Muhammad Ali had a pioneering career both in and out of the boxing ring. He won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics and became the world heavyweight champion in 1964 by defeating Sonny Liston. Ali joined the Nation of Islam in 1964 and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, which was controversial at the time. In 1967, Ali refused induction into the military due to his religious beliefs, which led to him being stripped of his title and sentenced to prison. Though banned from boxing for three years, Ali continued fighting for social justice and inspiring others with his courage and principles.

1. Jack Mucci 12 Rounds To Glory Muhammad Ali

2. Timeline In 1960 Muhammad Ali displayed courage when he won the Olympic medal for boxing in Rome. Stood up against racism, after he refused service in a Kentucky restaurant because he was black, then threw his gold medal into a river. In 1964, Ali won world Heavyweight championship, after beating the “bear”, Sonny Liston. In 1964, Ali joined the Nation of Islam and and became a black Muslim, which was daring and an unpopular thing to do at that time.

3. Timeline In 1964, Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali because he felt that Clay was a slave name. By changing his name, Ali felt like he was reclaiming his freedom. In 1967, Ali refused induction into the army during the Vietnam War because he felt that war was unjust and against his conscience and religion. The U.S government stripped his championship title and and sentenced him to jail. In 1971, Ali showed courage when he lost to Joe Frazier. Ali said, “It’s good to lose. the people who follow are going to lose, too. You’ve got to set an example of how to lose. This way, they can see how I lose.” During the Gulf War in Iraq, Ali met with Saddam Hussein and helped to get 15 U.S hostages released.

4. Timeline In 1999, Ali was named the Sports Illustrated Athlete of the century for more than just his boxing skills. He transcended the sports world and inspired people to stand up for social change. His courage made him an important figure in history. Ali has been a leader in the fight against Parkinson’s disease for many years. He had raised awareness about the disease and has raised a lot of money for Parkinson’s research.

5. Yellow Spontaneous, physical trait Muhammad Ali was one of the best fighters and it was so amazing that he could knock out people in such short rounds. He was also the quickest and fastest fighter.

6. Red Aggressive, physical trait Muhammad Ali was aggressive because he was one of the quickest boxers and also he would punch his opponents very hard an attack them very fast.

7. Red Strong, physical trait Muhammad Ali worked out for countless hours and as a result he was very muscular and punched very hard.

8. Purple Religious, character trait Muhammad changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali because he joined an Islam religious group. And he also didn’t go to war because his Islam group was against violence.

9. Red Determined, character trait Once Muhammad Ali wouldn’t go to war in Vietnam, they stripped his champion belt from him and sentenced him to 3 years in jail. He fought this decision all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled in his favor. After 3 years of not fighting Muhammad fought hard and reclaimed his heavyweight championship.

10. Blue Confident, character trait Muhammad was always sure he was going to win every fight. He often bragged to reporters what round he would knock out his opponents.

11. Muhammad’s Special Place Muhammad’s special place is a boxing ring because he was one of the best boxers of all-time. He always felt comfortable when he was in a boxing ring. The boxing gym is where Muhammad could relax and just practice what he loved to do.

12. Medal Muhammad Ali’s medal is the boxing championship belt because Ali won it many times. The belt shows what skills Muhammad had in boxing and how good he was at it. After the Supreme Court overturned the US Government’s decision to imprison Ali, he finally was able to win back the championship that was wrongly taken from him.

13. Muhammad’s Knockout Snacks! Speed Bag Waffles Speed bag waffles are very soft waffles that you can eat very fast and a speed bag is something that Muhammad used to practice punching faster. Punching Bag Apples Punching bag apples are very hard apples just like a punching bag. A punching bag is something Muhammad used to practice punching harder. Punching Glove Cake Punching Glove cakes are delicious cakes that fill you up. Punching gloves are gloves Muhammad wore on his hands when he punched people. K.O. Popcorn K.O. popcorn is a tasty butter popcorn that knocks you right out and K.O. stands for knockout in boxing. Butterfly and Bee cookies Butterfly and Bee cookies are frosted cookies shaped like a bee and a butterfly. Muhammad has a famous quote “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.