On June 3, at the age of 74, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali passed away due to lung problems. The cause of death of Muhammad Ali was septic shock, which arose due to "unidentified natural causes." This is an irreparable loss for the whole world, a real legend has left us, whose name will forever remain in the history of world sports.

Not everyone knows that Muhammad Ali has been fighting Parkinson's disease for three decades. In March 2016, a British photographer Zenon Texeira was invited by Muhammad Ali's family to his home in Phoenix, Arizona, USA for the former world champion's last lifetime photo shoot. Also recently, the last lifetime photographs of the boxer, published by his daughter named Nana Ali, appeared on the network. We invite you to take a look at those and other pictures, saturated with pain and revelation.

Raised his fists for the last time ..

The last photo shoot of Muhammad Ali was made at the end of March at the boxer's house with the permission of his family.

As always severe and serious

Mesmerizing photos of Muhammad Ali after 32 years of unequal battle with neurodegenerative disease

The latest lifetime photographs of Muhammad Ali, taken by his daughter Hanoi Ali on May 22 during a conversation via the Facetime application and published by her on her page in Twitter

"The last photo of my beautiful father ... I said that I love him on May 22, 2016", - signed this photo of Hana

Air kiss with daughter

"Blow a kiss with Dad on March 15th as she watches Westerns and waits for Lonnie to bring him a piece of pie", caption

A message from the entire family of Muhammad Ali, also posted on Khana's page

“Our hearts are literally breaking. But we are happy that our dad is finally free. We tried to stay strong and whispered to him:“ Now you can leave. Everything will be fine with us. We love you. Thank you. Now we can go back to God. "We were all by his side, hugging him, kissing, holding his hands, repeating Islamic prayers. All his organs failed, but his heart did not stop beating. 30 minutes .. his heart continued to beat. No one has ever seen anything like it. A true proof of his fortitude and will! Thank you all for your love and support. "

Rest in peace, champion, your name will last forever!

Mohammed Ali (real name Cassius Marcellus Clay) is a true legend of world boxing. "Flutter like a butterfly - sting like a bee" - his motto has defined the course of this sport for many years to come, becoming the basis for thousands of trainers and boxers around the world. Mohammed Ali was not just a boxer - he is a man who turned the history of world boxing into a new direction. During his career, he fought 61 fights, of which 56 were crowned with victory.

Probably, today there is hardly a person in the world who would never have heard of the "People's Champion", the brilliant heavyweight of the 60s and 70s. But is it worth saying that Muhammad Ali is a person about whom absolutely everything is known? Of course not. After all, the human soul is a city in which lights are rarely lit.

The early years of Mohammed Ali (Cassius Clay)

Cassius Clay, better known by the "Islamic" name of Mohammed Ali, was born on January 17, 1942 in the small town of Louisville, Kentucky. His father was a successful advertising artist, liquor fanatic and lover of affordable women. That is why, in his interviews, the heavyweight legend rarely mentioned him. As noted by some of Cassius's acquaintances, he frankly disliked his father, since binges and "spree" for him were the usual norm of life.

It's quite another matter - the mother of the future boxer. Odessa Grady Clay was a housekeeper and worked primarily in the homes of wealthy white Louisiana residents. She cooked and cleaned, and always remembered at every opportunity that her father was Irish. It is quite remarkable that Muhammad Ali himself has repeatedly said that "white blood" makes him weaker. Although the rivals of Cassius Clay, for sure, could argue with this.

Our today's hero began to get involved in sports at the age of twelve after ... someone stole his bicycle. His family was not poor, however, despite this, his own "great" always seemed to Cassius a real treasure. That is why the fact of his loss has become one of the most difficult episodes in the life of a young guy. On that day, Muhammad Ali vowed that he would certainly "pile on" the thief. With this idea, he first came to a boxing training hall. This is how the legendary career of the great fighter in world sports began. He came to the gym with his brother Rudolph, two years younger, who later helped Cassius in sparring. It is noteworthy that initially the coaches, with the exception of Fred Stone, did not see any prospects in the guy.

Soon the first battle of Cassius Clay took place. Once, in a three-round confrontation, he defeated a fellow from Louisiana - Roni Okiba. After that, the young boxer was invited to local television and appeared in the "Stars of Tomorrow" program.

Mohammed Ali's heyday

In 1956, Cassius appeared before the audience at his first ever major boxing competition "Golden Gloves" and immediately won the tournament. This victory was followed by others. In total, by the time he graduated from school, Cassius Jr. had more than a hundred won fights to his credit. It is quite remarkable that one day he even managed to win in sparring the most real champion - Willie Pastrano. Of course, he was extremely unhappy with such a turn of events, however, in the end, he admitted that the guy had a great future.

Muhammad Ali: the best knockouts!

In 1960, the great athlete volunteered for the US Army. It was during this period that he set about creating his own unique boxing style. He asked his brother and army buddies to throw stones at him at close range so that he could learn to dodge them. Moreover, in battles with his rivals, he often “danced” in the ring, standing in front of his opponent with his hands down. This boastful style drew a lot of negative reviews from professional boxers, but attracted the attention of the general public to Cassius.

In the same 1960, the young boxer won the tournament of the Athletic Amateur Union and was invited to take part in the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games. However, the performance at this competition was purely a formality. Having received the coveted ticket to the Olympics, Cassius went to Rome, where he confidently confirmed the championship. The gold medal of the Olympic Games was the first serious success in the career of our today's hero.

Mohammed Ali at the 1960 Olympics

In 1964, the talented native of Louisville first appeared before the public under the name Mohammed Ali - the name under which the athlete entered the history of boxing forever. Shortly before this, the athlete converted to Islam. It is generally believed that the reason for this decision was the athlete's dislike of white people - all childhood and adolescence, Cassius and his family suffered from racial harassment.

In 1964, Mohammed became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and held this title for two years in a row. Subsequently, he became the owner of the title of "Boxer of the Year" five times (1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978), and was also recognized as the "Boxer of the Decade" (70s). In 1974, Ali was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Century. In 1987, he was inducted into the American Boxing Hall of Fame, and three years later - into the international.

Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson in the same studio - in Russian

The end of the career of Mohammed Ali

During his career, Mohammed Ali earned about $ 50 million, which was just an exorbitant amount for those times. However, the boxer disposed of his finances openly mediocre, for the most part wasting them on his environment.

Due to the lack of money in 1980, Mohammed was forced to enter the ring again. At that time, his opponent was the reigning champion Larry Holmes, who confidently defeated the veteran. The legendary boxer looked frankly pathetic. But despite this, Mohammed received about eight million dollars for that fight.

This time the money earned was invested in business and real estate. However, despite the financial success, in 1981 the boxer entered the ring again. In a fight with Canadian heavyweight Trevor Berbick, he looked pretty good, but still lost. From that moment on, Mohammed no longer entered the ring.

Duel of Mohammed Ali and Trevor Berbick

In 1984, the former boxer was diagnosed with a terrible disease - Parkinson's syndrome, which caused Mohammed's coordination and breathing problems. However, the athlete's mind remained clear, and thanks to the prescription drug Levodopa, he was able to cope with his daily activities. Realizing that a further career as a boxer was out of the question, Mohammed Ali decided to devote his life to charity: he helped those in need, called on wealthy Americans to follow his example, and participated in negotiations with radical Islamists in Lebanon and Iraq.

Personal life of Mohammed Ali

Mohammed Ali has been married four times. With his first wife, a waitress named Soji Roy, the boxer got along in his youth, but a month later the marriage broke up due to his wife's unwillingness to convert to Islam and "immodest behavior."

The second marriage, with Belinda Boyd (later - Khalila Ali), lasted longer and led to the birth of four children: three daughters and a son, named Mohammed Ali Jr. Soon after the birth of their fourth child, the couple's relationship cracked, and Mohammed began an affair with model Veronica Porsche, who, as noted in many sources, was not his only mistress. One way or another, it was Veronica who became the official reason for the divorce of Mohammed and Khalila.

Mohammed Ali and Veronica Porsche were married in 1977. They soon had two children.

This union lasted for nine years. After his divorce from Veronica Porsche, the legendary boxer married longtime girlfriend Iolanta Williams. They soon adopted a five-year-old boy together. In addition, Mohammed had two more illegitimate children from outside relationships.

Death of Mohammed Ali

On June 2, 2016, Mohammed Ali was hospitalized in one of the Arizona clinics (Phoenix city) in serious condition - breathing problems. Parkinson's disease made itself felt, it became impossible to stop it with drugs over the years. Doctors fought for the life of the great boxer, but they could not defeat death - on June 3 he was gone.

In memory of Muhammad Ali

Another world celebrity has passed away - philanthropist, pacifist, public figure and boxing legend Mohammed Ali. A boy who was born Cassius Clay and became one of the most famous boxers in history years later, Muhammad Ali, who suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years, died last Friday of septic shock.

In the eyes of most people, Mohammed Ali was the greatest boxer of all time. Unfortunately, the man who showed the world how to "flutter like a butterfly and sting like a bee" had a number of health problems during the last decades of his life, becoming a shadow of his glorious past.

Suffering from lung problems aggravated by Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali was admitted to a hospital in Phoenix last week. With his death, the great boxer shocked the whole world for the last time, making millions mourn this loss and pay tribute to his Humanity.

Today we bring you fascinating facts from the life of an athlete who has touched the hearts and souls of millions - perhaps more than any other athlete in human history.

Here are 25 facts you might not know about Muhammad Ali!

25. At birth he was named Cassius Clay, after a 19th century white farmer and abolitionist who freed 40 slaves inherited from his father.

24. Mohammed Ali is perhaps one of the most famous African Americans in history, but he also had Irish roots. His great-grandfather, Abe Grady, was an Irish who emigrated to the United States and settled in Kentucky in the 1860s, where he married a freed slave.

23. Ali started boxing at the age of 12 after being stolen from him by a red and white Schwinn bicycle, which he bought with the money he earned. After reporting the theft to police officer Joe Martin, he said that he would beat whoever did it, to which he received the answer: "Before you beat someone, you must first learn how to do it." The police officer who trained the young boxers invited him to go to training. Six weeks later, Mohammed Ali won his first amateur fight.

22. As an amateur boxer, Ali has won 100 of his 108 fights, including 6 Golden Gloves championships in Kentucky and the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

21. There are many stories associated with his Olympic medal. Mohammed Ali himself wrote in his autobiography in 1975 that after returning to Louisville, he threw his medal from a bridge into the Ohio River in protest against the racism he still faced in his hometown.

However, this story is disputed by some of his inner circle, claiming that he invented it after losing the medal. Anyway, during the Summer Olympics in 1996, the IOC President presented him with a duplicate of the lost gold medal.

20. Muhammad Ali liked to say hurtful words to his opponents in order to piss them off and piss them off. He even composed poems in which he ridiculed his rivals and praised himself. Columbia Records were so impressed by his ridicule that in 1963 they decided to release an audio album by Mohammed Ali entitled "I Am the Greatest", in which the 21-year-old boxer recited his poems to music.

19. After defeating Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight title in 1964, the new champion has confirmed that he has become a member of the Nation of Islam. Inspired by Malcolm X, Ali changed his name to Cassius X, and after a short time received a new name - Mohammed Ali.

18. Mohammed Ali refused to serve in the US Army and to participate in the Vietnam War, which he considered unjust. He said, "No Vietcong ever called me a Negro."

17. Due to his refusal to serve in the army, the boxer was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but by appealing he managed to avoid it. Also, he was stripped of his world title and banned from entering the ring for 3 years.

16. During his forced 43-month exile from the boxing ring, Ali starred in the Broadway musical "Big Time White Buck". Unfortunately, the musical was quickly closed after 4 days, and Ali only managed to perform 7 times. Despite the failure of the project, Mohammed Ali, who played the role of an aggressive black lecturer, received decent reviews.

15. In 1971, Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in combat. This fight went down in history as the "Fight of the Century", each of the boxers received $ 2.5 million for the fight, which took place in Madison Square Garden (Madison Square Garden). Fraser won. It was the first professional fight lost by Muhammad Ali.

14. Mohammed Ali faced Fraser two more times in the ring, winning both. One of these fights was dubbed "Thrilla in Manila" by journalists and is considered the best fight in boxing history.

13. The unsuccessful fight with Fraser was followed by "The Rumble in the Jungle", which took place on October 30, 1974 in the city of Kinshasa (Zaire). This fight will be called the most iconic in the sport. Ali defeated George Foreman (George Foreman), who at the time was considered invincible, knocking him out in the 8th round.

12. In 1978, Mohammed Ali regained the title against Leon Spinks, winning after 15 rounds via unanimous decision. He became the first world heavyweight boxing champion to win this title for the third time.

11. In 1980, at the age of 38, after a two-year hiatus from his sports career, Ali entered the ring for the heavyweight title against the then reigning champion Larry Holmes. This was the first and only time that Muhammad Ali lost early. Unfortunately, during the fight, the boxer already began to show the first signs of Parkinson's disease.

10. On July 19, 1996, already having difficulty speaking from Parkinson's disease, Mohammed Ali lit the Olympic flame at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Sports Illustrated magazine called this moment one of the most emotional in the history of sports.

9. In February 1999, Muhammad Ali became the first boxer to appear on a box of "Wheaties" breakfast cereals for champions.

8. This may sound unlikely, but Mohammed Ali trained for speed with stones. He asked his best friend to throw stones at him that he had to dodge. According to his younger brother Rudy, Ali dodged every stone that was thrown at him.

7. The selection committee of the US Army determined the IQ of Mohammed Ali, which was 78. In his autobiography, he jokes: "I said that I was the greatest, not the smartest."

6. In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Mohammed Ali as the Best North American Athlete of the 20th Century.

5. Almost 50 years after the fight, the gloves in which Mohammed Ali defeated Liston and won the world title brought him more money than the victory itself. In 2013, an anonymous buyer purchased the boxer's gloves, in which he won his first championship title, for $ 836,000. For comparison, Ali earned $ 630,000 for the victory in that battle.

4. Benedikt Taschen's GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammed Ali weighs 75 pounds (34 kg) and is framed in Louis Vuitton silk and leather. The 780-page book measures 20x20 inches (51x51 cm) and contains 600,000 words and over 3,000 images. "GOAT" stands for "Greatest of All Time".

3. Since 2013, the Mohammed Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky has been holding Three Days of Greatness in his honor.

2. In 1974, in Las Vegas, Elvis Presley and Mohammed Ali, perhaps the two most famous people in the world at that time, met for the first time. The media and fans still refer to this meeting as "when the Greatest met the King."

1. On November 27, 1990, Mohammed Ali met with Saddam Hussein in Baghdad to negotiate the release of the Americans held hostage in Iraq and Kuwait. In the following month, Ali accompanied the 15 Americans liberated in Iraq, gaining the respect and admiration of the entire world.

Parkinson's syndrome is a serious chronic disease that does not spare people regardless of their age and social status. Many great and famous people in different years suffered from this disease. The World Health Organization declared April 11, the day of the birth of the physician James Parkinson White, the physician who first described the disease, as the Day of the World Fight Against the Syndrome, the symbol of this movement was the red tulip.

Disease of famous people

Parkinson's disease has been known for almost two hundred years, during which time the list of names of celebrities doomed to this disease, unfortunately, has expanded significantly. The legendary boxer Muhammad Ali suffered from a severe form of Parkinson's disease. The athlete was diagnosed with a terrible diagnosis three years after his last fight in 1981. From the moment Ali was stricken with illness, the media began to replete with headlines about the dangers of boxing, but despite this, Muhammad Ali proudly spoke about the sport and insisted that boxing is a great opportunity for black people to achieve worldwide recognition.

Like Ali and Pope John Paul II, the disease was diagnosed in 1994. Dad's illness was officially recognized only in 2005. Pathology in him caused serious speech impairments, the pontiff passed away in 84.

The famous American actor, familiar to many from the video film "Back to the Future" Michael J. Fox, found out about the presence of the disease at an early stage of its development in 1991, but, unfortunately, he could not overcome it, it continued to progress. Officially, about the presence of an ailment, the actor admitted to the media in 1998, and after a few years he completely left his television career.

The disease also affected the outstanding painter and sculptor Salvador Dali; the artist learned about the difficult diagnosis at the age of 76 in 1981. Less than a year later, Dali's wife dies, which significantly aggravates the course of the pathology in the Spaniard. El Salvador passed away at 84.

Champion of Formula 1, American Phil Hill, also confirmed the existence of his disease, at 81, after a hard fight with Parkinson's disease, the athlete died.

The creative and popular musician Ozzy Osbourne, the main symptom, such as shaking hands, has long been perceived as a consequence of drug use. But in 2005 it was confirmed by doctors that Ozzy had Parkinson's disease.

Brian Grant is an American basketball player who retired from his professional career in 2006 due to injury. Following this, the athlete began to show signs of Parkinson's disease, but for a certain period of time Brian tried hard not to notice them. After a basketball career, Grant became a sports journalist covering world basketball events, but the disease progressed, and soon Brian could no longer hold the microphone in his hands due to a strong tremor. Despite all this, the athlete found the strength to fight the disease. He talked with Muhammad Ali, which helped the athlete psychologically accept the disease, and after visiting a hospital with homeless people who were sick with the same pathology, Grant decided to organize a fund to help the poor with this disease.

In addition to the listed celebrities, the diagnosis of Parkinson's syndrome was heard by people such as:

• poet Andrei Voznesensky;
• politician Yasser Arafat;
• actor Mikhail Ulyanov;
• Chairman of the CP of China Mao Zedong;
• German actor Ortrid Fischer;
• German politician and leader of the GDR Erich Honnecker.

There are also suggestions that Adolf Hitler suffered from many mental disorders, including Parkinson's disease.

What causes the syndrome?

The exact reasons causing the pathological death of neurons and, as a consequence, leading to the disease remain not fully identified. Scientists put forward factors that can affect the onset of the pathological process, but they are not the reasons. These factors include:

• hereditary predisposition, gene mutation, there are few such cases, of all cases, only 5% have genetic abnormalities;
• serious head injuries, for this reason boxing is called a traumatic sport that can provoke the death of neurons, an example of this is Muhammad Ali;
• exposure to toxic substances, work in the chemical or metallurgical industry, contact with pesticides, etc.

But it should be understood that these are just factors that, under the influence of a certain situation, can provoke pathology, but are not direct causes.

How is the pathology manifested?

Muhammad Ali, Ozzy Osbourne, Andrei Voznesensky and other celebrities with Parkinson's syndrome, the first thing that was noticed during the development of pathology was hand tremors. In most cases, disease progression occurs after fifty years. The initial stages practically do not manifest themselves in any way, but only with the involvement of an increasing number of neurons from the substantia nigra of the brain in the pathological process, as a rule, this figure reaches 80% of the affected cells. The main symptoms of the disease are:

• irritation, increased aggressiveness;
• malaise and decreased ability to work, up to its complete loss;
• lack of coordination, lack of confidence in movements;
• thinking problems, memory impairment, inability to formulate a thought;
• speech disorders;
• facial expressions become almost invisible, the visual sensation of a mask on the face;
• the constant finding of muscles in good shape, their tension is painful;
• non-transient tremor. At first, patients notice trembling in only one limb, later the whole body is involved in the process.

When neglected, symptoms such as are observed:

How do you fight the disease?

Parkinson's syndrome, unfortunately, is completely incurable. Modern medicine is looking for more and more new methods and drugs for the treatment of this complex ailment, but it is still impossible to completely rid the patient of the disease. Treatment pursues two main goals - it is to stop the clinical manifestations of pathology, thereby making life easier for the patient, and therapy aimed at stopping or slowing down the death of neurons in the brain.

Symptomatic treatment is medication in nature. One of the popular and effective drugs that can almost completely get rid of movement disorders is Levodop. Its effectiveness fluctuates within five years, after which it becomes addictive to the medication. Despite the effectiveness of the drug, it has many side effects, therefore Levopod in most cases is prescribed in the later stages of pathology.

Younger people under the age of fifty and a slowly progressive disease are prescribed less harmful drugs, for example, Pramipexole or Ropinirole. It can also be assigned:

• Midantan;
• Selegiline;
• Rasagilin.

If trembling is the main symptom, patients are prescribed:

• Cyclodol;
• Akineton;
• Obese (only in old age).

In addition to drug treatment, physical therapy and physiotherapy are extremely important for patients. These actions help to maintain the musculoskeletal system longer, keeping the person able to move. Physical therapy is aimed at slowing down the process of muscle atrophy, relieving stress from joints and muscle stiffness.

Diet is also included in the complex treatment of the disease. Food should be rich in vitamins and fiber. It is important to take into account that if the patient has problems with the swallowing reflex or, what is worse, dysphagia has developed, the food should be pasty, soft without crumbs and large pieces, so as not to cause it to enter the respiratory tract and suffocate. You should also take into account the fact that being overweight makes it difficult for the patient to move, so if such a problem exists, it is necessary to make a diet aimed at losing weight.

If drug treatment does not bring the expected results, surgical methods can be prescribed, but they are used extremely rarely. One of these methods of treatment is electrical stimulation of intracerebral structures. A weak supply of electric current stimulates neurons, trying to restore the functions they have lost. An innovative method is the implantation of cells into the brain, which produce the substance dopamine, since it is its deficiency that causes the symptoms of Parkinson's syndrome.
Attention! Parkinson's syndrome, a serious, chronic disease requiring complex, individualized treatment prescribed by a doctor. You should not take these or those drugs on your own, as they can aggravate the situation.

What awaits the sick?

Despite their popularity and worldwide recognition, even people like Muhammad Ali or Mao Zedong were unable to overcome the disease. Even with the best treatment, over the years, the disease progresses and leads to disability. According to statistics, about a quarter of patients become disabled in the first five years of the pathology. Patients living with this disease for more than ten years become disabled in 65% of cases. And a progressive disease within 15 years leads to disability for more than 90% of people. Therefore, unfortunately, the forecasts are very disappointing. But, thanks to modern pharmacological developments, levodopa preparations can significantly prolong life and improve its quality for patients with Parkinson's syndrome.

Despite the depressing statistics of disability in patients with Parkinson's syndrome, it is important and necessary to fight the disease. If pathology is detected at an early stage, with the help of a complex of supporting procedures and taking medications, patients can live long enough with this ailment, stopping the main, disturbing symptoms. One should not forget about peace of mind and peace of mind, since pathology is directly related to the nervous system. Health to you and your loved ones!

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Mohammed Ali is rightfully called one of the most famous and great boxers in the entire professional history of this sport.

This heavyweight in his entire professional career (21 years old) has fought 61 fights, scored 56 victories, 37 of which by knockout.

short biography

Mohammed Ali was given the name at birth Cassius Marcellus Clay, he was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky . His father - Cassius Clay Sr., an artist who painted signs and various posters. His mother - Odessa Clay, a housewife.

Cassius was the oldest child in the family. After 2 years he had a brother - Rudolf(Rahman Ali).

Social status

The Kleev family were considered representatives middle class among the black population of the United States, despite the fact that they lived much poorer than the "white" representatives of the same class.

Cassius did not have to provide for his family, as did many of his peers at school, but he sometimes took a part-time job (washing desks and blackboards at the University of Louisville) in order to receive pocket money.

First trainings

At the age of 12, an incident occurred with Cassius Jr., after which he began to practice boxing:

Once his bicycle was stolen. After discovering the loss, he met a policeman, whom he told that he would beat the thief. To which he answered: "First, learn to fight," and invited the boy to the gym.

That cop was Joe Martin, who was a beginner boxing coach. His pupils participated in the Golden Glove amateur tournaments, and their fights were shown on TV.

2 weeks after talking with Joe, Cassius and his brother saw the boxers' performances on TV, and the next day they came to training at Martin's gym.

"I will become the world champion, I am the best!"

Immediately, the boy began to bully everyone present in the hall, telling them in a raised voice that will become the World Boxing Champion... At that time, practically no coach in Martin's gym saw the potential for the future of Muhammad Ali.

First victory

Already after 1.5 months after the start of training, Clay's first fight with a more experienced and adult opponent took place. Despite this, he managed to win the first victory in his history. The fight was broadcast on TV.

"Golden Glove"

The boy began to train actively, switched to a completely healthy lifestyle. 2 years after the first training session, he won the Golden Glove tournament.

In 1960 he graduated from high school with a certificate. Director and so pulled him to the last. Mostly because of his sporting success.

At that time, his amateur career was in full swing: 100 fights, of which only 8 defeats... He also won a total of 4 tournaments at that time (2 Golden Glove tournaments and 2 Amateur Athletic Union tournaments).

1960 Olympics

After leaving school, the future Mohammed Ali wanted to go to professional boxing. However, the coach persuaded him to postpone this and participate in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Qualifying tournament

Cassius accepted this offer. He passed the qualifying tournament in San Francisco... All the fights, except for the final one, he went through easily. Final contender Alan Hudson almost knocked out Cassius in the first round with a precise blow to the head. But this did not prevent the latter from winning the battle.

Success at the Olympics

Cassius easily defeated his first rival at the Olympics - the Belgian Ivona Beko by defeating him by TKO in the second round.

In the quarterfinals, Clay met with a Soviet boxer Gennady Shatkov... The fight took place under the dictation of Cassius, and the judges unanimously declared him the winner.

At the semi-finals stage, Clay faced a familiar opponent - Australian Tony Madigan(Cassius defeated him in 1959). After the tense fight ended, Madigan considered himself the winner, but the judges unanimously gave the victory to Clay.

An experienced boxer was waiting for him in the final Zbigniew Petshikovsky from Poland, he was nine years older than Cassius and had 230 battles in his service record.

Petshikovsky began the fight in an aggressive manner, trying to quickly end the fight. In the second round, Clay had to abandon his usual "light" manner and inflict a few hard blows on the Pole. He did not slow down and in the last round, conducting a quick series of strikes, by the end of the fight Zbigniew was pinned to the ropes and was close to an early defeat, but managed to hold out until the final bell.

Cassius Clay won by unanimous decision, a few minutes later he was awarded gold medal.

Debut in professional boxing

Clay's first rival in professional boxing was Tunny Hansecker... Cassius conscientiously prepared for battle: he ran minimum 2 miles daily, sparred with his younger brother.

Before the fight, in his traditional manner, Clay bullied Hansecker, calling him a "bum" and promising to quickly deal with him in the 6th round. Cassius managed to win the victory, but the promised quick reprisal did not work out. Tunny said after the fight that he was lucky to fight with the future World Champion.

New coach - Angelo Dundee

After the first victory in the professional arena, the question arose of finding a new coach for Clay. The team that sponsored the boxer opted for Angelo Dundee.

Dundee immediately understood how to work with an active and sometimes aggressive boxer. He never shut his mouth, did not control - he only directed his energy "in the right direction".

A streak of victories

Cassius confidently won the next 4 fights and 1 sparring:

• After a week of training with a new coach, he defeated Herb Siler in the 4th round by knockout.
• The next win was over Tony Esperty.
• The next fight seemed the most difficult of all. Mohammed Ali said that he would beat the reigning world champion - Ingemar Juhanson. And he will not just beat him - he will knock out. There was no official fight, the manager of Juhanson organized a sparring, in which Ali confidently won.
• The fourth official knockout victory was over Jimmy Robinson.

Further victories brought Clay closer to the title of Champion. He beat famous heavyweights one by one.

World champion title

On February 25, 1964, a fight took place in which Cassius Clay was a contender for the world heavyweight title. His opponent is the reigning champion Sonny Liston.

After the start of the fight, Cassius began to circle around Liston, eluding his powerful attacks and counterattacking. There was a turning point in the third round - Clay began to outright outplay the champion... After one of his successful combinations, Liston's legs began to braid and he almost fell.

In a completely lost round, Sonny had a cut under his left eye and a hematoma under his right. Suddenly, in the course of the fourth round, Clay began to have vision problems, he began to experience sharp pain in his eyes. Cassius practically did not see anything and asked the coach to take off his gloves, at a difficult moment Angelo Dundee showed composure, releasing his fighter for the next round with the task of moving around the ring, avoiding Liston's attacks.

Clay managed not to miss the heavy blow from the champion, and in the fifth round his eyesight was restored. Cassius once again dominated the ring, and after many accurate punches on Sonny, in between rounds, Liston refused to continue the fight. At 22, Clay became the world heavyweight champion.

Joining the "Nation of Islam"

In 1964 Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam religious society. Leader of this organization Elijah Muhammad later became his spiritual mentor and influenced in many ways the future life of the boxer.

It was Elijah Muhammad who gave the name to the new world champion - Muhammad Ali.

New name

After Cassius entered the nation of Islam, he began to introduce himself Mohammed Ali Was the Muslim name given to him as a member of the community. The society reacted negatively to this fact.

The boxer's father believed that he was "brainwashed" on religious grounds, and said that he himself would continue to proudly bear his first and last name.

Second fight with Liston

May 25, 1965 a rematch took place between Mohammed Ali and Sonny Liston in a small town - Lewiston. The bets were in favor of the old champion.

Nobody expected what happened in the ring: in the 2nd minute of the first round, Ali knocked out Liston. Even Mohammed himself believed that Sonny set himself up on purpose, and said this in a post-match interview.

Nevertheless, the fight was won and the young champion defended his champion title for the first time. There were no serious rivals among boxers for him at the moment.

Later, until the spring of 1967, Ali 8 times was able to defend the world heavyweight title.

Refusal to serve in the army and disqualification

In 1967, Ali for 3 years was forced to retire from professional boxing. This happened because of his refusal to serve in the army. The boxer motivated this by the fact that his religious views did not allow him to participate in hostilities.

However, representatives of the prosecution believed that he could serve outside hot spots. The champion refused to serve in the army anyway. At the trial, the jury passed him the verdict "Guilty!"

The sports commissions revoked the boxer's license, and he could no longer compete in the professional ring.

The return to the big sport took place only in 1970, when the court considered one of the regular appeals of Ali's lawyer and ruled in his favor.

Completion of a career

Since his return to big boxing, Muhammad Ali has had many more great fights. His last fight took place in 1980. in professional sports. He lost early for the first time to the reigning young champion Larry Holmes... It happened in the 10th round.

Further destiny

After leaving boxing, Muhammad Ali fell ill after 4 years Parkinson's disease... Ali suffered from symptoms of illness, but his mind remained clear and he decided to devote himself to the service of Islam. Mohammed started helping people, he could make a donation of $ 100,000 with just a couple of questions, or get out of the car and help an ordinary homeless person.

During the solemn ceremony on the occasion of the end of his career, he was presented with a commemorative diamond ring, which Ali presented to the disabled girl on the same evening.

Mohammed used his popularity to help those in need, he turned to wealthy people with a request to follow his example, and few refused him.

Death of the Great Boxer

On June 2, 2016, Mohammed Ali was taken to Scottsdale Hospital. He was diagnosed with a problem with the lungs. The next day, June 3, 2016 At the age of 75, the Great Mohammed Ali died in the hospital from septic shock.

June 10 and 11 in the boxer's hometown Louisville the funeral was held with the flags lowered.