Muhammad Ali won his first professional boxing match in 1960 when he was 18 years old. From then until 1967, he amassed a string of 29 wins with no losses. In March 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the army on religious and philosophical grounds. He was then banned from boxing for almost 4 years.
In 1971 his conviction was overturned and he set out to make himself into a champion once again. This time, the heavy-weight division was stacked with some of the greatest fighters of all time. Ali rose to the top again and spent nearly 7 years at the top of his game. His intelligence, athleticism, and indomitable spirit were all legendary.
I think that I appreciate this quotation so much because I've never had anything (except my kids) that I was willing to give up everything for. I admire the drive and determination and total commitment that he was willing to make. He also stood up for his principles regardless of the personal cost, as demonstrated by having probably his best 4 professional years stolen from him.
Now for some Real Math!
Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942, and died on June 3, 2016. How many leap years did he celebrate?
Ali won 60.65% of his 61 matches by knockout. How many knockouts did Ali have?
Ali lost only 5 times in his career. What percentage of his 61 matches were losses?
Use the internet, check with your teammates, do whatever it takes to find the answers. Remember, we are going for accuracy and speed.