Muhammed Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay) was born on January 17th 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky to parents of modest circumstances. He started boxing in junior high, when he learned boxing from a policeman at a local gym. By the time that Ali had reached high school, he already intended to be a prizefighter and hoped to box in the Olympics. As an amateur boxer, Ali attracted notice in 1960 by winning the Amateur Athletic Union light heavyweight and Golden Gloves heavyweight championships, at the Rome Olympics in 1960. Ali crushed his opponents to win a gold medal in the light heavyweight division.
After turning pro, Ali defeated his first opponents. Then on February 25th 1964, he fought, and knocked out Sonny Liston in seven rounds, thus becoming the new heavyweight world champion. Ali defended his title nine times from 1965 to 1967 and became universally recognized as world heavyweight champion after outpointing World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Ernie Terrell in fifteen rounds on February 6th 1967. Ali often proclaimed his invincibility in verse and boasted, "I am the greatest!"
Soon after becoming heavyweight champion, Ali decided to change his religion and joined the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims), taking the Muslim name "Muhammad Ali." The Vietnam War then interrupted Ali's career. In 1967, he was inducted into the military, but he refused to serve, saying his religious beliefs forbade him to fight. While some Americans praised Ali for risking prison to stand up for his beliefs, others called him a draft dodger and traitor. The government charged him with violating the Selective Service Act; his titles were taken from him; and he was not allowed to box.
After a long court battle, Ali was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in jail and fined $10,000 fine, but in another lawsuit in 1970, a judge ruled that Ali could still box professionally. The new heavyweight champion was Joe Frazier, and a match was scheduled et for 8 March 1971. Newspapers called it "The Fight of the Century." In the fifteenth round, Frazier knocked Ali down. Ali got back up, but all the judges named Frazier the winner.
That same year, Ali won his legal battle when the U.S. Supreme Court said he was not guilty of draft evasion--He should not have been drafted at all. Ali spent the next three years fighting other champions, including Jerry Quarry, Floyd Patterson (making a brief comeback attempt), Joe Bugner and Ken Norton, winning all but one fight to Ken Norton. He also won a unanimous decision over Frazier on 28 January 1974, but Frazier had lost the heavyweight title to George Foreman. So Ali next had to fight Foreman.
Millions of people sat before their televisions to watch the fight between Ali and Foreman, staged as "The Rumble in the Jungle." Sixty thousand fans gathered at the stadium in Kinshasa in Zaire on 30 October 1974. People favored Foreman, who was seven years younger than the 32-year-old Ali, but Ali fought brilliantly, tiring his opponent using "rope-a-dope" tactics. In round eight, Ali knocked out Foreman. He could still "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," as he liked to say. Ali had regained the undisputed world heavyweight title.
After defending his heavyweight title six times--including a third fight with Joe Frazier--Ali lost it to Leon Spinks on 15 February 1978 in a split decision. He regained the WBA title from Spinks seven months later in a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times. In 1979 Ali announced his retirement, at that point having lost only three times in 59 fights, but he returned to fight World Boxing Council champion Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick of Canada in 1981, losing both. Ali then retired permanently.
As Ali entered his forties, he looked ill. In 1984 it was assumed that he was suffering from a series of symptoms variously known as "punch drunk" syndrome, or chronic encephalopathy of boxers, but Ali had Parkinson's disease, an illness of the nervous system for which he was taking medication. "I feel fine," he insisted. "I'm older and fatter, but we all change."
Ali was selected to light the Olympic flame at the 1996 summer games in Atlanta, Georgia.
He is the only one who was fast and nimble enough to get away with it. Roy Jones is similar in style as far as keeping his gloves low. Ali relied on his lightning quick reflexes to avoid punches and knew just how to stay out the range of his opponents shots. He liked to stick and move as he had an 82" reach which also gave him an advantage over most of his opponents. His footwork was dazzling and there has never been another heavyweight that could compare. You see, Muhammad Ali just had this natural God given gift with his footwork, speed, and reflexes particularly earlier in his career and we will probably never see his likes again as far as charisma, popularity, charm, gift of gab, and natural boxing skills. Any other fighter that tries to fight like him probably won't make it long.
Mike Tyson
Athlete. Born Michael Gerard Tyson on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Jimmy Kirkpatrick and Lorna Tyson. When Michael was two years old his father abandoned the family, leaving Lorna to care for Michael and his two siblings, Rodney and Denise. Struggling financially, the Tyson family moved to Brownsville, Brooklyn, a neighborhood known for its high crime.
Tyson, small and shy, was often the target of bullying. To combat this, young Michael began developing his own style of street fighting, and graduated from this to criminal activity. His gang, known as the Jolly Stompers, assigned him to clean out cash registers while older members held victims at gunpoint. He was only 11 at the time. He frequently ran into trouble with police over his petty criminal activities, and by the age of 13 he had been arrested more than 30 times.
Tyson's bad behavior landed him in the Tryon School for Boys, a reform school in upstate New York. At Tryon, Tyson met counselor Bob Stewart, who had been an amateur boxing champion. Tyson wanted Stewart to teach him how to use his fists. Stewart reluctantly agreed, on the condition that Mike would stay out of trouble and work harder in school. Previously classified as learning disabled, Mike managed to raise his reading abilities to the seventh-grade level in a matter of months. He also became determined to learn everything he could about boxing, often slipping out of bed after curfew to practice punches in the dark.
In 1980, Stewart felt he had taught Tyson all he knew. He introduced the aspiring boxer to legendary boxing manager Constantine "Cus" D'Amato, who had a gym in Catskill, New York. D'Amato was known for taking personal interest in promising fighters, even providing them room and board in the home he shared with companion Camille Ewald. He had handled the careers of several successful boxers, including Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres, and he immediately recognized Tyson's promise as a heavyweight contender, telling him, "If you want to stay here, and if you want to listen, you could be the world heavyweight champion someday." Tyson agreed to stay.
The relationship between D'Amato and Tyson was more than that of a professional trainer and a boxer—it was also one of a father and son. D'Amato took Tyson under his wing, and when the 14-year-old was paroled from Tryon in September 1980, he entered into D'Amato's full-time custody. D'Amato set a rigorous training schedule for the young athlete, sending him to Catskill High School during the day and training in the ring every evening. D'Amato also entered Tyson in amateur boxing matches and "smokers," or non-sanctioned fights, in order to teach the teen how to deal with older opponents.
Tyson's life seemed to be looking up, but in 1982 Mike suffered several personal losses. That year, Tyson's mother died of cancer. "I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something," he later told reporters. "She only knew of me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn't pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but it's crushing emotionally and personally." Around this same Tyson was also expelled from Catskill High for his erratic, and often violent, behavior.
His ability as a skilled boxer is also displayed wonderfully. Many people think Iron Mike is just a street type of brawler but he clearly shows this is just not the case. His skills and speed in defence as a heavyweight has been matched by only a few in history. His amazing bob and weaving is displayed best against Michael Johnson. After successfully “peek a booing” his head from Johnson’s swings, Tyson lands a body punch to the liver that knocks his opponent down in agony. Then when he courageously stands to face Mike again, he pays the ultimate price. A knockout with all the ferocity of a sledgehammer.
Rocky Marciano
Rocky was a very strong pitbull type of fighter. He was aggressive but smart and had stamina like nobody as he trained harder than anyone to be in the best condition possible. Rocky also of course had great punching power with either hand and was always looking to hit an opponent any where he could hit them because every where he hit you, hurt! He used a very low crouch as he moved forward towards his opponent and had a very underrated defense often ducking and blocking punches and then he would swarm his opponent with vicious punches. He did get hit but could take it as he was only knocked down twice in his career for short counts but not as much as some folks think. He had absolutely no fear in the ring and knew he was going to win every time out. It must of worked as he was the only undefeated heavyweight champ in history.
Biography
Rocky Marciano was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, on September 1, 1923, in Brockton, Massachusetts. During his career, Marciano held the heavyweight boxing title for four years in the 1950s, and he is the only boxing champion to ever retire undefeated.
His father, Pierino, worked at a shoe factory. His mother's name was Pasqualena, and Rocky would spend much of his life making sure she didn't have to live in the poverty that Rocky knew growing up. Marciano was a typical American kid, playing baseball and football and dreaming of a professional career in one of those sports. He didn't take up boxing until after 1943, when he was drafted into the Army. He took up the sport mainly as a way to avoid KP (assisting the cooks) and other less desirable activities, but he showed a natural ability and fought as an amateur following his discharge in 1946.
In 1947, Marciano had a tryout with the Chicago Cubs as a catcher, but was let go because he couldn't make the throw from home plate to second base with accuracy. It was the end of his baseball dreams, and the following year he turned professional in the ring. By the spring of 1949, his boxing skills had garnered some attention, as he knocked out his first 16 opponents. The quality of his opponents improved over the latter half of 1949 and 1950, but Marciano continued to beat challengers, knocking out most of them.
There were those who didn/'t think much would become of the 190-pound heavyweight from Brockton in the early days. Goody Petronelli, noted fight trainer, caught one of his early fights and recalled for Sports Illustrated, "I never thought he'd make it. He was too old, almost 25. He was too short, he was too light. He had no reach. Rough and tough, but no finesse." The hometown folks became believers, though, traveling in groups to Marciano's fights in nearby Providence, Rhode Island, and yelling "Timmmmberrr" when Rocky had an opponent ready to go down.
Trainer Charley Goldman taught Marciano his trademark technique, which would serve him well as champion. On October 26, 1951, with 37 wins and 32 knockouts under his belt, Marciano faced his most formidable opponent in former heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Louis was past his prime and when Marciano knocked him out in the eighth round, he had such mixed feelings at beating his hero that he cried in Louis' dressing room after the fight. Sentiment aside, however, the fight established Marciano as one of the marquee fighters in the heavyweight division, and assured him of a title shot before too long. Five fights later, on September 23, 1952, he got that chance. Jersey Joe Walcott was the defending champion and Marciano the challenger when the pair met in Philadelphia. Marciano pulled out a victory which would be remembered as typical of his tough-guy, never-say-die style: way behind in points and struggling offensively all night, he caught Walcott with a short, overhand right on the jaw in the 13th round which knocked him unconscious, giving Marciano the championship belt.
Marciano only defended the title six times, but some of those fights are considered classics by boxing fans. He knocked out Walcott in the first round of their rematch in 1953, then knocked out Roland La Starza later that year. He won a decision against Ezzard Charles in 1954, and almost lost his title in their rematch later that year. In the sixth round Charles cut Marciano's nose so badly his cornerman couldn't stop the bleeding. With the ring doctor watching the cut closely and considering stopping the fight, Marciano erupted against Charles in the eighth round and knocked him out.
Marciano defended his title against Don Cockell in 1955, knocking him out despite organized crime enticements for Marciano to throw the fight. His last fight was September 21, 1955, his third Yankee Stadium defense. He knocked out Archie Moore in the ninth round. The unofficial attendance through closed-circuit television across the great cities of North America was over 400,000.
On April 27, 1956, Marciano retired from boxing at the age of 31. "I thought it was a mistake when Joe Louis tried a comeback," the New York Times quoted him as saying. "No man can say what he will do in the future, but barring poverty, the ring has seen the last of me. I am comfortably fixed, and I am not afraid of the future." He said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Marciano spent the years following his retirement making money from personal appearances. On August 31, 1969, the day before his 46th birthday, he died in a private-plane crash near Des Moines, Iowa. He was survived by his wife of 19 years, Barbara, and their two children, Rocco Kevin and Mary Anne.
Although he may not rank in the top five boxers of all time in terms of skill, speed or power, Rocky Marciano was tough enough to compensate, and his fans recognized his grit. A sports writer commented that if all the heavyweight champions of all time were locked together in a room, Marciano would be the one to walk out.
Tomasz Adamek
Tomasz grew up in Gilowice, a small village of 5,000 surrounded by mountains in
southern Poland.
He began to box at age 12 when, without telling his mom about it, a friend took him to a
boxing gym. The young Tomasz, very talented and fast, was soon in the ring with
grown men. Tomasz had the same trainer in Poland, Andrzei Gimitruk, who coached
heavyweight Andrew Golota to a bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South
Korea.
At age 19, Tomasz became one of the three youngest boxers to win the Polish National
Championship in 1995. He won the title again in 1996. In 1998, he won the bronze
medal in the European Championships. As an amateur, he compiled a 108-12 record.
Just prior to being named to the 2000 Polish Olympic Team, where he was a medal
favorite in Sydney, Tomasz signed a professional contract.
Tomasz made his pro debut on March 13, 1999, and won by first-round technical
knockout. He then went on to win his next eight bouts by TKO. On March 2, 2001, in
Warsaw, Poland, Adamek won the International Boxing Council intercontinental light
heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Rudi Lupo.
On Oct. 18, 2002, Adamek won the Polish International Light Heavyweight title with a
third-round TKO over Laverne Clark.
In Finland, on Oct. 4, 2003, Adamek won the vacant IBF intercontinental light
heavyweight title with a second-round knockout over Ed Dalton.
Adamek continued to rack up the wins and move up the rankings. He added another
title to his collection on April 17, 2004, when he won the WBO intercontinental light
heavyweight championship with a fifth-round knockout over Gabrail Gabrailov.
Adamek won a 10-round decision over Ismail Abdoul in Warsaw Poland on Sept. 10,
2004, catapulting him into world contention as the No. 4-ranked WBC contender.
Immediately after this win, Adamek signed with promoter Don King Productions and
manager Ziggy Rozalski, who also manages Polish heavyweight Andrew Golota.
Tomasz then began training in the Golota camp based in Chicago.
