Dear Diary,
Tomorrow I will begin a boxing program to learn how to fight. I got the idea from the police officer on patrol. I desperately wanted to fight a fearless teenager who illegally stole my bike, but the officer refused to let me fight him before I learned how to properly fight. Joe Martin, I think his name was, was willing to invite me to his boxing gym to begin the program. I accepted the offer, and tomorrow night is my first session. I am really excited to start learning how to box like my idol, Sugar Ray Robinson.
September 20th, 1960
Dear Diary,
A few weeks ago, one of my dreams finally came true. After six years of brutal and treacherous training I won the light-heavyweight division gold medal. The energy and excitement the Italian people bring to the fight felt like it was me and another person boxing my opponent. I thought this win would bring confidence and perseverance back to Louisville, but when I got back home the racism and discrimination was the same horrible treatment as before.
After I won the medal and I returned home with it, I visited the Ohio river area. I went to a restaurant with a few of my friends and I was disgusted with the behavior I received. I was told I wouldn’t be served because of the shade of my skin. After I heard we wouldn’t be allowed in, I threw my medal into the Ohio river in anger towards the favoured white people.
April 18th, 1967
Dear Diary,
Today I decided to not join the American army for the Vietnam war. I had suspicion that the army has preference of who is forced to be a part of the army based on the religion you follow are what colour your skin is. I expressed in an interview that I was not prepared to go 10 000 miles away to murder other suffering people. I spoke loud and clear on behalf of my tribe of people, the black community, who are doing it tough with the harsh discrimination going on back home in Louisville.
I indicated that I was ready to take any penalty that I needed to. I was then notified I would be jailed for 5 years, and my heavyweight championship belt would be removed from my name. I was hurt inside, as my hard work was broken down, but I knew it was the right thing to do and I felt better making the decision I made.
July 30th, 1967
Dear Diary,
Yesterday, I made a huge step in the right way for myself. I was finally allowed to change my slave birth name (Cassius Clay Jr.) to the humble and not slave name, Muhammad Ali. I describe my original name as a slave name because it is a name that belongs to white people that are slaves. People still know me as Cassius, but hopefully in the near future things can change and people won’t say my old name just for the sake of trying to get a frustrated reaction out of me.
September 28th, 1984
Dear Diary,
Recently, some life changing news has really affected my mood and thoughts. I have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Three years after my retirement from boxing. The public had noticed changes towards my normal self. They noticed I wasn’t as fast as normal, I had lost my stamina, and my speech had unusually changed. I had problems towards the end of my career which I also noticed. I have to be careful with the things I am doing going forward.