On February twenty fifth, nineteen sixty, was a day in boxing history that will never be forgotten. Asked, Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali won his very first heavyweight title. Here's the story behind this iconic event. Today on Daily Sports History. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Eton Reese, your guide to a rapid deep dive into sports history every day. Cassius Marcellus Clay Junior was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in nineteen forty two. Now just the start to this iconic boxer's life, and at the age of twelve really set in motion events that would make him an icon. A young Cassius had his bike stolen, and in the nineteen fifties, your bike was very precious. When he finally found his bike and who took it, he was seeking revenge and went to go fight the thief. But luckily the police officer intercepted was there to stop the fight. His name was Joe Martin, and not only was he a police officer, he was also a boxing coach that specialized in coaching youth boxers, and Martin steered Clay into the boxing world to release some of that anger he had stored and that ferociousness that he had. Cassius showed great fortitude in the ring during his time as an amateur, and he won two He won six gold Glove tournaments in Kentucky and went on to win two national gold Clove tournaments, the top prize for amateur boxers. Then, when he turned eighteen in nineteen sixty, he made the Olympic team and in the Rome Olympics in the light heavyweight division, he won gold, starting to make a name for himself at the world's top athletic event. Shortly after he turned pro, and he would start his boxing career going nineteen and oh which led him to be up to fight Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship in Miami Beach, Florida. Liston was a good heavyweight champion and against all odds before the fight, Ali had just beat Britain's champion and recouper at Wimby Stadium, showing that he had the skills for the heavyweight fight. But Liston was no ordinary heavyweight champion. He was an intimidating fighter and often considered one of the best heavyweight champions of all time. But little did he know he was heading up against the goat in heavyweight boxing. Now, Cassius had a unique style of speed and agility. He moved around a lot, which gave him the moniker that he always used, float like a butterfly, sting like a beat, and Liston was more comparable to a raging bull. He learned how to box while actually in jail, serving time for armed drop. This definitely affected his boxing style and showed that he could be ferocious in the ring. But at the time Liston was thirty two years old, which is often considered over the hill in the boxing world. Cassius Clay was only twenty four, a good moment for a big fight. From the opening bell, Listen came out charging at Clay, and Clay kept moving and using his speed as he always did. As the rounds wore, On so delisted he couldn't keep up his ferociousness and Clay just kept dancing around him. When the bell rang for the seventh round, they got up and noticed that Listen had spat out his mouth guard and was refusing to stand up and come back to finish the fight. Cassius Clay had won by technical knockcout and became the heavyweight champion of the world, and this was the start of Ali's historic rise. To start him shortly after the fight, Cassius Clay had changed his name to Ali after joining the Islamic faith, becoming very close friends with Malcolm X, who was at the heavyweight fight that day. His name change in religious thought would go on to follow Ali through his career, especially in nineteen sixty seven when he refused to join the army, which made it hard for him to continue to box. That didn't mean he didn't stop. In fact, Ali was boxing until the year nineteen eighty one and he had his final fight, having fought sixty one fights in his professional career, finishing his career with a fifty six and five record. He's at many great fights with great names such as the Rumble in the Jungle and the Thrilla in Manila. Many fought in other locations due to boxing regulations not allowing them fight because he didn't join the war in nineteen sixty seven, but he still made it his way and captivated the world with his box acubit. That's just a little taste of Ali's career, as we could spend probably ten podcasts driving in to all his fights so this is just a taste and we will definitely come back to Ali again on Daily Sports History. Thank you for listening to Daily Sports History. If you like this, go tell a friend, hey, Daily Sports History rocks, come listen and he both can. Come back tomorrow for more Daily Sports History
