Muhammad Ali is lauded for his victories inside and outside of the boxing ring
It was a time of racism. During his early travels as a boxer, Ali—then known by his birth name, Cassius Clay—had to stay in the car with fellow African-American fighters while his trainer, Joe Martin, bought them hamburgers. When Ali came back to his hometown of Louisville, Ky., as an Olympic champion, the leaders of the local chamber of commerce issued a citation in his honor but said they were too busy to host a dinner.
Ali later said he threw his gold medal in the Ohio River after a fight with a white motorcycle gang, when he and a friend were kicked out of a whites-only restaurant. But businessmen in Louisville recognized his potential as a professional fighter, and he signed a contract with several Louisville millionaires who sent him to work with a top trainer in Miami.
There, Ali first heard about Islam. He later said the religion could give African-Americans pride in the face of the...
Dr. David P Murray | 12/6/2009
