PROFILE
NAME: Muhammad Ali
TYPE OF OUTLAW: The Greatest Outlaw
INTRO
Muhammad Ali was a boxer, social activist and self-proclaimed greatest.
“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.” Ali
This was my introduction to Ali, the man who spoke his dreams into existence. I believe that our thoughts become things & that you can manifest anything your mind can conceive. I'm not sure if Ali did also, but boy did he walk his talk and back up this bold claim both inside & outside the ring.
Ali The Boxer
I'll try & keep this brief as Ali's boxing career has been widely publicised already & is common knowledge at this point. Ali is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. He became an Olympic gold medallist in 1960 before going onto becoming the world heavyweight boxing champion on 3 separate occasions, defeating every top heavyweight in his era. And not just any era. This is was an era that was commonly referred to as the golden age of heavyweight boxing.
This is a very concise summary which doesn't do his boxing career justice, but this isn't a boxing blog so I encourage you to do your googles if you want to know more. As Ali once said: “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision.” I think it's safe to say it's obvious he was a champion inside of a boxing ring, but what made him one outside of it?
Ali The Outlaw
Ali is one of the few people in history to go from being universally hated at the start of his career to universally loved & I believe this is what makes him the greatest outlaw. We are all complicated creatures who are in our own heads 24/7 attempting to make sense of & justify our bad behaviours whilst hoping to only be judged & defined by our good ones. Essentially we know we are flawed people through our own perception of ourselves, but yet view public figures through a completely different lens & hold them to completely different standards. We are quick to judge them, worshipping them when their good behaviour relates to ours, but equally quick to cancel them when they do things we deem bad-even if it's something we've been tempted to do or have done in the past. I guess this is what humanises Ali & makes him relatable. The fact that he was a flawed human, but still went on to achieve greatness, which gives us all hope.
In Ali’s case, not only did he acquire fame as a black man in America in the 60s which as you can probably imagine wasn't the best time to be black, let alone successful, black & Muslim. On top of this he was also unashamedly cocky, brash & braggadocious in his early career-once proclaiming to his opponent “If you even dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologise.” He did anything he could to generate attention from the media & this rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way.
The public distain for Ali only intensified when he spoke openly against the Vietnam war. When he was later drafted into the military he refused to serve citing that his religious beliefs prevented him from fighting. In his words: “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? This is the day when such evils must come to an end. I have been warned that to take such a stand would cost me millions of dollars. But I have said it once and I will say it again. The real enemy of my people is here. I will not disgrace my religion, my people or myself by becoming a tool to enslave those who are fighting for their own justice, freedom and equality.”
He defied America's wishes & was consequently arrested for committing a felony, stripped of his world title & exiled from boxing for 3 years at the peak of his athletic powers. He was also brandished as being unpatriotic & became a figure of hate in the media. You can define an outlaw as someone who is not protected by the law & this was the moment he became an outlaw in the literal sense. America used the laws to make an example out of Ali, punishing him for his act of defiance whilst showing the general public what happens to people who do not obey orders.
HOW DEFIANCE BREEDS LAWLESSNESS
Ali defied a whole nation to stand up for his beliefs. This act of defiance cost him his identity as the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. It cost him 3 years of his life whilst he fought against his own government in a legal battle to get his conviction overturned. It cost him his wealth, his status & his safety at a time his people were supposed to know their place & do as they were told. Ali's level of defiance knew no bounds though. He was lawless through & through. He maintained his freedom mentally & his place was wherever he wanted it to be. Your place can be too; we all have a choice.
In a time when blacks were looked down on by the whole of America he became a living legend and 3 time heavyweight champion of the world through sheer defiance.
He fought against his own government over the Vietnam war because of his belief of what was right and what was wrong. He lost all his money & all of his titles to just come back stronger, richer and even more victorious.
He called himself the greatest. He reinforced this identity constantly and every time he proved himself right. He walked his talk & the laws of attraction rewarded him handsomely.
Ali transformed the role and image of the African American athlete in the USA through his embrace of racial pride and his willingness to antagonise the establishment in doing so. He was one of the few athletes in any sport to define the terms of his public reputation. When you are in tune with yourself & your beliefs you can control your narrative & this is exactly what Ali did.
WHY YOU SHOULD LEAD A LIFE OF DEFIANCE
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life” Ali
When someone, something, anything goes against your core values or beliefs you must resist. Defiance when used to counteract negative friction, is an important & positive force in the mentality of an outlaw. These moments of defiance will allow you to succeed in life. Whatever your core beliefs may be, whether it's trying to save the penguins or making the world aware of how amazing broccoli is. As long as the message is positive, be defiant when these beliefs are challenged and you will achieve greatness. Everyone is ingrained with a deep rooted sense of what's right & wrong & all that is required is that you are courageous enough to act on it whenever you are challenged to do so.
Ali's message was not one of militant disruption but one of peace and brotherhood. He once said: “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” He paid his rent & the universe rewarded him. When he returned to boxing, people came to see his tremendous athletic ability. People also began to recognise his cocky bashful bravado as a phenomenal ability to promote and market boxing and his fights.
What's your message & what can you do to pay your rent for your room here on earth? I'm asking the question metaphorically of course. If you live in London you're probably thinking you pay enough rent already.
WHAT KIND OF OUTLAW ARE YOU?
In his own words Ali wanted to be remembered as "a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right..."
"As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.
"And if all that's too much, then I guess I'd settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was."
I'll remember him as the defiant one, the greatest outlaw & the man that said: “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
Ali defied possibility, changed the world & dared to be the greatest outlaw.
What kind of outlaw do you dare to be?