I Introduction
Colorful(pintoresco,
subido de tono en el lenguaje, colorido), talented, and
sometimes controversial, Ali entertained(entretuvo)
fans and intimidated opponents. His boxing style involved graceful footwork(grácil,
elegante juego de pies)
and powerful(poderosos)
jabs(golpes directos).
He also became famous for bragging(fanfarronear)
about himself, often in his own verse. Ali once(una
vez)
described his skills by saying that he could “float(flotar)
like a butterfly(mariposa),
sting(picar)
like a bee(abeja).”
In 1978 he became the first boxer to win the world heavyweight championship
title three different times.
II “The Greatest”
Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His birth name was Cassius Marcellus
Clay, Jr., named after(nombrado
así por (otra persona)) famed Kentucky abolitionist Cassius
Marcellus Clay. Clay began boxing at the age of 12, after his bicycle was
stolen and a police officer suggested that he learn how to box. By age 18
Clay had amassed(acumulado)
an amateur record of 100 wins in 108 fights. This included six Kentucky
Golden Gloves titles, the 1959 International Golden Gloves heavyweight
title, and a gold medal as the light heavyweight(peso
pesado)
champion at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.()
After returning from the Olympics, Clay turned professional(se
convirtió en profesional). He fought his first professional
bout(combate)
on October 29, 1960, and defeated(derrotó
a)
Tunney Hunsaker. As Clay continued to win over the next few years, he became
more vocal about his successes(hablaba,
fanfarroneaba sobre sus éxitos), and he was given the nicknames
Louisville Lip(labio,
insolencia)
and Mighty Mouth(voz
potente, poderosa).
By 1964 Clay had recorded 19 professional wins and had earned a chance to
challenge(desafiar)
heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. At 22 years old, Clay was considered a
serious underdog(perdedor,
desvalido). Nonetheless(no
obstante), he predicted that he would knock Liston out in the
eighth round. Clay needed even less time to make good on his claim(reivindicación,
demanda). His jab-and-dance technique(técnica
de baile y golpe directo)
tired(cansó)
Liston, who failed(fracasó)
to come out(salir)
of his corner at the start of the seventh round. Clay was crowned(coronado)
the new world heavyweight champion and proclaimed(proclamado)
himself The Greatest(el
más grande).
In 1964 Clay converted(se
convirtió) to Islam, joined the Nation of Islam (see Black
Muslims), and assumed the name Muhammad Ali. In 1965 he defended his title
in a rematch(combate
de revancha)
against Liston, a bout that lasted only 2 minutes 12 seconds. During the
first round Ali caught Liston with a hard blow(duro
golpe), so quick that it was dubbed(apodado)
the “phantom punch(puñetazo
fantasma)” because few fans saw it. Liston fell, and although
he regained his feet(recuperó
levantándose sobre sus pies)
before the count was finished, the referee ended the fight in Ali’s favor.
Six months later Ali successfully defended his title against former(anterior)
champion Floyd Patterson. Ali retained his title with victories in five more
bouts before 1967.
III The Controversial Champion
()
In 1967, in the middle of the Vietnam War, Ali refused to be inducted(reclutado)
into the United States Army on the grounds that(por
motivo de que)
he was a black Muslim minister and therefore(por
lo tanto)
a conscientious objector(objetor
de conciencia). He had thrust himself(se
había metido) into the middle of a period of volatility(inestabilidad)
in American society. Ali was an outspoken(franco,
abierto) African American at a time when the country’s
commitment(obligación,
compromiso) to civil rights was being widely questioned. He was
also one of the most prominent(preponderante)conscientious
objectors against the war, which was attracting more and more protest. Ali
was convicted of draft evasion(condenar
por evadirse del servicio militar), and his popularity
plummeted(cayó en
picado). Early in 1967 he was stripped(desposeído)
of his heavyweight title and the title was declared vacant(libre).
When he was subsequently banned(prohibido)
from fighting in the United States, Ali filed a number of court appeals(entabló
numerosas apariciones en el juzgado).
Ali was allowed(permitido)
to return to the ring in late(finales)
1970, but in his absence Joe Frazier had taken the world heavyweight title.
After three years without a championship fight against a serious competitor,
Ali entered the ring in March 1971 for a highly promoted(altamente
promovido) bout with Frazier. Because both Ali and Frazier
carried undefeated records(tenían
records de imbatibilidad), the bout was billed(anunciada)
as “The Fight of the Century.” Ali lost the 15-round battle, and Frazier
retained his title. Later that year the Supreme Court of the United States
overturned(anuló)
Ali's draft evasion conviction. |
Inglés
|
Francés |
Alemán
|
Italiano |
Otros
1 (A-E)
| 2 (F-L) |
3 (N-S)
| 4 (T-U)
Árabe |
Chino |
Esperanto
|
Griego
|
Japonés
|
Portugués
|
Rumano
|
Ruso
|
Catalán
|
Euskera