Research Writing Exercise: Mohammed Ali from Desiree

Muhammad Ali: Draft Evasion

              Mohammed Ali was a famous boxer from Louisville, Kentucky. He is the only fighter to be named world heavyweight champion three times, and he has a 56-5 record. He was originally named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. before he converted to Islam in 1964 and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. During the Vietnam war, Ali was inducted on April 28, 1967, but he refused. Since he was Islam, he did not believe in violence. Ali was convicted of draft evasion. When he refused to be inducted into the army, he was immediately stripped of his heavy weight title. He said “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong” and he asked “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?" Ali was prohibited to box for three years. He was also fined $10,000 and he was sentenced to jail for five years. He avoided prison, and he was able to return to the ring when he fought Jerry Quarry on October 26, 1970. In March of 1971, Ali fought Joe Frazier and lost after fifteen rounds. This was Ali’s first loss of his professional career. This fight was known as “The Fight of the Century”. In June of that same year, Ali’s case was overturned. Ali had to make three separate appeals for them to change his draft status. He believed that he should not be penalized because of his non-violent Islamic faith and his membership of the Nation of Islam.

Mohammed Ali Evasion controversy

Ali being escorted from the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance station in Houston