Cassius Marcellus Clay was born on January 17th, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. In his younger years he had no interest in sports until an accident happened.
When Cassius was 12, his new bike was missing. Reporting the theft to Policeman Joe Martin, he said that he was going to beat whoever had taken his bike. Martin, who had been coaching youth boxing for decades, asked the boy, "Do you know how to fight?" When Cassius admitted that he didn't, the officer suggested, "You'd better learn!"
It was the beginning of his boxing career. Cassius devoted himself to boxing training. Although he wasn't very talented in boxing, he worked harder than anyone else in the gym. He'd rush to the gym every day as soon as school was over and would even train on Saturdays. Outside of the gym, Cassius stayed away from anything that would influence his training. He was showing the kind of determination and discipline that other boxers didn't have.
Under the guidance of Martin and his friend, young Clay began winning games one after another. By the age of 18 he had won 108 games, 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves championships and 2 national AAU titles.
Today he is recognized as the greatest athlete of modem times. He always carried a self confidence and believed in his ability that he can put his competitors off guard before the first round bell had even sounded.
