Becoming Muhammad Ali

“You ain’t ready for Cassius, I whispered.”

Cassius inspires everyone around him. Lucky, as the narrator in the introductory prose in each round, is a clear example of this, believing desperately that Cassius is destined to be the greatest, that he has worked hard every day to achieve his goals. His words help build up our belief in Cassius too.

“We traded punches / like baseball cards. / Him, a wild mustang. / Me, a Louisville slugger.”

Cassius’s poems all have rhythm, and those that detail fights work to capture the rhythm of two opponents facing one another. In this instance, Cassius also calls attention to his home, an early connection to the theme of Remembering Who You Are and Where You Came From. Louisville is Cassius’s hometown, and the “slugger” is both a play on words since Cassius is a boxer and a reference to the baseball bats famously made in his city.

“I thought about / how boxing / was gonna set me free, / set us all free”

It is not revealed until much later in the novel that the impetus for Cassius’s belief in boxing as a way out was the murder of Emmett Till. However, by understanding early that boxing is not just a hobby for Cassius, we can better understand his dedication to the sport and the stakes of his journey to the top.

“I might have lost / but I’m still boss. / I lost my stride / but not my pride. / I’m still here, and yeah, / I’m comin’ home”

One might expect a novel about a young Muhammad Ali to be all about his victories. Instead, the first fight described is a loss, showing that Cassius is not one to let a loss define him. He works toward victory, knowing and believing that he can achieve greatness.

“’Cause Cassius is courageous, / tenacious, / and one day / he’ll be / the greatest.”

Cassius’s goal to be the greatest is clear from the start. By beginning with this fight and this peek into Cassius’s inner world, the authors show that it’s not a question of Cassius Clay coming to understand that he can be the greatest boxer; rather, it is a question of how and what he did in order to achieve his goal. As the novel goes on, the text reveals why Cassius wishes to be the greatest, especially as it presents more details about his family, his friends, and the racial tensions in American society during this time.

“Because going downtown meant crossing over into the white world. And in that world, four eyes were definitely better than two.”

Louisville in the 1950s is the setting for this novel, and there are neighborhoods that are more dangerous for Black boys, places where racism is so explicit that it is unsafe for Cassius and his friends to visit them. Here, Lucky describes a moment when he and Cassius venture into a white part of town, and it is important to not be alone so that they can help keep one another safe. 

“His sermons were sometimes poems, / other times stories / from history—his and America’s. / But my Granddaddy’s sermons always ended / the same way: / Know who you are, Cassius. / And whose you are. / Know where you going / and where you from. / Amen. Amen. Amen.”

This novel is a story of where Muhammad Ali came from, where he was shaped and formed into the person he would soon grow into. It is from a time before his name was a household one (though it quickly becomes one in his hometown). Granddaddy Herman’s reminder stays with Cassius throughout the whole story, grounding him and keeping him connected to his home, family, and community.

“I’m from the Kentucky Derby / and the land of baseball bats, / from the two Cassius Clays before me—one / black, one white. / I am from slavery / to freedom”

Knowing who you are and where you came from is a key theme in this novel, especially as Cassius gains more and more attention as a boxer. By the end of the story, the young Cassius Clay wins the Golden Gloves in Chicago; this quote indicates that despite the fame he will achieve, he will remain tied to his family and community.

“Boys, there’s two Louisvilles.”

Louisville is the setting for much of the novel, save Cassius’s trips to the Golden Gloves in Chicago. It is a segregated town that encompasses the Black neighborhood where Cassius lives, the West End, and numerous white neighborhoods and areas that Cassius and his friends aren’t allowed to go or that they avoid for fear that they might be unjustly arrested or mistreated.

“When they see me coming, / it’s always, We should call Gee-Gee / the black Superman.”

All of Cassius’s friends look up to him and see him as a leader within their group. Cassius, in return, projects confidence. Because of this, he is seen as “the black Superman” (61). However, this also puts a lot of pressure on Cassius, relating to the theme of Becoming the Greatest and Overcoming Oppression. He feels a responsibility to his friends and family to fight—literally—for a better world.

“You and your daddy’s named after a man with principles, probably the only white man I ever knew to be good. Know who you are, Cassius, and whose you are, understand?” 

Granddaddy Herman reminds Cassius to stay true to himself, his family, and his community right before he passes away, even before Cassius takes up boxing. It is timeless advice, and Cassius will return to it throughout the novel, reinforcing that he is confident in himself.

“spellbound by the rhythm, / by the hustle / by the might / of two stroppy boys / throwing wild blows”

Cassius frequently mentions the rhythm and music of boxing, so when he watches Tomorrow’s Champions, it is no surprise that he uses the language of rhythm to describe what draws him and others to the fights on television. Once he starts boxing, he will continue to make these references as part of a recurring motif.

“Where were all the black angels when they took the picture?”

Lucky points out that racism and racial discrimination don’t make sense to Cassius, so he constantly notices where Black folks have not been included, even in this painting his father has done on the ceiling of the church. Telling Cassius’s story and incorporating other references to important Black historical figures is the authors’ contribution to Black history and reincorporating it into a larger narrative of United States history, one that addresses the systemic injustice that people of color have experienced.

“She told us that there were things you could say in the house that you couldn’t say outside. And there were ways we could act around other black folk that we couldn’t act around white people. Even how we walked, how we talked, and who we looked at. It sounds crazy, but it was true. We had to be one way for ourselves and another way for the rest of the world. We couldn’t let white people see what we really thought or how much we really knew. It was the only way to stay safe.”

This quotation describes code switching, in which people of color must change their behavior in different settings in order to fit in and/or preserve their own safety. As a young Black boy in Louisville in the 1950s, Cassius would have needed to be careful about what he said and did around white folks, especially in light of Emmett Till’s murder in 1955.

“When I got to see / Emmett Till / and the face / of America.”

The murder of Emmett Till has a profound effect on Cassius. This poem’s title is “I Was Thirteen,” and each stanza completes the thought, beginning with “when I.…” This set of lines is the last stanza, emphasizing its importance. The death of Emmett Till makes the violence that Cassius himself could experience as a young Black boy viscerally real, and it places additional stakes on boxing as a way for him to overcome racial discrimination.

“There was one thing Cassius was totally confident about: He knew that boxing was the fastest way for a kid like him to become famous.”

Especially after the murder of Emmett Till, Cassius believes that boxing is a way out and a way to save his family and friends. He believes that boxing can provide access to wealth and fame that can ease the lives of those around him. Though he has some periodic doubts, he dedicates himself to becoming the best boxer in the world.

“I’d like for them to say, he took a few cups of love, he took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness. He took one quarter of laughter, one pinch of concern, and then he mixed willingness with happiness, he added lots of faith, and he stirred it up well. Then he spread it over a span of a lifetime, and he served it to each and every deserving person he met.”

Cassius is more than a great boxer, and the novel emphasizes what a good person Muhammad Ali was as well. The authors include this quote from Ali in the introduction to Round 9 to further that point and to show that he is a fully developed person whose actions are not based simply on a desire to win; rather, they are part of a larger project of kindness.

“for not wanting / to be / invisible.”

Cassius is frequently sent to the principal’s office, and he attributes it to the idea that he wants to be seen. He wants to be recognized as the greatest boxer in the world, and it is important that he is a Black boxer. These lines are aptly used since Cassius also mentions that when he goes to the office, he and the principal sit together reading Invisible Man, a novel by Ralph Ellison about how white people don’t truly see Black individuals, which allows them to commit acts of racism.

“In this room full of angels, / remember whose you are, Cassius Clay. / Hold fast! / Together, we can dream a new world. / United we stand, / divided we fall—”

Odessa’s prayer in this poem echoes the theme of remembering who you are and where you come from, harkening back to the words of Granddaddy Herman. As Cassius prepares to go to Chicago to fight for a second time, her prayer acts like a sermon, speaking to a larger truth and hope beyond this one boxing tournament.

“Granddaddy Herman / Because of you / I know who I am / I know whose I am and / I know where I’m going / I hope you can see that / Your words changed me.”

Cassius’s visit to his grandfather’s grave shows that he is prepared to go to Chicago, to win the match before it has even started, because he understands Granddaddy Herman’s advice. For the first time, these words come not from someone else telling Cassius to stay true to himself and remember where he came from. Instead, they come from Cassius himself, emphasizing his character development. He will stay true to himself, his family, and his community. They have shaped him both as a boxer and as a person.

“It’s misdirection. / I get you to commit / to believing / in me / before I even show you / the card trick. / Your expectations / and my reality / all mixed up together. / I knew your card / before you knew it.”

The card trick is a recurring symbol throughout the novel, and Cassius finally executes it successfully at the end. Describing it this way is symbolic of Cassius’s boxing tactics and in predicting what an opponent will do before they even do it. It is a mental game, as Joe Martin tells Cassius, and the card trick is one manifestation of Cassius’s skill in this area.

“Tony Madigan didn’t stand a chance / ’cause I was fighting / […] / for Louisville / for America / for my chance / for my children / and their children / for a chance / at something better / at something way / greater.”

Cassius sees himself as part of a much bigger fight as a boxer. The stakes are high, not just because of the risk of physical injuries but because he wishes to help his family, friends, and community get out from under the racial discrimination they experience on a daily basis. By the end of the novel, Cassius is confident in himself and feels connected to his community, and he channels this energy into the ring.

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!”

This phrase is perhaps Muhammad Ali’s most famous, and it is used to describe his approach to fighting Sonny Liston. Periodically throughout the novel, Cassius’s narration uses language about animals or butterflies, and these foreshadow his eventual use of this motto.