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Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali NYWTS.jpg
Ali in 1967
Born
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.

(1942-01-17)January 17, 1942
Died June 3, 2016(2016-06-03) (aged 74)
Resting place Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville
Monuments
Education Central High School (1958)
Spouse(s)
  • Sonji Roi
    (m. 1964; div. 1966)
  • (m. 1967; div. 1977)
  • Veronica Porché Ali
    (m. 1977; div. 1986)
  • Yolanda Williams
    (m. 1986)
Children 9, including Laila
Parent(s)
Relatives
Awards Muhammad Ali § Notes
Muhammad Ali
Statistics
Nickname(s)
  • The Greatest
  • The People's Champion
  • The Louisville Lip
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 3 in
Reach 78 in
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 61
Wins 56
Wins by KO 37
Losses 5
Signature
Muhammad Ali signature.svg

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American boxer. He became one of the most famous boxers in the world with his "rope-a-dope" technique. He was also well known for his clever rhymes. In 1999, Ali was named "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated magazine. He won the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship three times. Ali also won an Olympic gold medal for boxing during the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. Ali was also known as “The Greatest.”

Early life

JoeEMartinCassiusClay1960
Cassius Clay and his trainer Joe E. Martin (1960)

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He had one brother. He was named after his father, a billboard painter. His mother, Odessa O'Grady Clay (1917–1994), was a domestic helper. Cassius Jr. attended Central High School in Louisville. He was dyslexic, which caused him to have trouble in school and for much of his life. He grew up during the time of racial segregation.

When Ali was 12 years old, a thief stole his bicycle. Police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin saw him upset about the theft. Martin encouraged him to learn how to box.

Amatuer career

After seeing amateur boxers on a local television boxing program called Tomorrow's Champions, Clay was interested in the possibility of fighting. He then began to work with trainer Fred Stoner. For the last four years of Clay's amateur career, he was trained by Chuck Bodak.

Zbigniew Pietrzykowski and Muhammad Ali 1960
1960 Olympians: Clay won gold against Zbigniew Pietrzykowski.

Clay's first fight was against Ronnie O'Keefe in 1954. He won by split decision. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses. During his amateur career, he won the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Early professional boxing career

1961 Cassius Clay vs. Donnie Fleeman On-Site Poster
On-site poster for Cassius Clay's fifth professional bout

Clay's first professional fight was on October 29, 1960. He fought and beat Tunney Hunsaker. From then until the end of 1963, Clay's boxing record was 19–0 (nineteen wins and zero losses) with 15 wins by knockout. He defeated boxers including Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, LaMar Clark, Doug Jones, and Henry Cooper. Clay also beat his former trainer and veteran boxer Archie Moore in a 1962 match.

At age 22, Clay fought heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. He won the fight and became the heavyweight champion of the world. Clay defended his title against former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson on November 22, 1965.

Name changes

Soon after the Liston fight, Clay changed his name to Cassius X. He later changed his name again to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam and joined with the Nation of Islam.

Main Bout and resistance to the draft

After the Patterson fight, Ali founded his own promotion company, Main Bout. The company mainly handled Ali's boxing promotions and pay-per-view closed-circuit television broadcasts. The company's stockholders were mainly fellow Nation of Islam members and several others, including Bob Arum.

After Ali defeated Zora Folley to keep his heavyweight title on March 22, he was stripped of his title because he refused to be drafted to army service. The state of New York also suspended his boxing license. He was convicted of draft evasion on June 20 and sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He paid a bond and remained free while the judgment was being appealed.

On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court of the United States in Clay v. United States overturned Ali's conviction by a unanimous 8–0 decision. (Justice Thurgood Marshall recused himself, as he had been the U.S. Solicitor General at the time of Ali's conviction).

Return to prizefighting

On August 11, 1970, with his case still in appeal, Ali was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission. In November, a victory in federal court forced the New York State Boxing Commission to reinstate Ali's license. Ali began fighting again and became a top contender against heavyweight champion Joe Frazier.

First and second fights against Joe Frazier

Ali and Frazier's first fight was held at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. It was nicknamed the "Fight of the Century" because the public was excited to see two undefeated fighters box each other. The fight was broadcast in 36 countries, and 760 members of the press were allowed to enter the building. Although Ali was not knocked out, he lost by unanimous decision. It was his first professional defeat.

Between Ali's first and second fights with Joe Frazier, he won six fights in 1972. In 1973, Ken Norton gave Ali the second loss of his career. Ali considered retiring, but fought Norton again and won. This led to a rematch with Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 1974; Frazier had recently lost his title to George Foreman.

Gatti, Reutemann, Cap, Clay y Frazier - El Gráfico 2831 3
Ali vs. Frazier, promotional photo

During Ali and Frazier's second fight, the judges unanimously awarded the win to Ali. Ali's defeat of Frazier set the stage for a title fight against heavyweight champion George Foreman.

World heavyweight champion (second reign)

The Rumble in the Jungle

The fight against Foreman took place in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974. It was nicknamed The Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman was considered one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history. Many thought Ali did not have a chance to win against Foreman. During the fight, Ali introduced his "rope-a-dope" strategy. He leaned against the ropes and took punches, hoping to tire Foreman. The fight was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide. It was the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time. Ali won the fight and regained the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Third fight against Joe Frazier

Ali then agreed to a third match with Joe Frazier in Manila. The bout, known as the "Thrilla in Manila," was held on October 1, 1975, in temperatures approaching 100 °F (38 °C). Ali won the fight. He admitted afterward that Frazier was "the greatest fighter of all times next to me."

Later career

Anderson ali
Ali being interviewed by WBAL-TV's Curt Anderson, 1978, Baltimore, Maryland

Following the Manila bout, Ali fought Jean-Pierre Coopman, Jimmy Young, and Richard Dunn, winning the last by knockout. He fought a few more times between 1976 and 1980, winning some and losing some fights. In 1979, Ali announced his retirement but came out of retirement shortly afterward because he needed money. Ali fought for the last time on December 11, 1981, in Nassau, Bahamas, against Trevor Berbick, losing a ten-round decision.

Entertainment career

Acting

Ali had a cameo role in the 1962 film version of Requiem for a Heavyweight. While he was not allowed to box, he starred in the 1968 Broadway musical Buck White. He rode a horse and a bull in the 1972 documentary film Black Rodeo.

Ali, with the help of Richard Durham, published his autobiography The Greatest: My Own Story in 1975. The book was made into a film called The Greatest. Ali starred as himself. In 1978, Ali starred in the film Freedom Road. He played a former slave and Union (American Civil War) soldier in 1870s Virginia who gets elected to the U.S. Senate.

Spoken word poetry and rap music

Ali often used rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, both in and out of boxing. According to The Guardian, Some have argued that Ali was "the first rapper."

In 1963, Ali released an album of spoken word music on Columbia Records titled, I Am the Greatest, which sold 500,000 copies. People identify it as an early example of rap music and an introduction to hip hop.

Professional wrestling

Ali was involved with professional wrestling at different times in his career. On March 31, 1985, Ali was the special guest referee for the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania event.

In 1995, Ali led a group of Japanese and American professional wrestlers on a sports diplomacy mission to North Korea. Ali was guest of honor at the record-breaking Collision in Korea, a wrestling event with the largest attendance of all time.

Personal life

Muhammad Ali was married four times. He had seven daughters (including Laila Ali) and two sons. One of his sons was adopted.

Ali's daughter Laila was a professional boxer from 1999 until 2007, despite her father's previous opposition to women's boxing. Ali still attended a number of his daughter's fights and later admitted to Laila he was wrong. Ali's daughter Hana is married to Bellator middleweight fighter Kevin Casey. Hana wrote about her father, "His love for people was extraordinary. I would get home from school to find homeless families sleeping in our guest room. He'd see them on the street, pile them into his Rolls-Royce and bring them home. He'd buy them clothes, take them to hotels and pay the bills for months in advance." She also said celebrities like Michael Jackson and Clint Eastwood would often visit Ali.

Ali was known to be a very generous and humorous person who loved being the center of attention. He never rejected signing an autograph, partially because he remembered how he'd felt as a youth when he was denied an autograph from his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson. His best success outside the ring came as a philanthropist and activist as he always wanted to use his popularity to help people.

Health Issues

Ali began struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands in 1979. In the early 1980s, it was found out that Ali had Parkinson's syndrome. In 1984, he made public his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Many blame the disease on boxing-related injuries, though he and some specialist doctors disagreed with this. He remained an active public figure globally, but in his later years made fewer public appearances as his condition worsened, and he was cared for by his family.

On June 3, 2016, Ali died at a Scottsdale, Arizona hospital at age 74.

Muhammad Ali quotes

  • "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't."
  • "Don’t count the days; make the days count."
  • "I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'"
  • "We can’t be brave without fear."

Interesting facts about Muhammad Ali

  • Muhammed Ali and his father were named after a white farmer and abolitionist, Cassius Marcellus Clay.
  • Ali's great-grandfather Abe Grady was an Irishman who emigrated to the United States and settled in Kentucky in the 1860s.
  • Ali won 56 of the 61 professional fights of his career.
  • He was the first boxer to win the world heavyweight title 3 times.
  • He fought one of his most famous bouts , Rumble in the Jungle, at 4 a.m.
  • In 2014, fifty years after Ali won the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, someone purchased the gloves he wore in that fight for $836,000. Ali earned ($5,944,442 in 2024) for the fight itself.
  • He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 42.
  • Will Smith plays Ali in the movie Ali.

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
61 fights 56 wins 5 losses
By knockout 37 1
By decision 19 4
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Age Location Notes
61 Loss 56–5 Trevor Berbick UD 10 Dec 11, 1981 39 years, 328 days Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas
60 Loss 56–4 Larry Holmes RTD 10 (15), 3:00 Oct 2, 1980 38 years, 259 days Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. For WBC and vacant The Ring heavyweight titles
59 Win 56–3 Leon Spinks UD 15 Sep 15, 1978 36 years, 241 days Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Won WBA and The Ring heavyweight titles
58 Loss 55–3 Leon Spinks SD 15 Feb 15, 1978 36 years, 29 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
57 Win 55–2 Earnie Shavers UD 15 Sep 29, 1977 35 years, 255 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
56 Win 54–2 Alfredo Evangelista UD 15 May 16, 1977 35 years, 119 days Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
55 Win 53–2 Ken Norton UD 15 Sep 28, 1976 34 years, 255 days Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
54 Win 52–2 Richard Dunn TKO 5 (15), 2:05 May 24, 1976 34 years, 128 days Olympiahalle, Munich, West Germany Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
53 Win 51–2 Jimmy Young UD 15 Apr 30, 1976 34 years, 104 days Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
52 Win 50–2 Jean-Pierre Coopman KO 5 (15), 2:46 Feb 20, 1976 34 years, 34 days Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
51 Win 49–2 Joe Frazier RTD 14 (15), 3:00 Oct 1, 1975 33 years, 257 days Philippine Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
50 Win 48–2 Joe Bugner UD 15 July 1, 1975 33 years, 164 days Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
49 Win 47–2 Ron Lyle TKO 11 (15), 1:08 May 16, 1975 33 years, 119 days Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
48 Win 46–2 Chuck Wepner TKO 15 (15), 2:41 Mar 24, 1975 33 years, 66 days Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
47 Win 45–2 George Foreman KO 8 (15), 2:58 Oct 30, 1974 32 years, 286 days Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Zaire Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
46 Win 44–2 Joe Frazier UD 12 Jan 28, 1974 32 years, 11 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained NABF heavyweight title
45 Win 43–2 Rudie Lubbers UD 12 Oct 20, 1973 31 years, 276 days Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia
44 Win 42–2 Ken Norton SD 12 Sep 10, 1973 31 years, 236 days The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. Won NABF heavyweight title
43 Loss 41–2 Ken Norton SD 12 Mar 31, 1973 31 years, 73 days Sports Arena, San Diego, California, U.S. Lost NABF heavyweight title
42 Win 41–1 Joe Bugner UD 12 Feb 14, 1973 31 years, 28 days Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
41 Win 40–1 Bob Foster KO 8 (12), 0:40 Nov 21, 1972 30 years, 309 days Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. Retained NABF heavyweight title
40 Win 39–1 Floyd Patterson RTD 7 (12), 3:00 Sep 20, 1972 30 years, 247 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained NABF heavyweight title
39 Win 38–1 Alvin Lewis TKO 11 (12), 1:15 Jul 19, 1972 30 years, 184 days Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
38 Win 37–1 Jerry Quarry TKO 7 (12), 0:19 Jun 27, 1972 30 years, 162 days Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Retained NABF heavyweight title
37 Win 36–1 George Chuvalo UD 12 May 1, 1972 30 years, 105 days Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Retained NABF heavyweight title
36 Win 35–1 Mac Foster UD 15 Apr 1, 1972 30 years, 75 days Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
35 Win 34–1 Jürgen Blin KO 7 (12), 2:12 Dec 26, 1971 29 years, 343 days Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
34 Win 33–1 Buster Mathis UD 12 Nov 17, 1971 29 years, 304 days Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S. Retained NABF heavyweight title
33 Win 32–1 Jimmy Ellis TKO 12 (12), 2:10 Jul 26, 1971 29 years, 190 days Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S. Won vacant NABF heavyweight title
32 Loss 31–1 Joe Frazier UD 15 Mar 8, 1971 29 years, 50 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. For WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
31 Win 31–0 Oscar Bonavena TKO 15 (15), 2:03 Dec 7, 1970 28 years, 324 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Won vacant NABF heavyweight title
30 Win 30–0 Jerry Quarry RTD 3 (15), 3:00 Oct 26, 1970 28 years, 282 days Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
29 Win 29–0 Zora Folley KO 7 (15), 1:48 Mar 22, 1967 25 years, 64 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
28 Win 28–0 Ernie Terrell UD 15 Feb 6, 1967 25 years, 20 days Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S. Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles;
Won WBA heavyweight title
27 Win 27–0 Cleveland Williams TKO 3 (15), 1:08 Nov 14, 1966 24 years, 301 days Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S. Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
26 Win 26–0 Karl Mildenberger TKO 12 (15), 1:30 Sep 10, 1966 24 years, 236 days Waldstadion, Frankfurt, West Germany Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
25 Win 25–0 Brian London KO 3 (15), 1:40 Aug 6, 1966 24 years, 201 days Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
24 Win 24–0 Henry Cooper TKO 6 (15), 1:38 May 21, 1966 24 years, 124 days Arsenal Stadium, London, England Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
23 Win 23–0 George Chuvalo UD 15 Mar 29, 1966 24 years, 71 days Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
22 Win 22–0 Floyd Patterson TKO 12 (15), 2:18 Nov 22, 1965 23 years, 309 days Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
21 Win 21–0 Sonny Liston KO 1 (15), 2:12 May 25, 1965 23 years, 128 days Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S. Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
20 Win 20–0 Sonny Liston RTD 6 (15), 3:00 Feb 25, 1964 22 years, 39 days Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. Won WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
19 Win 19–0 Henry Cooper TKO 5 (10), 2:15 Jun 18, 1963 21 years, 152 days Wembley Stadium, London, England
18 Win 18–0 Doug Jones UD 10 Mar 13, 1963 21 years, 55 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
17 Win 17–0 Charlie Powell KO 3 (10), 2:04 Jan 24, 1963 21 years, 7 days Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
16 Win 16–0 Archie Moore TKO 4 (10), 1:35 Nov 15, 1962 20 years, 302 days Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Alejandro Lavorante KO 5 (10), 1:48 Jul 20, 1962 20 years, 184 days Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Billy Daniels TKO 7 (10), 2:21 May 19, 1962 20 years, 122 days St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 George Logan TKO 4 (10), 1:34 Apr 23, 1962 20 years, 96 days Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Don Warner TKO 4 (10), 0:34 Feb 28, 1962 20 years, 70 days Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 Sonny Banks TKO 4 (10), 0:26 Feb 10, 1962 20 years, 24 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Willi Besmanoff TKO 7 (10), 1:55 Nov 29, 1961 19 years, 316 days Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Alex Miteff TKO 6 (10), 1:45 Oct 7, 1961 19 years, 263 days Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Alonzo Johnson UD 10 Jul 22, 1961 19 years, 186 days Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Duke Sabedong UD 10 Jun 26, 1961 19 years, 160 days Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 LaMar Clark KO 2 (8), 1:27 Apr 19, 1961 19 years, 92 days Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Donnie Fleeman RTD 6 (8) Feb 21, 1961 19 years, 35 days Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Jim Robinson KO 1 (8), 1:34 Feb 7, 1961 19 years, 21 days Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Tony Esperti TKO 3 (8), 1:30 Jan 17, 1961 19 years, 0 days Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Herb Siler TKO 4 (8), 1:00 Dec 27, 1960 18 years, 345 days Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Tunney Hunsaker UD 6 Oct 29, 1960 18 years, 286 days Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

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See also

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