阿里改革【永远的拳王――穆罕默德・阿里】
时间：2019-01-08 03:18:23 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
年轻人对拳王阿里的印象也许只停留在1996年亚特兰大奥运会的开幕式上。当时,年事已高、身患帕金森症的阿里用颤抖的手点燃了第26届奥运会的圣火。这位拳坛英雄的辉煌时代是上世纪六七十年代。他曾获得奥运会金牌,三夺世界重量级拳击冠军,并在其运动生涯中创下56胜5负的佳绩。退出拳坛后,阿里一直致力于宗教、慈善事业以及维护世界和平的工作,受到许多国家人民的爱戴。
阿里是20世纪拳坛诞生的最伟大的英雄之一,他的出现超越了拳击,成为一个时代的偶像。
When 12-year-old Cassius Clay had his bike stolen in Louisville, Kentucky, he took up the “sweet
science注1” so he could whup[(俚)轻易地打败(对手)] whoever stole it. Soon Clay became an outstanding amateur[业余的] fighter and picked up a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960.
He returned home to Louisville wearing his gold medal proudly around his neck, but the pride faded when he was refused service in a “whites only” restaurant. The incident caused him to throw his medal into the Ohio River.
On February 25th, 1964, the 22-year-old fighter took on heavily-favored champ Sonny Liston. Clay predicted victory over the big ugly bear to anyone who would listen. He beat Liston in the eighth round to become the heavyweight champion. After the fight, Clay jumped around the ring, proclaiming[声明] he “shook up the world.” Shortly after the fight, he announced his membership in the Nation of Islam. A week later, the Nation of Islam leader, Elijah Muhammad, gave Clay the new name � Muhammad Ali. The champ embraced the name change. Many people in [the] press, including the New York Times, refused to refer to[称某人为] him by his new name.
In 1966, Ali refused to serve in Vietnam, asserting[断言,声称] his “conscientious objector注2” status. In 1967, he was found guilty of refusing induction[入伍] into the armed forces. He appealed[上诉], but the damage was done. He was stripped[剥夺] of his belt and banned from boxing for three and a half years.
Ali returned to the ring in 1971, taking on Joe Frazier in a title fight dubbed[起绰号] “The Fight of the Century.” Frazier beat Ali in the first of three savage[凶猛的] battles the men would engage in[使从事,参加]. After winning the belt back from Frazier in a rematch, he would lose it to Ken Norton and receive a broken jaw in the process. Ali was getting on[(人)变老] in years, but his most impressive fight was still to come. In October of 1974, in Zaire, Ali took on the seemingly invincible[不可战胜的] champ George Foreman.
The “Rumble in the Jungle注3” was one of the greatest upsets[出乎意料的结果] in the history of boxing.
In 1978 in a major upset, he lost the title to underdog[居于下风者] Leon Spinks. Ali returned seven months later to beat Spinks and reclaim the belt, but the end of his career was near.
On June 27th, 1979, Ali announced his retirement. Yet, like many great fighters, he stepped back into the ring not one but two too many times, officially retiring in 1981 with a record of 56 and 5.
In 1984, Ali was diagnosed[诊断] with Parkinson’s disease, which affected his speech and began ravaging[破坏] his central nervous system. Despite his illness, he carried the Olympic torch[火炬] at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Ali used his unparalleled[无比的] stature to bring aid to places such as North Korea, Afghanistan and Cuba, and earned the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
12岁时,小卡修斯・克莱的自行车在(美国)肯塔基州路易斯维尔市被偷了,于是他学起了拳击这门“甜蜜的科学”,希望在找到偷车贼后打倒他。很快,克莱成为了一名出色的业余拳击手,并在1960年的罗马奥运会上夺得了一枚金牌。
他回到家乡路易斯维尔,骄傲地把金牌戴在脖子上,但是当他被一间标明“仅为白人服务”的餐馆拒于门外时,他的自豪感荡然无存。他一气之下把自己的金牌丢进了俄亥俄河。
1964年2月25日,这位22岁的拳击手与当时的大热门――拳王桑尼・利斯顿进行对垒。克莱对愿意听他说话的人们预言,他会打败这只丑陋笨重的大熊。果然,他在第八回合击败对方,成为重量级拳王。比赛结束后,克莱兴奋地在拳击台边翻腾跳跃,大喊着他“震撼了全世界”。赛后不久,他宣布加入全美伊斯兰联盟。一个星期后,全美伊斯兰联盟的领袖伊莱贾・穆罕默德送给克莱一个新的名字――穆罕默德・阿里。这位拳王欣然接受了这次改名,不过,包括《纽约时报》在内的新闻媒体却不肯用这个新名字来称呼他。
1966年,阿里拒绝到越南服兵役,声明自己是一名“拒服兵役者”。1967年,他因拒绝到军队服役获罪。虽然他提出上诉,但已经无补于事。他的拳王腰带被没收,并被禁赛三年半。
1971年,阿里终于回归拳击界,与乔・弗雷泽进行了一场被称为“世纪之战”的巅峰对决。两人之间总共进行了三场激烈的比赛,弗雷泽在第一次比赛中击倒了阿里。此后阿里卷土重来,从弗雷泽那里夺回了金腰带。随后在另一次比赛中,他输给了肯・诺顿,并在比赛过程中伤及下颚。虽然阿里年纪渐增,但他给人留下最深印象的一场比赛还未到来。1974年10月,阿里在扎伊尔(现在的刚果民主共和国)迎战看似不可战胜的拳王乔治・福尔曼。
这场“丛林之战”是拳击史上最出人意料的一次对决。
1978年,同样是让人意外的赛果――阿里把拳王的称号输给了名不见经传的利昂・斯平克斯。虽然阿里在7个月后击败斯平克斯,夺回了腰带,但他的职业生涯已经接近尾声。
1979年6月27日,阿里宣布退休。然而,像其他许多著名拳击手一样,他再次回到拳击场上,而且不只一两次,而是许多次。直到1981年,阿里才正式退休,创下56胜5负的战绩。
1984年,阿里被确诊患上帕金森症,该病影响他的语言表达能力,并开始损坏他的中枢神经系统。尽管身患此病,在1996年亚特兰大奥运会上,他还是担任了火炬手。阿里还用其无与伦比的影响力帮助过朝鲜、阿富汗和古巴等国家的许多地方,并于2005年获得总统自由勋章。
注1:《甜蜜的科学》(The Sweet Science)是美国新闻记者赖伯宁(A. J. Liebling)的成名作,该书介于报告文学和散文之间,以拳台为背景勾勒出一幅幅拳击者的众生相。后来此词用来指拳击
运动。
注2:“conscientious objector”指的是由于道德或宗教的原则而拒绝参加战争或服兵役的人。
注3:“Rumble in the Jungle”是体育界对1974年阿里战胜福尔曼那场经典比赛的称呼。赛前不被看好的阿里将热门的福尔曼击倒,爆出了拳击史上最大的冷门。在那场大战中,阿里知道自己躲不过福尔曼,因此使出了“倚绳战术”――他退到拳击台的绳索边缘,靠在绳索上支撑自己,让福尔曼连续出拳攻击自己,其真正目的是消耗福尔曼的体力。于是,福尔曼在前几个回合占尽上风,但随着比赛的进行,他的体力不断下降,终于在第八回合被阿里击倒。
