Muhammad Ali is known as ‘The Greatest’ for his domination of men’s boxing in the 1960s and 1970s.
But did you know that he struggled with dyslexia as a child? He struggled to read throughout his education, graduating high school with a D-minus average grade. He even failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying exam because his language skills were so poor.
Yet he didn’t let these early struggles and rejection hold him back. Ali went on to earn a gold medal for boxing in the Olympics, and an amazing string of winning matches followed in his two-decade long career. He changed the face of boxing and his impact on the sport is still felt today.
And what about his dyslexia? Well, from a teenager that could barely pass a test, Ali has gone on to become a poet, releasing his own album of spoken-word poetry. He coined many widely-used English phrases such as “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. He has given a lecture at Oxford University on poetry. Currently, he and his wife run a literacy program to inspire young black males in the United States to pursue reading and creative writing.