2006 Pat Putnam Perseverance Award

MUHAMMAD ALI

by Joseph Santoliquito
of The Ring

His presence is still revered. Heads of state and some of today's elite athletes still clamor to get a glimpse of him. It's been 26 years since Muhammad Ali last fought and over four decades since his principles were tested and challenged, yet Ali holds a great chunk of our hearts.

Parkinson's syndrome may ravage his body today, but it hasn't affected his soul or his spirit. Ali remains an inspiration to millions. Walk into a room with The Greatest and you find that he's still The Greatest to those who remembered him during his prime, to those who never saw him fight live.

Ali was the first great modern-day athlete. He possessed the fine mix of size (6-foot-3) and speed rarely seen by any heavyweight champion since. His highly unorthodox style of carrying his hands low is often copied, but only duplicated by much lighter fighters with the quickness and skill to do it.

Ali came a long way from that 12-year-old kid wanting to fight over a stolen bike. Louisville police officer Joe E. Martin introduced a boy then named Cassius Clay to boxing. Fred Stoner, his first trainer, refined his crude ability to help him win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union national title, and the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Ali finished his distinguished amateur career with a 100-5 mark.

You knew then that something was special about him.

After winning Olympic gold, Ali returned to Louisville to embark on a pro career, beginning Oct. 29, 1960, with a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, a police chief from Fayetteville, W.Va. Many forget that Ali was just 19-0 when he fought in his first title fight against Sonny Liston.

Ali was a decided underdog, and Liston believed it. He mistook Ali's enthusiasm for nervousness. Yet it was Ali's lightning hands that changed that perception quickly. Ali used his height and jab to stymie the bullish Liston, discouraging him to the point where Liston quit on his stool after the sixth -- and Ali "shocked the world."

From there, the only place Ali lost his heavyweight championship belt came outside the ring, in a courtroom. In 1967, Ali was stripped of his title by the professional boxing commission and would not be allowed to fight for more than three years. He also was convicted for refusing induction into the army and sentenced to five years in prison. Over the course of his years in exile from boxing, Ali fought to appeal his conviction. He stayed in the public spotlight and supported himself by giving speeches, primarily at rallies on college campuses that opposed the Vietnam War.

For fighting to reverse his moral convictions and for standing up against the bureaucracy that backed an unpopular war, Ali will forever be remembered as the first athlete to ever possess worldwide appeal. That attraction still holds true today. Just try standing next to him in public.

Pat Putnam Award

In 2006, the BWAA created the Pat Putnam Award for Perseverance to honor the passing of the legendary boxing writer. Putnam survived 17 months as a Korean War POW and became one of boxing journalism's most influential voices. Putnam crafted remarkable prose for the Miami Herald and Sports Illustrated, winning the Fleischer Award in 1982.

2005 -- Kassim Ouma
2006 -- Muhammad Ali