Who hasn’t heard of Muhammad Ali, or Cassius Clay, as he was previously known? Even though he was an American boxer, his fame spread around the world, and he had fans throughout every continent, from Europe, to Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Worldwide, he was famous for his sporting achievements, but in America, his impact was so much bigger: Muhammad Ali’s larger than life character had an impact on American society and popular culture. At times, Americans even referred to him as the fifth member of the Beatles, and his immense fame was the driving force for the crucial changes that took place on both the religious and cultural landscape, as well as through his activism, for the rights of African American citizens.
This is what makes it impossible to separate the professional boxer Cassius Clay, who rose to fame at a very young age, from his African-American roots, from the civil-rights movement which raged in 1960’s in America, and from his religious influence – which led him to change his name to Muhammad Ali – as part of his involvement with the Islamic movement Nation of Islam (NOI). Similarly, it would be impossible to consider Ali’s success without examining it in the context of his disadvantaged social background, in which organised crime, and the desire for revenge against his main opponents, - most of them actually being African Americans - was the order of the day.
The fact is that the greatness of the persona behind Cassius Clay was not built only on his sporting victories, but also derived from his enormous willpower, the strength to make very difficult decisions, and the refusal to remain confined to the conventions imposed on people of colour by White America. This exceptional sportsman who, by will or by fate, became a spokesperson in the fight for equality, freedom of religion, and the rights of African Americans, represented a challenge to the established order, a force to be reckoned with.
