The next person I would like to introduce you to is the world renown American Boxer, philanthropist, and activist Muhammad Ali. Who is seen as one of the most celebrated and significant athletes of the 20^th century.

He was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942 under the birth name Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. he was always drown to sports especially boxing from a young age. He began training as an amateur boxer when he was just 12 years old. Just a few years later when he was 18 he won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, in the light heavyweight division. He is known as a very inspiring, polarizing, and controversial figure both inside and outside the ring. Soon after the Olympics he would change his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali with his conversion to Islam, he described Cassius as his slave name. This had become somewhat common for some African Americans during the civil rights movement used to show racial pride. Soon after winning the 1966 heavyweight title, Ali would defy norms and the establishment by refusing to be drafted for the Vietnam War. Ali would be arrested and then found guilty of draft evasion and was stripped of his boxing titles. Ali successful appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, the court would rule in Ali’s favor in 1971. His actions may have put his boxing career on hold but it made him a huge figure and voice for the counterculture generation in American. Ali remains the only 3-time lineal champion of the heavyweight division, his records of beating 21 other boxers for the title which was shared with Joe Louis were unbeaten for 35 years.

From all his titles and fights you can imagine a lot of honors and nicknames came along with it. Ali has the popular nickname “The Greatest” along with being The Ring Magazines Fighter of the year 6 times and ranked as one of the greatest athletes of the 20^thcentury by Sports Illustrated. It is truly amazing everything Ali was able to accomplish in his life, especially given that he barely got through high school with his Dyslexia.“Ali was diagnosed with dyslexia. He understood the pain caused by being unable to perform well in school because of reading difficulties and wanted to help others experiencing the same issues. Ali and his wife worked to improve the literacy of African Americans. They created the Go the Distance series of books and magazines selected to motivate and inspire young black readers” (Dyslexia Help Success Starts Here). He would retire from boxing at age 39 in 1981, he was able to focus of his religion and charity, but later in 1984 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It would really change Ali and he made far less public appearances and was cared for by his family until his death in 2016. One cannot be but inspired by this hero of his times not just a great athlete but an overall great human would is able to stand up against the establishment and has the desire to help others which helped fuel him in his later years. It can be seen in the video below that the effects of dyslexia continue in Ali’s children.