t with him being extremely loyal with the Nation Of Islam caused them to get their marriage annulled after the controversial rematch with Liston in '65 (Ebony). Ali's well-known "Phantom Punch" that knocked Liston out in the first round made the critics cry foul. Even former champ Joe Louis had a negative view of the Muslim boxer, stating that he was part of a racist organization and that he lacked the skills to compete with past greats like him and Rocky Marciano (Ebony). The next opponent, Floyd Patterson, had the same views toward Ali, but he eventually paid the price by being destroyed in a 12-round bout. The horrible 1966 match vs. Ernie Terrell in which Ali purposely demanded Terrell to call him out by his real name and the Cleveland Williams bout in which he proved that he was a great knockout puncher validated his claim as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time (Jet). Muhammad Ali was too fast, too smart, and too skilled to be handled in the ring, and his skills in the ring along with the negative disapproval he was receiving as an outspoken member of the Nation of Islam made him one of the most notable athletes of the 1960s. But Ali had another battle to face; in 1966, with the Vietnam War growing, the military needed more draftees (Tyers,24). Years earlier, the ex-Cassius Clay was not qualified to serve in the armed forces after failing military examination twice, but because more draftees were need to serve in the war, the qualifying score was lowered, making Ali eligible for the draft (Tyers,24-25). As a dedicated fighter who did not want to end his career and as a Muslim who didn’t have "no quarrel with them Viet Cong," he refused to be drafted. Many Americans felt that Ali betrayed them by betraying his country; those who already felt that they were betrayed when Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali were enraged at this "loudmouthed draft-dodging Black racist." The sports writers had a field day criticizing him,...
