Muhammad Ali

American light-heavyweight gold medalist, the only man to win the heavyweight championship of the world three times. He began boxing professionally on 10/29/1960 and became world champ in 1964 by knocking out Sonny Liston. His title was declared vacant after he refused military obligation as a Muslim and a conscientious objector. He later changed his name and reentered the ring in 1970, fighting with singular grace and beauty for 25 years. Muhammad Ali earned a reputation as a man dedicated to his goals and beliefs. A consummate showman, he used to call himself "the Greatest," and many of his fans believe that the nickname fits. Clay’s great grandfather was an Irishman who had married a black girl. Ali was raised in a middle-class neighborhood, the eldest of two sons born to Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa (Grady) Clay. Ali's father supported his family as a sign and mural painter, while his mother worked as a domestic. Ali worshiped with his family on Sundays at Mount Zion Baptists Church and attended school with brother Rudolph. He was a rather poor student, which he blames on his preoccupation with boxing as a boy. Ali has confessed that he wished he had put forth more effort academically, because he has struggled as a slow reader his entire life. It was due to a stolen bicycle that Ali began to box, at age 12. When he reported the theft, Policeman Joe Martin invited the boy to train with Fred Stoner, who taught him to move with the speed and grace of a dancer. While still in high school, he won 100 out of 108 matches and earned six Kentucky and two national Golden Glove championships, as well as two Amateur Athletic Union Championships. Ali mastered his renowned skill at ring chatter; talking a poetic jive while in the fight, geared to distract and frustrate his opponent, and at age 18, he won the boxing Olympic gold medal in the light heavyweight category at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Upon returning to Louisville, he signed a lucrative fifty-fifty split contract turning him into a professional boxer. With arrogance and wit he spouted off catchy jive talk such as his famous chant, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Still known as Cassius Clay, Ali fought Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship title, beating him to become the world’s heavyweight champion at age 22 on 2/25/1964, beating him again on 5/25/1965. While in Miami, he met Malcolm X who gave voice to Ali’s disgust with racism. At one time he was refused service at a soda fountain counter because he was black and in outrage, he threw his Olympic gold medal into a river. Joining the Nation of Islam, he was given the name Muhammad Ali by Elijah Muhammad, his new title meaning "beloved of Allah." It was the beginning of his social and political activism. In June 1965, Ali defended his title by once more defeating Liston by a knockout punch that was so powerful that it lifted Liston’s left foot clear off the mat. Despite his popularity in the sports world, he was loathed by many Americans when it became known that he had become a Muslim. When he took a stance as a conscientious objector to America's involvement in the war in Vietnam, he was called everything from traitor to coward. When he refused to accept the draft, in May 1967 Ali was stripped of his title and boxing license by the World Boxing Association and charged for violating the Selective Service Act by the government. Even boxing fans and sports journalists joined the outcry, to which Ali commented, "I'm giving up my title, my wealth, maybe my future. Many great men have been tested for their religious beliefs. If I pass this test, I'll come out stronger than ever." Sentenced to five years in prison and released on appeal, Ali's conviction was overturned three years later and he returned to the ring. After defeating Jerry Quarry in November 1970, he met Joe Frazier in New York 3/08/1971 – who gave him his first professional defeat. By the end of his career, Ali had fought Joe Frazier twice more. These three bouts have been one of the most widely discussed series in the sport because of their intensity and duration. In 1974 Ali avenged his loss to Frazier with a unanimous decision victory. This retaliation did not earn Ali the title, however, since newcomer George Foreman had dethroned Frazier as the champion. Ali arranged to fight for the title against Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on 10/30/1974, a bout billed as the Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman was favored as he was young, strong and known as the hardest hitter in boxing. Ali rested on the ropes and danced around Foreman for eight rounds, biding his time and conserving his force. When he finally made his move, he sent Foreman to the canvas – and regained the title. He met Joe Frazier for the third time and defeated him after 14 rounds in Manila, October 1, 1975. Although Ali lost a title defense early in 1978 to Leon Spinks, he later defeated Spinks in a rematch to win his title for the third time. On 6/26/1979, at the age of 37, Ali retired as champion with a professional record of 59 victories and three defeats. In July 1964, Ali met a beautiful half-black woman. She was Sonji Roi, a model and a cocktail waitress. On 8/14/1964, they were married in Gray, Indiana. For their honeymoon, they went on a tour of Africa. The fairy tale marriage didn’t last more than a year as a result of their conflicts with each other on Ali being extremely loyal to the Nation of Islam. His second wife Khaliah [Belinda] filed for divorce in 1976. A year later, he married Veronica, one of the four poster girls who promoted the Rumble in the Jungle. Ali lived a lavish lifestyle, needing to support high maintenance. He had four wives, two mistresses and nine kids (one adopted) that ranged from college age to infancy. Kids are one of his great pleasures, his own or any. Ali stops and goes out of his way to pick up a child or ask about people's children. Khaliah, one of his daughters, has successfully built up her boxing career following in the footsteps of her champion father. Now, Laila too has followed suit, taking up boxing as a career. He lives with his fourth wife, Yolanda, who also acts as his manager, in Berrien Springs, Michigan. At home, he spends many hours signing Muslim handouts and photos of himself, replying to fan mail, reading the Koran and praying. Islam means to him submitting to the will of God and being at peace. He feels that there is truth in all religions imbued with love. In 1981, Ali appeared to be sluggish and weak in motor skills, moving slowly and trembling. Originally misdiagnosed as having a thyroid condition, it was another year before he was found to have Parkinson’s disease at UCLA, and started treatment. The disease was caused, said his doctor in 1987, by injuries sustained in his 61-event boxing career. He became more involved in political activism and philanthropy and his illness matured him and made him a serious man, to whom people listened as he slowly formulated the words. In the '90s, he lived comfortably on a farm in Michigan with his fourth wife, Lonnie. He travels frequently, usually in the company of his longtime friend and personal photographer, Howard Bingham, for book signing of Bingham's book of photographs, "Muhammad Ali: A Thirty Year Journey." People flock to him, one of the most popular and beloved figures of the sports world of the 20th century. Financially, he's comfortable for his later years. In addition to his 200-acre farm in Berrien Springs, MI, Ali owns his Deer Lake training camp and much of the mountain on which it was built - the camp is now being used as a home for abused children - as well as sizable tracts of land in Virginia. He has several vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and a Winnebago motor home. At the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in August 1996, he lit the torch, an emotional moment for a nation of fans who saw him not only as a champion but as a very real and vulnerable man, his arm shaking visibly as he raised the torch. In December 2001, a movie commemorating the life of Muhammad Ali was released, starring Will Smith in the title role. Smith was born 9/25/1968, Philadelphia, PA. With the help of his daughter, Ali has written a new book, an autobiography reflecting on his life with a spiritual and philosophical perspective. “Soul of a Butterfly” was published in November 2004. At the end of 2014, he suffered of pneumonia and was hospitalized. 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