Muhammad Ali Bio And Facts

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali was an exceptional boxer and a cultural icon. Born with the name Cassius Clay, Clay began pursuing a boxing career during his teenage years. He remained an amateur boxer until after the 1960 Rome Olympic games. At the height of his career in 1964, Clay joined the Nation of Islam and changed his named to Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali was considered one of the most popular athletes in the world during his prime. His boastful demeanor was unorthodox to the boxing world at the time. Standing over 6 feet tall, Ali was extraordinarily quick for his size. He created his own unique fighting strategies that most boxing fans criticized, but they worked for Ali.

Muhammad Ali is also recognized for being a political activist and philanthropist. He stood strong for the causes he believed in, especially during and after the Civil Rights movement. Ali also traveled across the globe to help increase the living standards of those in need.

• Birthday: January 17, 1942 (17-01-1942)
• Died: June 3, 2016 (03-06-2016)
• Education: High School Diploma
• Prize Money: $60 million
• Occupation: Professional Boxer
• Height: 6’3” (1.905 m)
• Weight: 236 lbs (107.05 kg) Heavyweight Division
• Years Active: 19 years (1960-1967) (1970-1978) (1980-1981)
• Career Wins: 56 (37 KO’s)
• Career Losses: 5
• Nicknames: The Greatest

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Boxing Career

Muhammad Ali had his first amatuer boxing match in 1954. He excelled in the amatuer circuit, which allowed him to qualify for the United States Olympic team during the 1960 Rome games. In this competition, Ali won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division.

After the Olympics, Ali became a professional and continued to dominate his opponents. Ali was heroed for his skill, but he also garnered doubters because of his outlandish style. In 1964, Ali defeated the current heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. Ali was considered the underdog, but he still continuously bragged that he would win before the fight took place.

Muhammad Ali’s fights against George Foreman in 1974 and Joe Frazier in 1975 are consider some of the most iconic bouts in boxing history. Muhammad Ali is recognized by many as the greatest boxer of all time.  His unorthodox style in the ring and extreme confidence made him a phenom around the world.

Titles and Awards

As an amatuer boxer in 1959, Muhammad Ali won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. He always has crowned the champion of the Amatuer Athletic Union light heavyweight division during the same year.

A year later, Muhammad Ali represented America at the 1960 Olympic Games where he took home the gold for the light heavyweight division. His success at the Olympic Games made Ali a popular figure in American culture.

Muhammad Ali earned his first heavyweight title in 1964 when he defeated Sonny Liston. Following his ban from boxing, Ali reclaimed the heavyweight title by defeating George Foreman in the 1974 classic fight known as the“Rumble in the Jungle.” Ali earned his third and final heavyweight title in 1978 after defeating Leon Spinks in a rematch.

In 2005, Ali was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his political prominence and philanthropy work post-boxing.

Personal Life

Outside of boxing, Muhammad Ali was a prominent political and cultural figure throughout the glode. Following his title victory over Sonny Liston in 1964, Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam and his name changed to Muhammad Ali.

During the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali refused to enlist in the US Army due to religous reasons. Ali was then arrested and banned from boxing for three years. He was sentenced spend to five years in prison, but the sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1971. His stance against the war became a symbol of peace that motivated the civil rights movement in the late 1960s.

Post-boxing, Muhammad Ali donated to a variety of charities, and even travled the world to help support people in need. Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984, but still managed to continue his philanthropy. Ali was selected to light the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he was greeted with high praise on the global scale.

Fun Facts

• Muhammad Ali became interested in the sport of boxing at the age of 12 after his bike got stolen. He proclaimed his anger to the police officer, Joe Martin, about how he wanted to beat up the thief. Martin, who also was a boxing trainer, told Ali he first had to learn the art of fighting. Martin went on to become Ali’s trainer and mentor through his amatuer career.
• Muhammad Ali famously described himself in the ring by using the quote, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
• In the highly anticipated fight against the larger George Foreman, Ali utilized the “rope-a-dope” technique where he purposefully allowed Foreman to hit him. The strategy eventually tired Foreman out and Ali won by knockout in the 8th round.
• Muhammad Ali married four different times and had a total of nine children. One of his daughters, Laila Ali, became a champion boxer like her father.

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