Yahoo Sports Remembering Muhammad Ali on what would have been his 75th birthday
Muhammad Ali, who would have celebrated his 75th birthday on Tuesday, continues to have an impact on the world more than seven months after his June 3 death.
Not long after he won the heavyweight title for the first time at 22 years old in 1964, Ali moved to the forefront of the civil-rights movement.
Only two days after Ali stopped Sonny Liston to win the title, he spoke to the New York Times’ Robert Lipsyte in a candid discussion about race in America, his future and black Muslims.
He said, “I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be.”
Later, he said, “I know I’ve got it made while other black folks are out there catching hell, but as long as they ain’t free, I ain’t free.”
Ali eventually grew to become the most famous face in the world. But he was hated not long into his title reign when he spoke out against the Vietnam War.
At the time Ali refused induction into the military because he was a conscientious objector, the national mood hadn’t turned against the war. Eventually, it did, and Ali was one of its most outspoken voices.
After successfully defending his title against Zora Folley on March 22, 1967, in New York, Ali was stripped of his title and banned from boxing for refusing induction in the military.
He didn’t shrink from the fight, taking a stance that at the time was highly controversial.
“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor, hungry people in the mud for big, powerful America,” Ali said. “And shoot them for what? They never called me [n-word]. They never lynched me. They didn’t put no dogs on me. They didn’t rob me of my nationality. They didn’t kill my mother and father. Shoot them for what? How am I going to shoot them, those poor little black people, babies and women. How can I shoot those poor people? Just take me to jail.”
He would go on to become an iconic figure not only on the American sporting scene but on the world stage.
Long after his skills had diminished, he remained a significant presence because of what he believed.
“I wanted to use my fame and this face that everyone knows so well,” he said, “to help uplift and inspire people around the world.”
That he did, and much more.
Happy birthday, champ.
