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A sad day for the sport of boxing

Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest, but it all started as an amateur at the Olympics in 1960.
Roar Guru
5th June, 2016
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The passing of Muhammad Ali at the age of 74 was a sad day not just for boxing fans, but for the world as a whole.

The way that Muhammad Ali revolutionised boxing was unprecedented. His defiant stance as a conscientious objector against mandatory conscription for the US Army in 1966 showed how passionate he was about standing up for his principles.

He paid a harsh price for it as he was stripped of his World Heavyweight title for four years in the prime of his career.

Ali’s charisma and his ability to not only talk the talk but to also walk the walk etched his name in history as probably the greatest boxer of all time.

His incredible record of 61 fights for 56 victories (37 by knockout) and his gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics is testament to that.

His rivalries with Joe Frazier and George Foreman in particular were legendary. He had boxing fans salivating whenever their next fight was scheduled.

Ali’s brashness, arrogance and blatant lack of respect for his opponents polarised fans throughout his illustrious career, but love him or loathe him, ‘Cassius Clay’ could most definitely ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’.

Muhammad Ali had many a nickname, but the most popular were ‘The People’s Champion, ‘The Louisville Lip’ and the one that seemed to resonate the most was ‘The Greatest’.

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Some of his most memorable matches were undoubtedly ‘The fight of the Century’ in 1971 and ‘The Thrilla in Manilla’ in 1975 against Joe Frazier. Then there was his ‘first fight against Sonny Liston’ when he won the World Heavyweight Championship as the 7-1 Underdog in 1964 and ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ versus George Foreman in 1974.

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