Sportsmen
MUHAMMAD ALI Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, leaped into boxing prominence by winning the 1960 amateur heavyweight championship. In the same year, he won the National Golden Gloves title and an Olympic gold medal as a light heavyweight. He turned professional and won 19 bouts, 15 through knockouts. He won the heavyweight championship of the world in 1964 by knocking out Sonny Liston. Clay, who changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he embraced the Muslim faith, was stripped of his title in 1967 when he refused military service, claiming exemption as a black Muslim minister. He made a boxing comeback in 1970, won twice and then lost the title to Joe Frazier in 1971.
BABE RUTH The renowned left-handed baseball player Babe (George Herman) Ruth was a Boston Red Sox pitcher from 1914 to 1919, during which time he won 87 games and lost 44. Babe Ruth, a 215-pound man with a massive chest and thin legs, was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, where he became the star outfielder. He was voted most valuable player in the American League in 1923. Ruth set many slugging records, including most home runs in one season (60 in 1927), as well as most home runs (714) in major league play. He was among the first players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Statistics alone can hardly reflect Ruth's enormous impact on baseball.
JOE LOUIS Joseph Louis Barrow, known by the nickname "Brown Bomber" for his quick, devastating punches, was heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He won 68 out of 71 bouts, 54 by knockout, 13 by decision and one by disqualification. Joe Louis enlisted in the army in 1942 and went around the world giving exhibition bouts for the troops. He was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954.
ANNA PAVLOVA Russian-born Anna Pavlova was one of the most revered prima ballerinas of all time. She appeared all over the world and introduced ballet millions of people, who would otherwise never have known its beauty. She was gifted with an unusual grace and craftsmanship. She made her debut at the Maryinsky in St. Petersburg in 1899 and became prima ballerina after a performance of Swan Lake. In 1908 she joined Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris and danced with the great Nijinsky. Her repertory included The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and Le Cygne.
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