Muhammad Ali- MILITAR MINDSET

Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers to enter the ring. His interest in the sport started when he was just a child, he progressed up the amateur ranks, reaching the pinnacle, the Olympics.

As a professional boxer he continued to work his way to the top as he has now cemented himself as an all-time great.

He brought a unique style to the sport with his blistering speed and power (a man his size was never expected to have the speed he did at this time!).

Not only was he a great boxer, but he was one of the most influential characters in the last century.

He stood up for what he believed in and fought for it too.

As a boxer, Ali compiled an incredible record of 56-5 (56 wins, 5 losses). Becoming the first ever 3-time heavyweight world champion.

Outside of the ring he played a major part and was an advocate for civil rights and religious freedom.

Ali was able to embed the MILITAR MINDSET throughout his life. We will show you how he did this and how it can help you…

Check out our Muhammad Ali- MILITAR MINDSET video as part of  our Icon Series on YouTube!

Ali’s MINDSET was something we had never seen before…

Muhammad Ali’s MINDSET was different. He wasn’t your typical boxer who just turned up to box and that was it. Ali was unique.

Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville Kentucky on the 17th of January 1942.His birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, named after his father Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. Both his parents would work to provide for the family.

His father would work as a billboard and sign painter, whereas his mother Odessa O’Grady Clay, was a domestic helper. 

In school, Ali would struggle as he was dyslexic. Racial segregation was also prominent during the time, which made life tougher for a young Ali.

In terms of boxing, Ali was first introduced to the sport at the age of 12. Ali was infuriated after having his bike stolen by a thief. It was then he met Joe Martin, a Louisville police officer and boxing coach.

After Ali complained to the police officer, stating he would ‘whoop the person’ that stole his bike, Martin replied saying that Ali would need to learn how to box!

Not long after this encounter, Ali would begin his boxing journey. His first ever amateur boxing bout was in 1954, where he beat Ronnie O’Keefe by split decision. Ali’s passion for boxing only grew as he continued to spend more time in the gym.

Ali would work with a few coaches throughout his amateur career such as Fred Stoner and Chuck Bodak. His credentials as an amateur were superb, winning six Kentucky Golden Gloves and two national Golden Gloves titles.

Ali would reach the pinnacle of amateur boxing by winning Olympic gold at the 1960 summer Olympics in Rome in the light heavyweight division!

After his success at the Olympics, Ali would turn professional. His final amateur record is not fully known but we know that he won over 90 fights with very few losses! Ali was ready to take over the pro scene!

He was able to create a personality that intrigued the public and connected with them. Revolutionising the sport with psychological warfare, something that was never seen before in boxing.

He was able to get into the heads of his opponents before he even fought! This provided him with an edge entering the ring making his opponents more emotional and providing entertainment for the people watching.

Love him or hate him, everyone wanted to see him fight!

Ali’s mindset was driven by his self-belief. Ali famously said, ‘He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life’. Ali taught us that we mustn’t fear failure. In order to progress in life and toward our goals we must take risks.

Many had given Ali no chance against Sonny Liston in 1964, with the odds completely against him. He shocked everyone by defeating Liston to win his first world title.

Post-fight he screamed the iconic words ‘I shook up the world!’. It was evident Ali was different in the way he thought. He didn’t allow anyone to change his self-belief, he knew he was destined for greatness.

Even though they all thought he was crazy at the time! You must have belief in your abilities no matter what anyone says! As long as you believe, it can be achieved!

Ali was an INSPIRATION

Ali was able to INSPIRE people, inside and outside the ring. He is one of the most influential figures in the last century. The majority of people will know who he was! Ali was a global icon around the world, many people looked up to him.

Inside the ring, Ali had this aura that glued people to their seats when he fought, inspiring the next generation of fighters like Mike Tyson.

Tyson himself said as a kid that he wanted to be like Ali. People wanted to chase their dreams and achieve greatness just like Ali did. Ali was inspired by the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson; another boxer regarded as one of the greatest of all time.

Ali was influenced by Robinson’s style of fighting which he embedded into his own and added his own unique touch to.

Outside of the ring, Ali also inspired people as he stood up for what he believed in and fought against the racism that was prevalent at the time.

During this time black people were treated unfairly. Even though this is still a major issue in today’s world, Ali inspired his fellow black people to stand up against this and fight for their rights.

As shown in the blog header, Ali states ‘It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself’. Teaching us to always believe in ourselves.

Ali inspires us by showing us how he was able to achieve great things by believing in himself. Even when people doubted him, he never doubted himself. It is shown evidently in his fighting career when he was a massive underdog facing Sonny Liston and George Foreman.

No one believed in Ali, but Ali believed in himself. Pulling of two massive upsets and great performances to win both those fights!

You should take inspiration from icons like Ali, who show us that anything is possible. Even when everyone may doubt you and not believe in your vision and dream, as long as you believe, that is all that matters!

Ali didn’t have limits… he was LIMITLESS

Ali was LIMITLESS. In the way he thought and what he strived to achieve. He was the self-proclaimed ‘greatest of all time’. Ali didn’t just aim to be ‘great’ but the ‘greatest’.

When Ali started off his journey as a boxer, his aim was always to be the best. Not the best in the city. Not the best in the country. The best in the world!

This limitless approach set Ali on a good path as it motivated him to train harder so that he could reach the pinnacle of his goals.

We can see this from a young age with Ali as an amateur boxer. He steadily worked his way up the ranks. First winning local tournaments in the Kentucky Golden Gloves.

Ali would then take it a step further on the national scene, winning Golden Glove tournaments. Again, Ali would push himself, this time onto the world scene where he became an Olympic champion!

We can see that Ali never put a cap on what he can achieve. After fulfilling a smaller goal, Ali would look onto the next bigger and more challenging goal. 

This replicated in his professional career as Ali worked his way up the ranks to become a heavyweight world champion.

Even the times when Ali came short and lost his world title, he would go again! In 1978, Ali defeated Leon Spinks, becoming the first ever 3-time world heavyweight champion!

Ali famously said, ‘If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough’. Ali believed in his dreams and vision until they became true and others started believing in them too!

He aimed for the pinnacle of boxing, to become the heavyweight world champion, one of the greatest to ever do it. Ali’s ambitions were limitless.

 Ali again showed how he was limitless in 1976, when he decided to fight the great Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki! It was the first time that Ali didn’t fight a boxer. This would go on to pave the way for the likes of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Though a strange bout (you can check out the breakdown of the fight here!) Ali showed us he was willing to do things that others wouldn’t.

No matter what people said, he had no limits! He believed anyone could achieve whatever they put their mind and heart too.

Be limitless when chasing your own dreams. Never aim low, always aim as high as possible and build yourself up towards it. As long as you put the work in and believe in your vision, you can accomplish it!

Ali was able to find INNER-PEACE

Muhammad Ali knew who he was as a person and knew what he stood for. He was at INNER-PEACE.

After defeating Liston in 1964, Ali decided to convert to Islam changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali.

People were confused as to why he did this, but Ali knew deep down what he believed in and stood for regardless of what people said.

He always stayed true to himself allowing him to live a happy life. Ali liked to give back to the people and loved to help out when he could. He previously stated ‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.’

Ali believed it was his duty as a person to help out where he could. Being in a better position than most people enabled him to have the ability to help others.

Being able to help the less fortunate, helped to bring him peace of mind.

Ali prioritised his passions and things that he held closet to his heart. He pursued his true passion, boxing which was his dream since a child. Outside of the ring he liked to help others, spend time with his family and further his religious studies.

‘I don’t have to be what you want me to be.’ Ali teaches us, never be who others what you to be, be who you want to be.

You must find out what it is you desire most to find your own inner peace. Make sure that you follow your heart and pursue your passions. As to reach a state of inner-peace you must be who you are and no one else!

Ali gave things TIME

Ali was patient throughout his life. He understood the importance of giving things TIME, which he displayed in numerous ways.

First of all, to become the absolute best at something it doesn’t happen overnight! As we know, Ali started boxing at the age of 12. He continued to train hard, which was displayed in his performances in tournaments.

He continued to progress and over time, Ali found himself with his dream opportunity, to become a world champion. In 1964, at the age of 22, Ali finally reached his childhood dream of becoming a world champion when he defeated Sonny Liston.

Ever since the age of 12, Ali visualised and dreamt of becoming the world champion. It took him 10 years to get there! Over those 10 years, Ali learnt a lot and improved massively along the way to reach his goals.

He faced many problems to get to that point, but he was determined and patient to get through it. 

Another well documented moment of Ali’s career was when he was banned from competing in the boxing ring.

When Ali refused to be inducted into the army to fight in Vietnam in 1967 for religious reasons, he was stripped of his world title and banned from boxing.

He didn’t panic and think why and how do I get straight back into boxing? Instead, he was patient and moved his focus onto other things he was interested in as he decided to tour the country speaking openly about his views.

Ali accepted his fate and gave it time. When things weren’t going his way, he didn’t rush to figure out why, he stayed disciplined and strong.

Knowing things would work out eventually he kept working at it. This paid off as Ali eventually regained his boxing license 3 years later in 1970.

Ali told us ‘I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself, and I believe in the goodness of others.’ Showing us how he was just like us.

Ali was a regular person, but he never gave up on his dream. He knew it would take time to get to where he wanted too, so he continued to work hard.

His belief was strong in himself and the people around him, with the help of those that surrounded him and his amazing work rate, Ali was able to go on to achieve spectacular things.

Chasing greatness like Ali did, is no walk in the park! You must stay disciplined and focused giving things time, constantly working to achieve your dreams.

Keep at it, you will continue to see yourself progress, edging closer towards your ultimate goals!

Ali was always ACTIVE

Ali always liked to keep himself busy. He didn’t like to procrastinate and stayed ACTIVE.

Ali was busy throughout his day, especially during training camp. Waking up as early as 4am! Staying busy in his craft allowed Ali to strive for the goals he had, consistently working each day to improve himself.

Ali spent the majority of his childhood training to become a world champion. Once he turned professional in 1960, Ali got straight to work.

The amateur game is very much different to the pros, in order for Ali to adjust to the pro ranks, he needed to fight consistently. In 1961 Ali had 8 fights!

Every time he stepped into the ring, he was able to learn something and improve his skills. This led him to accomplishing the goal of becoming a world champion in 1964.

The 1960s were Ali’s best years, he was undefeated and would go on to defend his belt an astonishing nine times in first reign as the heavyweight world champion.

He was training and fighting consistently, which allowed him to perform at his best when in the ring. Without this vigorous schedule Ali wouldn’t have been able to achieve his dreams.

Outside of fighting Ali remained busy. He was heavily involved in civil rights and charity work, striving to make the world a better place.

Ali famously once said ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count.’ Reiterating the importance of staying active and not wasting time. Each day Ali aimed to improve himself in some way.

He always wanted to be a better version of himself compared to the previous day. Therefore he made each day count!

Ali showed us the benefits of remaining active, throughout his life he stayed busy to achieve the goals he had.

Every day you must work and aim to improve yourself to be able to reach closer to your aspirations. Day by day you will see the benefits of this, reaping the full rewards in the future.

This was Muhammad Ali’s training schedule when he was in a training camp!

Simply… Ali was just RELENTLESS!

RELENTLESS. Ali was relentless throughout his life in everything he aimed to do. Ali started boxing at the age of 12 when his bike was stolen.

He confronted a policeman saying he would ‘whoop’ the person who stole his bike to which the policeman replied well you better ‘learn to box’!

Ali never got his bike back, but it set him on a much greater journey! Thereon Ali dedicated his life to boxing, putting countless hours into improving his game.

This work throughout his childhood paid off when he won the Olympic gold in 1960 in Rome in the light heavyweight division.

Ali went onto become a professional after winning gold and well… the rest is history!

He faced countless problems both inside and outside his boxing career, but he never quit. Ali always figured out a way to overcome the adversities he faced.

Ali said, ‘I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’.

It is clear Ali understood the greater picture of the work he was putting in. He knew what he wanted to do with his life. He knew it required a great deal of work from him to reach the levels he wanted.

Even though he didn’t enjoy training at times (it can get tough training constantly for big fights), his desire enabled him to power through.

Ali teaches us to always get back up from the defeats we face. No matter how many times we are knocked down, always get back up.

Be relentless when your chasing your own dreams. The journey will be tough, but as long as you continue to believe and work, one day you will achieve it!

Muhammad Ali was one of a kind. He took the sport of boxing to new horizons, eventually transcending the sport. He became an iconic figure across the world, standing up for what he believed in.

We can all learn From Muhammad Ali’s mindset and how he was relentless in his efforts to attain his dream. If no one believed in Ali it didn’t matter, as he always believed in himself.

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I have shown how Muhammad Ali has implemented Militar values throughout his life. Make sure you subscribe to our blog to find out how other people you look up to have! Next up is…