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The Greatest - John Q.

On December 17, former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali will once again have his name honored for the tremendous efforts given towards the civil rights movement of both yesterday and today. Ali will be on hand in Berlin to accept the Otto Hahn peace medal, named for a German nuclear physicist, according to the German Society of the United Nations. Ali was selected for “his lifelong engagement in the American civil rights movement and the global cultural emancipation of blacks as well as his work as a UN Goodwill ambassador,” the organization said.

Though his fame was first established for his fighting in the ring, Ali would etch his place in history for the fights he took on outside. Having shocked his opponents with stinging rights, Muhammad later shocked the world with his outspoken viewpoints on a wide array of, controversial to say the least, social concerns. In 1967, while the country was engrossed in the Vietnam War, the newly crowned champion of the world refused to join the United States Army on the grounds that he was a Muslim minister and therefore was a conscientious objector. This angered a majority of the American public, but through this action, Ali instilled in millions the importance of self. His simple, “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong,” became a rallying cry for America.

In 1942, a boy named Cassius Clay was born into a poor, working-class family in Louisville, Kentucky. Systematic racism was still rampant in a southern United States, defiant towards change in the segregation of society. Ali had to endure a daily routine of dodging magnified hatred and aggression, which in turn, help mold a champion’s mentality even at an early age. He was able to overcome the tribulations of being a poor black boy in Kentucky, and quickly gained a name for himself as a prizefighter. Having represented the United States of America in the Olympic Games in a most successful manor, Clay quickly became a inspiration to those who dreamed of a life outside constant disdane.

It did not take long for patriotic love to turn into ignorant contempt. Cassius Clay soon became Muhammad Ali, proud part of the radical Nation of Islam. And masses shunned him. The champ fought through the barrage of racist, fearful, actions and commentaries, but continued to preach the good word of unity. Though associated with many notable extremists, Ali always took the approach of the pacifist, always inspiring more with language than action. His public defiance of a much despised government, and his ongoing cries for peace and equality, provided an outlet for the majority of a society that desperately needed a voice.

Muhammad Ali not only lent his time and his heart to the civil rights movements of the 60’s and 70’s, but he continues to fight for inequality around the world. His continued efforts to bring about social change in those parts of the world that go unnoticed many. The boxing great spreads his goodwill message over many continents, and though ravaged by Parkinson’s Disease, continues to amaze and inspire.

No other athlete has transcended the glamour and glory attached to sports champions the way Muhammad Ali has. His grace under fire, his confidence tinged with cockiness, the spirit of his convictions, and his pride of self make Muhammad Ali not only the greatest sports figure who ever lived, but one of the greatest human beings to ever grace this Earth. Ali was truly a champion of the people, a hero in the truest sense of the word, and a testament to humanity. Ali used to say, “I am the greatest.” And he is.

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