Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali (Part 4)
To steal such a radiant and purely entertaining warrior from the world was not fair. The feared Ali was at a point where his brilliance and talent was reaching new heights. They deprived the colossal individual force from doing what he did best for three
crucial years of his life.
It was unacceptable to strip him of his passion. The convert was steadfast in his morals and beliefs as a Muslim. Honour was a highly important value for him and he did not want to compromise it for anyone or anything.
The golden boy could not be held back for too long as he made a return to the international stage after a gap of three long years when his ban expired. Ali obtained his license and was ready to rock and roll. Quite a lot had changed during the boxing assassin’s
ban.
There were many more thirsty fighters who wanted a taste of the Heavy Weight Title. This meant far more competition for Ali, the great. The ladder to the crown had become longer and more tedious to climb.
The dynamite was primarily focused on exploding against Joe Frazier, the undefeated Heavy Weight Champion of the world. Regaining the title that was stripped away from him was Ali’s sole aim.
The opportunity came his way on 8th March 1971 in the big apple, New York City. Sadly, the lightening like speed of Ali’s legs, which was his main attribute that contributed to his success, was no longer there.
The flamboyant boxer looked as though he no longer had the cat like speed around the ring. The result was Frazier and Muhammad battling it out for the full fifteen rounds. In the end the decision went in the favour of the defending champ.
This was the thunderous boxer’s first defeat ever. It could be seen that due the evident change in Ali’s feet movement, he was unable to defend himself, or attack his counterpart the way he once probably could have. Fans and audiences felt as though the
great had probably lost his magical touch due the long break that he was forced to take.
However, they were unaware of what the marvellous warrior was truly made off. It was just a matter of time before he bounced back and showed the world that he still possessed the attributes of a great fighter. After his loss to the cunning Frazier, tornado
Ali became ruthless and showed everyone a side of himself that many had never witnessed.
In the remaining months of the year 1971, the rocket powered through three strong competitors. In July, he smashed Jimmy Ellis to win by a technical knockout. In the last two months of the same year, he defeated Buster Mathis and Jurgen Blin, respectively.
Hence, he ended the year on a high note.
1972 turned out to be a year of extreme glory for the super man from Louisville, Kentucky. Ali the great, pierced through six contenders in the year - Mac Foster in April, George Chuvalo in May, Jerry Quarry in June, Al Lewis in July, Floyd Patterson in
September and lastly, Bob Foster in the month of October.
When the world thought that the lay off period that Ali had forcefully faced had affected his game permanently. On the contrary, Muhammad the rock had become virtually unbreakable.
Muhammad Ali’s power had increased. He had instilled fear in the hearts of boxers around the world. One of the main reasons was the instant comeback he made, in terms of his form.
Not many sportsmen after being laid off for three years can make their return in such a fashionable, strong, influential and impactful way. Apart from his initial comeback fight, he just blew away anyone who stood against him in a squared ring.
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