The Highs & Lows of Muhammad Ali’s Career!

This author has written more than half a dozen articles about the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time world heavyweight champion born Cassius Clay, who became Muhammad Ali, making that announcement after winning the title, stopping Sonny Liston in February of 1964.

Cassius Clay lost in the 1960 Olympic Trials to Sgt. Percy Price in the heavyweight division. He was allowed to fight as a light heavyweight, and won a gold medal at the Rome Olympics.

In Clay’s eighteenth fight against Doug Jones, who had lost a lightweight world title fight to Philadelphia’s Harold Johnson 3-1 in his round he was knocked down three times in the fifth round. In the sixth, Jones tied the score at 3-3. With 5-4 Clay on my card going into the tenth and final round, Clay finished strong, taking the round. The final scores were 5-4-1 twice and 8-1-1, amid boos from the fans. Clay predicted a fourth round stoppage.

In Clay’s next fight, he knocked out Henry Cooper, 27-8-1, in London with a left to the chin in the fourth round. Between rounds, his trainer Angelo Dundee cut the glove, giving Clay more time to recover as a new glove had to be fitted to Ali. He will stop Cooper with a cut in the next round. In his eleventh fight, he was knocked out by Sonny Banks, 10-2, in the first round, then came back and scored a knockout in the second round and the fourth round.

In February of 1964, Clay defeated Sonny Liston, 35-1, for the world title after six rounds for the title. In November 1966 he never looked better in knocking out Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams, 69-5-2, 69-5-2, in 3 rounds.

In March of 1967 in his last fight before being suspended for not entering the New York Commission list he stopped Zora Folley, 74-7-4. On his return to the ring after an appeal to the US Supreme Court his license was reinstated and in October 1970 he defeated Jerry Quarry, 37-4-4 and it was clear that his defensive skills had diminished while his hand and foot speed diminished. very little.

In March of 1971, Ali, 31-0, in an attempt to reclaim the tile, met 1964 Olympic gold medalist and then WBA and WBC world champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier, 26-0, went down in -7-6, 8-6 no. 10-4 going into the fifteenth and final round. Ali was down and lost for the first time in Madison Square Garden.

Four months later, Ali met former champion Jimmy Ellis, 30-6, whom he split in the amateurs. His trainer, Angelo Dundee, also trained Ellis and would be working in his corner for this fight. Ali won the vacant NABF title.

Ali won his next ten fights before losing the second of his first three fights by split decision to Ken Norton in San Diego in March of 1973, suffering a broken jaw early in the fight. I met him in downtown Philly right after he was in the crowd. The old gentleman said to him, “Next time you fight Norton, be a man, not a boy!” Ali replied, “You called me Roy?”

Two weeks later I saw an article in the Philadelphia Daily News showing his Cherry Hill home. Although I did not write at that time, I entered the house. His wife Belinda opened the door when I asked “can I talk to champagne?” He said he would fight and asked me to come in when he entered.

Soon after, Ali entered the living room, where an Islamic banner was hanging. I asked, “Why didn’t you give Doug Jones a second? He took me into the main room where there were others. Bobby or his father, Murray Goodman, both partners of Madison Square Garden, were there and I did an article about them.

Four years later, at Ali’s Deer Lake, PA, training camp (now called Fighters Heaven), sitting next to him in the group taking my picture with him, I asked, “Why are you fighting all these challenges?” His face looked like, “What are you talking about, Willis?”

Six months after losing to Norton Ali in a rematch, the loss was reversed by split decision. It would be the second of three battles, many readers feel that Norton has won them all, not this writer.

Two fights later, in January 1974, Ali defeated former champion Frazier in their match at Madison Square Garden 6-5, 7-4, and 8-4 in rounds, and won the NABF title again.

This win earned him his third medal in the world when he upset the champion “Big” George Foreman, 40-0, who had won the gold medal in the Olympics in 1968, knocking him out in eight rounds.

Two fights later, after scores of 49-43, 46-45, and 46-46, in the eleventh round, Lyle faced the ropes and did Ali rope-a-dope when referee Ferd Hernandez suddenly stopped.

Two fights later was the third meeting with Frazier called “The Thrilla in Manila,” where Frazier was cornered by his trainer Eddie Futch after 14 rounds leading by scores of 66-60, 66-62, and 67-62. .

Two fights later he met Jimmy Young of Philadelphia, 17-4-2, and fought what seemed to be a good idea sitting on the ropes for too long, not allowing Ali to do enough to score and losing by decision 72-65, 70. -68 and 71-64. Another controversial decision?

In September of 1976 came Norton’s third fight for the first time, not by split decision. Ali won 8-6 and 8-7 twice, at Yankee Stadium. It wouldn’t be close to winning the final round. Two fights later, he found himself on the canvas against the toughest boxer in the division in Earnie ‘Black Destroyer’ Shavers, 54-5-1, at Madison Square Garden by scores of 9-5 and 9-6 twice.

In Ali’s next fight he was upset by former 1976 Olympic gold medalist Leon Spinks, 6-0-1, by split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spinks showed no fear or respect in taking this title. Seven months later, Ali overturned the decision that came in best form before the 63,350 in attendance at the New Orleans Superdome. It could be his last win.

A year later, Ali would stop WBC champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes, 38-0, in the tenth round for the first and only time. Again, in more than a year, he had his last fight, losing to former champion Trevor Berbick, 19-2-1, in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1981, finishing with a record of 56-5 with 37 fights. suspension at the age of 39.