Muhammad Ali

About Muhammad Ali

Sonny Liston fell to the canvas on February 25, 1964. A 22-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., riding pure speed and unshakeable confidence, had just defeated the heavyweight champion in a major upset. The boxing world was stunned.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He picked up boxing gloves at age 12 and never looked back. By 18, he had won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and turned professional that same year.

But the young champion wanted a new identity. During 1964, after joining the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s, Clay denounced his birth name as a "slave name." He formally changed it to Muhammad Ali. The man in the ring was no longer the boy from Louisville.

Ali held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. He became the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, then won the WBA and Ring heavyweight championship from 1978 to 1979. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Century in 1999. The BBC awarded him Sports Personality of the Century.

In 1967, Ali refused to be drafted into the military. His religious beliefs and ethical opposition to the Vietnam War shaped his decision. He was found guilty of draft evasion and stripped of his boxing titles. Prison loomed ahead.

Ali appealed his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1971, the court overturned his conviction. He had stayed out of prison during the entire legal battle, his faith unwavering. By then, the world knew him as more than just a boxer.

Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016. He left behind a legacy far beyond the heavyweight division. He was a global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "the Greatest." Many regard him as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.