Muhammad Ali nommé 2012 Destinataire Médaille de la Liberté; va recevoir le prix lors de la cérémonie de Philadelphie

PHILADELPHIA — Boxing great Muhammad Ali, known for his unabashed self-confidence inside and outside the ring as well as his outspokenness on social and humanitarian causes, is the recipient of the 2012 Liberty Medal.

Ali, 70, will receive the medal in a ceremony on Sept. 13 in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall. The three-time world heavyweight champion was not in attendance for Thursday’s announcement.

“Ali embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal by embracing the ideals of the Constitution — freedom, self-governance, equality and empowerment — and helping to spread them across the globe,” said former President Bill Clinton, chairman of the National Constitution Center.

Sponsors et partenaires médaille de la liberté a déclaré courage et conviction tout au long de Ali illustrent les qualités que le prix a été établi à l'honneur, de son fervent activisme pour la liberté civile et religieuse à sa philanthropie, activisme social et les efforts humanitaires.

"Muhammad Ali symbolise tout ce qui rend l'Amérique grande, tout en nous poussant en tant que peuple et en tant que nation d'être mieux,», A déclaré National Constitution Center président et chef de la direction David Eisner. «Chaque grand combat de sa vie a inspiré un nouveau chapitre de l'action civique."

Le fast-parler, combattant bruyante qui désignait lui-même comme «le plus grand» est né Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. sur Jan. 17, 1942. Il a pris la boxe à l'âge de 12 et a prospéré dans le ring, becoming a top amateur and Olympic gold medalist.

Ali won the heavyweight title in 1964, defeating the heavily favored Sonny Liston. Soon after, Ali — who was raised in a Baptist family — announced his conversion to Islam and changed his name.

While in his prime, Ali was stripped of his heavyweight crown in 1967 for refusing to be inducted into the military during the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs. The decision resulted in a draft-evasion conviction and spurred a long legal fight that ended in 1971, lorsque le Americaines. Supreme Court ruled in his favor.

Three years after his retirement from boxing in 1981, Ali announced he had Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative brain condition that some researchers believe may be brought on by repeated blows to the head. Despite the diagnosis, he devoted himself to traveling the world on humanitarian missions bringing food and medical supplies to developing nations throughout the Middle East, Afrique, South America and Asia. He also continues to work at home in the U.S. to raise funds for organizations including the Special Olympics and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Center in Phoenix.

Dans 2005, Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Previous recipients of the Liberty Medal, which was established in 1988 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution, include rock singer and human rights activist Bono, former South African President Nelson Mandela and former President Jimmy Carter. Six winners have subsequently received the Nobel Peace Prize.

The National Constitution Center, which opened in 2003 near Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the Constitution and the ideas and values it represents.

Source: Associated Press