OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
June 22, 2016
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution honoring the life and memory of Muhammad Ali. Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber were deeply saddened to learn of the death, on June 3, 2016, at age 74, of Muhammad Ali, the world-famous boxer and humanitarian activist; and
WHEREAS, Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942 to Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay, Muhammad Ali grew up the older of two sons in a Baptist home; and
WHEREAS, Cassius Clay began learning to box at age 12, after boasting to a police officer about how the young Mr. Clay would beat up the thief of his new red Schwinn bicycle. The police officer, Joe Martin, also a trainer at a local boxing gym, introduced Mr. Clay to the sport; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Clay became an amateur boxing champion, winning 100 amateur bouts out of 108 fought. Mr. Clay qualified to box for the United States in the 1960 Rome Olympics and subsequently won the gold medal in the light-heavyweight division there; and
WHEREAS, Upon his return from Rome, Mr. Clay turned pro. Mr. Clay's professional boxing record was 19 wins and zero losses when he was set to fight the reigning champion Sonny Liston, a match in which Mr. Clay was viewed as the underdog; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Clay taunted Mr. Liston in the lead-up to the fight, including a chant of "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, rumble, young man, rumble." Mr. Clay had become known for his talking down of his opponents, often in the form of rhyme. He defeated Liston, taking the title of heavyweight champion and declaring, "I am the greatest!"; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Clay, keenly aware of racist treatment of African-Americans in that era, joined the Nation of Islam, a black separatist Islamic m...
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