Early career and championships

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. He began boxing as an amateur at the age of 12. Clay was gifted with unusually fast reflexes, excellent coordination, and accurate defensive skills. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Soon after his Olympic victory, Clay turned professional. On February 25, 1964, he defeated Sonny Liston and became the world heavyweight champion. He successfully defended his title nine times from 1965 to 1967. When he defeated Ernie Terrell, the World Boxing Association champion, on February 6, 1967, he became the undisputed world champion.

Conversion to Islam

In 1964 Clay joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1967 he was drafted into the armed forces to fight in the Vietnam War, but because of his religion he refused to enlist. As a result, Ali was convicted of breaking the law, barred from the boxing ring, and stripped of his title. However, the United States Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 1971.

Later career

In 1970 Ali had meanwhile resumed boxing. Over the next three years, he fought many matches. He was known for boasting about his skill and often spoke to newspaper reporters in poetic form, creating such phrases as “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

Ali finally regained the world heavyweight title in 1974 after defeating the former champion, Joe Frazier, and the reigning champion, George Foreman. The historic match against Foreman took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). It was popularly called the “Rumble in the Jungle.” The match was portrayed in the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings. In 1978 Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks but regained it by beating Spinks later that year. Ali thus became the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times.

Retirement

In 1979 Ali announced his retirement. He had at that point lost only three of his 59 professional fights. He came out of retirement to face Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick in 1981, but he was defeated both times.

In later years Ali suffered from a syndrome that shares the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. These symptoms include slurred speech, facial paralysis, poor balance, and difficulty in walking.

Ali was invited to light the Olympic flame at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Ali married four times and had nine children. One of his daughters, Laila, also took to professional boxing.