Muhhamed Ali

            
             Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about his accomplishments in the ring.
             Central Idea: This modern day athlete is very different from any boxer in the history of the sport: his unique history, vast accomplishments, and unbelievable achievements have preserved his name in the record books forever.
             Pattern of Organization: Topical.
             Introduction: .
             I. A showman, a rebel, a militant Muslim, a civil rights campaigner.
             and a poet. .
             A. This man has transcended the bounds of sport, race and nationality. .
             B. He is known around the world as the greatest boxer ever with 56 wins and 5 losses, 37 wins came by way of knockout. .
             C. According to the BBC, he is a phenom. .
             II. This man is Muhammad Ali. .
             A. Today I will be talking about his many accomplishments in the ring.
             III. Muhammad Ali was born on January 17th 1942 to Odessa Clay and .
             Cassius Marcellus in Louisville; he got into boxing by chance at age 12 when his bike was stolen.
             A. He told the cop "he would whip the thief if he found him" so Joe Martin the police officer suggested he join his gym and learn to fight.
             B. In 1960 Cassius earned the right to go to the Olympics. .
             C. His first official fight was against Tunny Hunsaker in Louisville. .
             D. He started his career with a win in the 6th round and now we will take a look at his history.
             Body.
             I. Ali is best known for predicting the round his opponent would fall in. .
             A. An example of this happened before a fight in 1962 against Archie Moore.
             B. Muhammad was quoted boasting, "When you come to the fight .
             Don't block the halls, And don't block the door, For y'all may go home, After round four." .
             C. In 1963 one of Clay's predictions failed when he was unable to knock out Doug Jones. .
             D. In this same year Clay also met Drew "Bundini" Brown who became his motivator and court jester. .
             i. Together they invented the slogan "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!" This quote personifies his fighting style. .
             II. In the summer of 1963 Ali joined a black American religious group known as the black Muslims.