Ali

"Today's top professional athletes often have salaries and bonuses in the tens of

SEMESTER ESSAY 6

I believe that althletes should get paid in the millions of dollars because they
have to work hard to get where they are at and it is just like a career, and some
career pay over a million dollars. One of my favorite althletes is Muhammad Ali,
and he had to go through alot, work hard, and entertain to get paid a high
amount, these are the battles that lead up to him getting paid over ten million
dollars. He was a three time world heavyweight champion and is considered one
of the greatest boxers of all time. When he was an amateur, Ali won a gold
medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Once Ali turned professional, he went on to beat George Foreman and regained
the World Heavyweight Title.

Ali trained with Fred Stoner, an African American trainer working at the local
community center. Under Stoner's guidance, Ali went on to win six Kentucky
Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light
Heavyweight Gold Medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Ali's amateur
record was 100 wins and 5 losses. Ali states that he threw his gold medal into
the Ohio River after being refused service at a 'Whites Only' resturaunt.

After his Olympic triumph, Ali returned to Louisville to begin his professional
career. Later, he fought in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history in wich Ali
regained his title by defeating champion George Foreman. The fight was known
as "The Rumble in the Jungle" and was produced by Ali's close friend. During
the bout Ali employed an unexpected stategy, called the rope-a-dope, where he
leaned against the ropes and absorbed ineffective body shots. Foreman
became exhausted in the seventh round and Ali dropped him with a flurry of
punched in the eighth round to regain the title.

Let's recap what Ali had to do to get millions of dollars. Ali is an American
boxer and three time World Heavyweight Champ. He is considered one of the
greatest boxers of all time. He won the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal in the
1960 Summer Olympics as an amateur. His most famous bout was known as
"The Rumble in the Jungle". In that bout he knocked out George Foreman to
regain the World Heavyweight Title. Imagine if you had to go through all of the
battles and hardships that he went through, would you not want to be paid
millions of dollars for it, I know I would. Most top althletes had to be the best at
what they do to get where they are and they deserve to get paid for it.
millions of dollars. Do you think these althletes deserve such high compensation
for what they do? Why or why not? Explain your position and use specific
reasons and examples."