to see in the match, for they were the ones who paid the cash to keep boxing in existence.Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), as he was known at the time, began to use his loud mouth to humor the fans and intimidate other fighters, and was able to bring excitement back to the boxing sport. Clay made a name for himself and the fans loved him. Although it took longer than he expected, after a 19-0 win-loss record with 15 knockouts, Cassius Clay finally got his shot at the man who held the World Title Belt, Sonny Liston. Liston was a pure boxer, rated to be the hardest puncher in the heavyweight division, and was thought by many to be invincible. Ali didn’t let this bother him as he entertained reporters and made the prediction to win in eight rounds. He chanted for weeks his war cry “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” which has become recognizable by all of Ali’s fans. As the date set for the fight neared, February 25, 1964, fans anxiously awaited and boxing was born again. Ali was dominate throughout the fight and won in the seventh round, one round better than the eighth round he predicted. Ali had accomplished two goals, he was the heavyweight champion of the world and had gained the fame he was looking for as almost everyone knew him.What happened next would startle the sports world as formerly known Cassius Clay announced that he had become a member of the Muslim faith and was changing his name to Muhammad Ali. This was the name given to him by Muslim patriarch Elijah Muhammad meaning “beloved of Allah”. Ali had been influenced and introduced to this religion for several years by human rights activist Malcolm X. Over the next two years, Ali defended his title nine times against such names as Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and Ernie Terrell. He was unbeatable as he destroyed every opponent he faced, and his famous slogan, “I am the greatest,” depicts the cocky and confident attitude th...
