoly on the truth.
Since 1961, Rahman began working for the boxer as a full member of the team, and Shabazz began to provide him with halal food. A year later, Cassius personally met with the most authoritative persons and recognized leaders"Nation of Islam" - Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X. Their influence on the athlete can hardly be overestimated: he saw his ideal in them and was glad to join the ranks of the organization. Looking ahead, we can say that the role of Malcolm in the life of a boxer turned out to be so grandiose that when he left the Nation of Islam and converted to conventional Sunni Islam, Cassius immediately followed him.
Muhammad Ali (left) and Malcolm X.
In February 1964, before the start of the first fight for the world heavyweight title with the famous Sonny Liston, Cassius publicly prayed to Allah for victory. And after winning that landmark meeting, the boxer officially announced the adoption of a new faith and joining the ranks of the Nation of Islam. In the role of a neophyte, Clay had to give up his former name and surname, which were considered slave, given by white oppressors.
He had to take the letter “X” as a surname, which symbolized the loss of knowledge about his own origin and the history of his ancestors. But Cassius with the surname X, as you understand, is not known to history - everything happened a little differently. The leaders of the Nation of Islam, who happily greeted Clay, honored him with a “full” Muslim name, which, as a rule, was “reserved” for permanent members of the organization. So the world was revealed to the great boxer Mohammed Ali.
Not everyone approved of Clay's entry into The Nation; many boxers said he was setting a bad example for the kids by hanging out with a dubious non-Christian organization. And the rest of the public did not really want to lose the provocateur and talker Clay, having received the preacher Ali in return. However, even after the decision to go into religion, the boxer remained the same groovy and irrepressible bully in the ring as before.
Then only fame, titles and a place in history awaited him. Over time, Mohammed left the inherently marginal "Nation of Islam" and turned to the more traditional and generally accepted Sunnism in the East, which he followed until the end of his life.
But that's a completely different story.
Cassius Marcellus Clay, known to many fans under the name Muhammad Ali- the most outstanding heavyweight boxer, whose fame in 1960-1979 thundered all over the world. He was distinguished swiftness, unusual intuition, frankness, dexterity and cunning. The cradle of the American athlete was the city of Louisville, located in the state of Kentucky, in which he appeared in 1942 on January 17.
The victorious procession of the legendary athlete began in 1960 after he conquered first gold medal light heavyweight roman Olympic Games. In 1964 he had a fight with Sonny Liston, which brought Cassius Clay the title world champion, after which the athlete converted to Islam and changed his name. Muhammad Ali refused to fight in Vietnam in 1967 due to religious beliefs, for which he lost his title and was banned from boxing until 1971.
Muhammad Ali's main rival was Joe Frazier. Having lost his first fight to the heavyweight in 1971, in the rest of the battles the legendary American rehabilitated himself and won the matches. The famous fight between rivals in 1974 was called by fans " rumble in the jungle". The meeting with Joe Fraser in 1975 also ended in a convincing victory. last time the greatest boxer appeared in the ring in 1981. Parting with the sport ended tragically - Muhammad Ali was diagnosed Parkinson's disease, almost depriving him of speech and movement.
In 1990, the athlete was elected to National Boxing Hall of Fame. The public was lucky to once again see " Athlete of the century» in 1996 on summer games in Atlanta, where he was entrusted with the Olympic torch. The Greatest Boxer with the soul of a child and with unattainable speed in 15 years he became the world champion three times: in 1960, after a fight with Sonny Liston, in 1974 in a duel with George Foreman and in 1978 with Leon Spinks.
Person, " fluttering like a butterfly and stinging like a bee", by his own difficult fight called the duel with the disease, which he considered a test from above.