Muhammad Ali Strong in Spirit

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr aka Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer to ever lived winning boxing matches at the age of twelve and when nineteen wins and fifteen knocks at the age of eighteen. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. knocking people left right and center leaving people in the first couple rounds knockdown and on the floor of the boxing ring.

This man had something stronger in him something spiritual like a fighting spirit only giving to the best. These stats given by Clay jr that he was ready for his first heavyweight championship match against Sonny Liston V. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. and Clay Jr. won. This man was seen with Malcolm x a former Islamic member and then Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. converted to the Islamic religion.

The Islamic leader Elijah Muhammad need name to call Muhammad Ali. Now the famously known name Muhammad Ali more people started to become fans of Muhammad Ali. Going to his boxing matches watching him defend his title against eight other boxers wanting his heavyweight championship belt. Muhammad Ali fought in a rematch against Liston Sonny once again and once again Muhammad Ali showed Liston Sonny who is the new heavyweight champion. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Muhammad Ali In the year of the 60s the Vietnam war was hitting home and making the United states split into two separate parts of the US. The US no longer had friends but their friends became enemy because one was for the war the others were against the war. Many Americans were dying in Vietnam “Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War.” (National Archives).

In the result, the United States started a draft for the vietnam war the draft in 1966 until the end Vietnam brought many more Americans to fight in Vietnam soil. Lots of soldiers were dying and the United States was losing money because of all the soldier that died in action and the new war technology being used to fight against the Vietcong. The African American community had low paying jobs and to make them make more money and be able to pay for themselves or others they sent them to go fight in the Vietnam War. And Muhammad Ali being African American and Islamic he got drafted in 1967 to got fight in the Vietnam war “ On April 28, 1967, with the United States at war in Vietnam, Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces,” (History.com).

Muhammad Ali didn’t want to fight against the Vietcong in Vietnam because of his religion. He also didn’t want to fight against the Vietcong because they never did anything bad to him or treated him bad never called him bad thing or offense words or wanting to hurt him or wanting to lynch him. The aftermath of Muhammad Ali not being drafted was going to jail and Muhammad Ali wanted to go to jail because he rather be behind bars than disrespect his religion he converted to. Muhammad Ali was then convicted of draft evasion which was a misdemeanor crime which many people did not get draft to the Vietnam war in the 60s.

Many of Muhammad Ali’s fans after seeing this and reading this on newspaper stop being his fans because they saw as a draft dodger. Muhammad Ali was determined to hold his ground even though it might cost something he loved to do“… , Ali’s license automatically expired pursuant to N.Y.Unconsolidated Laws § 8910, which provides that all such licenses are for one year’s duration and automatically expire on that date.” ( United States district court).

The fans of Ali separated just like the United States separated somewhere with Ali’s decisions others were against Ali’s decisions. The fans that once loved him before the Vietnam War draft now hate him because of his decision of not going to war. Others support him and stayed his fans even though he got his license revoked of boxing. Muhammad Ali had to face against people that antagonized him for his skin color and people that objected him because of his decision he made of his arms service appointment.

Muhammad Ali keeps his head high on his decision and kept high even though at this time period it seems dark to him and could not escape. Muhammad Ali served his punishment by paying a fine of 10,000 dollars and going to jail for five years even though he completed his sentences people still didn’t prove that he should have been punished harsher. Even though he lost his license in boxing when he was going to fight in New York city they took the license away and his heavyweight championship from him. Muhammad Ali was seeing his dark moment but people started to relate him African American organizer putting their life, job, and family on the line can relate to him that he went through a dark moment. Muhammad Ali made organization called which was a critical help to the civil right moment.

Muhammad Ali on the ring a boxer but out of the ring a strong spoke man for African American freedom rights and to fight for all the years they have been treated differently After the Vietnam war draft dodging conflict, Muhammad Ali got his license of boxing and went back for his heavyweight championship and won it back from the former champion of that time. The work that Ali did with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X became real in 1964 passing the civil rights act.

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