Muhammad Ali (born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. He was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, he began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. At 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and turned professional later that year. He converted to Islam after 1961. He won the world heavyweight championship, defeating Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at age 22. During that year, he denounced his birth name as a "slave name" and formally changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military owing to his religious beliefs and ethical opposition to the Vietnam War and was found guilty of draft evasion and stripped of his boxing titles. He stayed out of prison while appealing the decision to the Supreme Court, where his conviction was overturned in 1971. He did not fight for nearly four years and lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture of the 1960s generation, and he was a very high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career. As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam (NOI). He later disavowed the NOI, adhering to Sunni Islam.

He fought in several historic boxing matches, including his highly publicized fights with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier (including the Fight of the Century, the biggest boxing event up until then), the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle. Ali thrived in the spotlight at a time when many boxers let their managers do the talking, and he became renowned for his provocative and outlandish persona. He was famous for trash-talking, often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, and has been recognized as a pioneer in hip hop. He often predicted in which round he would knock out his opponent.

Early life

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.  was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He had one brother. He was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., who had a sister and four brothers and who himself was named in honor of the 19th-century Republican politician and staunch abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay, also from the state of Kentucky. Clay's father's paternal grandparents were John Clay and Sallie Anne Clay; Clay's sister Eva claimed that Sallie was a native of Madagascar. He was a descendant of slaves of the antebellum South, and was predominantly of African descent, with Irish and English family heritage. Ali's maternal great-grandfather, Abe Grady, emigrated from Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. DNA testing performed in 2018 showed that, through his paternal grandmother, Ali was a descendant of the former slave Archer Alexander, who had been chosen from the building crew as the model of a freed man for the Emancipation Memorial, and was the subject of abolitionist William Greenleaf Eliot's book, The Story of Archer Alexander: From Slavery to Freedom. Like Ali, Alexander fought for his freedom.

His father was a sign and billboard painter, and his mother, Odessa O'Grady Clay (1917–1994), was a domestic helper. Although Cassius Sr. was a Methodist, he allowed Odessa to bring up both Cassius Jr. and his younger brother, Rudolph "Rudy" Clay (later renamed Rahaman Ali), as Baptists. Cassius Jr. attended Central High School in Louisville. He was dyslexic, which led to difficulties in reading and writing, at school and for much of his life.

Ali grew up amid racial segregation. His mother recalled one occasion when he was denied a drink of water at a store: "They wouldn't give him one because of his color. That really affected him." He was also strongly affected by the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, which led to young Clay and a friend taking out their frustration by vandalizing a local rail yard. His daughter Hana later wrote that Ali once told her, "Nothing would ever shake me up (more) than the story of Emmett Till."

Amateur career

Clay was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin, who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over a thief's having taken his bicycle. He told the officer he was going to "whup" the thief. The officer told Clay he had better learn how to box first. Initially, Clay did not take up Martin's offer, but after seeing amateur boxers on a local television boxing program called Tomorrow's Champions, Clay was interested in the prospect of fighting. He then began to work with trainer Fred Stoner, whom he credits with giving him the "real training", eventually molding "my style, my stamina and my system." For the last four years of Clay's amateur career he was trained by boxing cutman Chuck Bodak.

Clay made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 against local amateur boxer Ronnie O'Keefe. He won by split decision. He went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union national title, and the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses. Ali said in his 1975 autobiography that shortly after his return from the Rome Olympics, he threw his gold medal into the Ohio River after he and a friend were refused service at a "whites-only" restaurant and fought with a white gang. The story was later disputed, and several of Ali's friends, including Bundini Brown and photographer Howard Bingham, denied it. Brown told Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram, "Honkies sure bought into that one!" Thomas Hauser's biography of Ali stated that Ali was refused service at the diner but that he lost his medal a year after he won it. Ali received a replacement medal at the Georgia Dome during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he lit the torch to start the Games.

Professional career

Early career

Clay made his professional debut on October 29, 1960, winning a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker. From then until the end of 1963, Clay amassed a record of 19–0 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.

These early fights were not without trials. Clay was knocked down by both Sonny Banks and Cooper. In the Cooper fight, Clay was floored by a left hook at the end of round four and was saved by the bell, going on to win in the predicted fifth round due to Cooper's severely cut eye. The fight with Doug Jones on March 13, 1963, was Clay's toughest fight during this stretch. The number two and three heavyweight contenders respectively, Clay and Jones fought on Jones' home turf at New York's Madison Square Garden. Jones staggered Clay in the first round, and the unanimous decision for Clay was greeted by boos and a rain of debris thrown into the ring. Watching on closed-circuit TV, heavyweight champ Sonny Liston quipped that if he fought Clay he (Liston) might get locked up for murder. The fight was later named "Fight of the Year" by The Ring magazine.

World Heavyweight Champion

Fight against Liston:

Ali challenged Liston in 1964 for the world heavyweight title. Liston was considered one of the greatest of his era and Ali was an underdog. In the match, Liston submitted in the sixth round and Ali became the new champion. And after this shocking match, he gave another shock to the world by accepting the Nation of Islam. He was given the name Muhammad Ali by his spiritual mentor, Elijah Muhammad.

After Liston, he dominated the boxing ring for the next three years. In 1965, he again defeated Liston, and that too in the first round with a knockout. During his fight with Cleveland Will, he landed 100 punches, scored four knockdowns, and was only hit three times over the course of three rounds.

Draft Resistance

During the Vietnam war, he refused to join Military services because it was against his religious beliefs. He said, "Unless you have a very good reason to kill, war is wrong." Many Americans condemned his decision. He was called a hypocrite by many because he was against the Vietnam war but he would be willing to fight for Islam and would not hesitate from taking part in the Islamic holy war.

Due to this decision, he was banned from fighting for three and a half years. He was also sentenced to prison for not accepting induction into the U.S. armed forces. He never went to jail though, and after four years, his conviction was overturned.

As the world entered the 1960s, Ali's voice started growing more. He supported the civil right movement. Ali returned to boxing in October 1970. But he was not as powerful as he was in the 60s. The legs with which he used to dance for 15 rounds, no longer carried him as swiftly as they used to.

During his absence in the ring, Joe Frazier became the new heavyweight champion. He challenged Joe on March 8, 1971. In the fight which is famously known as the "Fight of the century", Frazier won with a unanimous 15-round decision.

After losing to Frazier, he won 10 fights in a row, out of which 8 were against world-class fighters. In 1973, he was fighting against a little known fighter Ken Norton. Ken broke his Jaw. Ken won the match with a unanimous twelve-round decision. Though Ali defeated Norton in a rematch. After that, he challenged Frazier for a rematch, and he won that match with a unanimous 12-round decision. His second bout against Frazier in the rematch was considered his best performance after his exile from boxing.

Rumble in the Jungle

In the same year, Frazier was dethroned by George Foreman and became the new heavyweight champion. In 1974 Ali challenged George Foreman. He called this bout "Rumble in the Jungle." Bout took place in Zaire. Zaire had a lot of expectations from him, and he did his part and fulfilled their expectations by knocking George Foreman in the Eighth round and taking the heavyweight title back. To win this match, he used the strategy of Archie Moore, Moore called that strategy "The Turtle" and Ali chose to call it "Rope-A-Dope."

Earlier he used to move across the ring but in this strategy, he fought for an extended period of time leaning back into the ropes, which helped him avoid some heavy blows from Foreman.

Third Fight against Joe Frazier

This fight took place in the Philippines, which is 6 miles outside Manila. This is widely known as "Thrilla in Manilla." It is considered to be the greatest prize fight of all time. This was brutal, it went to 14 rounds after which Ali was declared victor when Joe's corner called for a halt.

Later Career

Leon Spinks was a novice boxer who had one Olympic gold medal to his name. He defeated Ali in 1978 and took the heavyweight title from him. He couldn't keep it with him for long, Ali took it back after seven months. After winning back the title he announced his retirement from the ring.

Fight against Larry Holmes:

The only time Ali lost by the stoppage of the match was against Larry Holmes. It was an ill-advised comeback. Larry Holmes was called "The Easton Assassin." The referee had to stop the match in the 10th round. Sylvester Stallone was watching the match live and he says that it was like watching the autopsy one a man who is still alive.

It is believed that this fight may have contributed to his Parkinson's syndrome. In later years there was a decline in the physical health of Ali. He evolved religiously over a period of time. He turned into an orthodox Muslim in the 1970s and started reading Quran seriously.

Acting

During his exile from boxing, he starred in a short-lived 1969 Broadway musical, Buck white. He also did a documentary film Black Rodeo in which he rode a horse and a bull. His autobiography "The Greatest: My Own Story", was published in 1975 and it was adapted into a film "The Greatest" in which Ali enacted himself.

Personal Life

He was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons. His first wife was a cocktail waitress, Sonji Roi. This marriage didn't work because Sonji refused to accept the Nation of Islam. He married Belinda Boyd in 1967, she turned into the Nation of Islam and changed her name to Khalilah Ali.

At the age of 32, Ali was in an extramarital affair with 16-year-old Wanda Bolton. Ali got married to Wanda in an Islamic ceremony, and she changed her name to Aaisha. He was again in an extramarital affair with Patricia Harvell.

His second marriage ended due to his repeated infidelity, and in 1977 he got married to Veronica Porche. But this marriage ended too due to his infidelity. His last marriage was with Lonnie Williams. Ali was chosen to light the Olympic flame in 1996. The outpouring of goodwill that accompanied his appearance confirmed his status as the most-beloved athlete in the world.

Later life

By the end of his boxing career Ali had absorbed an estimated 200,000 hits.

In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome, which sometimes results from head trauma from violent physical activities such as boxing. Ali still remained active during this time, later participating as a guest referee at WrestleMania I.

Philanthropy, humanitarianism and politics

Ali was known for being a humanitarian and philanthropist. He focused on practicing his Islamic duty of charity and good deeds, donating millions to charity organizations and disadvantaged people of all religious backgrounds. It is estimated that Ali helped to feed more than 22 million people afflicted by hunger across the world. Early in his career, one of his main focuses was youth education. He spoke at several historically black colleges and universities about the importance of education, and became the largest single black donor to the United Negro College Fund in 1967 by way of a $10,000 donation ($78,000 in 2020 USD). In late 1966, he also pledged to donate a total of $100,000 to the UNCF (specifically promising to donate much of the proceeds of his title defense against Cleveland Williams), and paid $4,500 per closed circuit installation at six HBCUs so they could watch his fights.

Ali began visiting Africa, starting in 1964 when he visited Nigeria and Ghana. In 1974, he visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Southern Lebanon, where Ali declared "support for the Palestinian struggle to liberate their homeland." In 1978, following his loss to Spinks and before winning the rematch, Ali visited Bangladesh and received honorary citizenship there. The same year, he participated in The Longest Walk, a protest march in the United States in support of Native American rights, along with singer Stevie Wonder and actor Marlon Brando.

Declining health

I'm blessed and thankful to God that I understand he's trying me. This is a trial from God. He gave me this illness to remind me that I am not number one; He is.

                                                                                                                                                         —Muhammad Ali reflecting on having Parkinson's disease

Ali's Parkinson's syndrome led to a gradual decline in his health, though he was still active into the early 2000s, promoting his own biopic, Ali, in 2001. That year he also contributed an on-camera segment to the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert.

Ali and Michael J. Fox testify before a Senate committee on providing government funding to combat Parkinson's.
In 1998, Ali began working with actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, to raise awareness and fund research for a cure. They made a joint appearance before Congress to push the case in 2002. In 2000, Ali worked with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to raise awareness and encourage donations for research.

In February 2013, Ali's brother Rahman Ali said Muhammad could no longer speak and could be dead within days. Ali's daughter May May Ali responded to the rumors, stating that she had talked to him on the phone the morning of February 3 and he was fine. On December 20, 2014, Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of pneumonia. Ali was once again hospitalized on January 15, 2015, for a urinary tract infection after being found unresponsive at a guest house in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was released the next day.

Death

Ali was hospitalized in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 2, 2016, with a respiratory illness. Though his condition was initially described as fair, it worsened, and he died the following day at the age of 74 from septic shock.

Professional boxing record