May 02, 2001 02:33 AM
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I've followed Muhammad Ali throughout his career as he is only four years older than I am. After he won the Olympic Gold in Rome, I became aware of the brash, sometimes outrageous, boxer that danced around the ring and made boxing fun to watch. With a cavalier, confident attitude, he went on to win the heavyweight championship of the world at the age of 22. That was the year I was graduating from high school.
I remember moving to Los Angeles after high school and hearing people talk about how great it was to watch Cassius Clay on closed circuit television.
Soon afterwards he changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he became Muslim.
Ali became very unpopular in the U.S. when he declared himself a conscientious objector upon being drafted during the Vietnam War. He was convicted of draft evasion and not allowed to fight for three and a half years. The time that he was not in the ring was at the peak of his career as a fighter.
It was then that I began to see that Ali was no ordinary man. Even if it weren't for his record of no losses in the ring, his firm stand showed that his personal beliefs had precedence over his professional career. Ali was able to bounce back and three years later he captured the title once again.
Ali recently appeared on television for an interview at his home. The once strong, agile young fighter is now fighting a disease that has left him with palsy. However, he still retains an outgoing, joyful spirit. This makes him greater than just being the greatest fighter ever.
