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MUHAMMAD ALI RECEIVES LIBERTY MEDAL

15/09/2012 - 10.28.39

 

Muhammad Ali receives Liberty Medal

The greatest- Muhammad Ali was honored with the Liberty Medal for his longtime role outside the ring as a fighter for humanitarian causes, civil rights and religious freedom.

muhammad-ali-medalla-libertad

"It is especially humbling for Muhammad, who has said on many occasions, 'All I did was to stand up for what I believe,' " Lonnie Ali said.
The 70-year-old retired champ, challenged, but not defeated by a 30-year battle with Parkinson's disease, did not speak. But he stood with assistance to receive the medal from his daughter, Laila Ali.
He looked down at his medal for several moments and then waved to the crowd. The award comes with a $100,000 cash prize.
Ali was born Cassius Clay but changed his name after converting to Islam in the 1960s. He refused to serve in the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs and was stripped of his heavyweight crown in 1967. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling later cleared him of a draft evasion conviction, and he regained the boxing title in 1974 and again 1978.
One of his most famous fights took place in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he battled George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974.
Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has traveled extensively on international charitable missions and devoted his time to social causes.

Sourcesuljos.com/wbcVersEng/index.php