fbpx
Wikipedia

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali (/ɑːˈl/;[4] born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.;[5] January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) 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 frequently ranked as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.[6][7][8] In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

Muhammad Ali
Ali in 1967
Born
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.

(1942-01-17)January 17, 1942
DiedJune 3, 2016(2016-06-03) (aged 74)
Resting placeCave Hill Cemetery, Louisville
Monuments
NationalityAmerican
Bangladeshi[2]
EducationCentral High School (1958)
Spouses
  • Sonji Roi
    (m. 1964; div. 1966)
  • (m. 1967; div. 1977)
  • (m. 1977; div. 1986)
  • Yolanda Williams
    (m. 1986)
Children9, including Laila (see below)
Parents
Relatives
AwardsBoxing career of Muhammad Ali § Accolades
Boxing career
Statistics
Nickname(s)
  • The Greatest
  • The People's Champion
  • The Louisville Lip
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[3]
Reach78 in (198 cm)[3]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights61
Wins56
Wins by KO37
Losses5
Signature

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 became a Muslim 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[9][10] 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.[11] Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture of the 1960s generation,[12][13] and he was a very high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career.[9] 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),[14] the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle.[15][16] 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.[17][18][19] He was famous for trash-talking, often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry incorporating elements of hip hop.[20][21][22] He often predicted in which round he would knock out his opponent.

Outside boxing, Ali attained success as a spoken word artist, releasing two studio albums: I Am the Greatest! (1963) and The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay (1976). Both albums received Grammy Award nominations.[22] He also featured as an actor and writer, releasing two autobiographies. Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and focused on religion, philanthropy and activism. In 1984, he made public his diagnosis of Parkinson's syndrome, which some reports attributed to boxing-related injuries,[23] though he and his specialist physicians disputed this.[24] 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.

Early life

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (/ˈkæʃəs/ KASH-əss) was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky.[25] He had one brother. He was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., who had a sister and four brothers[26][27] 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.[28] He was a descendant of slaves of the antebellum South, and was predominantly of African descent, with Irish[29] and English family heritage.[30][31] Ali's maternal great-grandfather, Abe Grady, emigrated from Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland.[32][33] 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.[34] Like Ali, Alexander fought for his freedom.[35]

His father was a sign and billboard painter,[25] 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.[36] 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.[37]

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."[9] 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."[38][39]

Amateur career

 
Cassius Clay and his trainer Joe E. Martin, January 1960

Clay was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin,[40] 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.[41] 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.[42] 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.[43]

 
Clay defeated Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win gold in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Clay made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 against local amateur boxer Ronnie O'Keefe. He won by split decision.[44] 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.[45] 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.[46] Ali received a replacement medal at a basketball intermission during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he lit the torch to start the games.

Professional career

Early career

 
On-site poster for Cassius Clay's fifth professional bout

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.[47][48]

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 might get locked up for murder. The fight was later named "Fight of the Year" by The Ring magazine.[49]

In each of these fights, Clay vocally belittled his opponents and vaunted his abilities. He called Jones "an ugly little man" and Cooper a "bum". He said he was embarrassed to get in the ring with Alex Miteff and claimed that Madison Square Garden was "too small for me."[50] Ali's trash talk was inspired by professional wrestler "Gorgeous George" Wagner's, after he saw George's talking ability attract huge crowds to events.[51] Ali stated in a 1969 interview with the Associated Press' Hubert Mizel that he met with George in Las Vegas in 1961, that George told him that talking a big game would earn paying fans who either wanted to see him win or wanted to see him lose, thus Ali transformed himself into a self-described "big-mouth and a bragger".[52]

In 1960, Clay left Moore's camp, partially due to Clay's refusal to do chores such as washing dishes and sweeping. To replace Moore, Clay hired Angelo Dundee to be his trainer. Clay had met Dundee in February 1957 during Clay's amateur career.[53] Around this time, Clay sought longtime idol Sugar Ray Robinson to be his manager, but was rebuffed.[54]

World heavyweight champion

Fights against Liston

By late 1963, Clay had become the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. The fight was set for February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach. Liston was an intimidating personality, a dominating fighter with a criminal past and ties to the mob. Based on Clay's uninspired performance against Jones and Cooper in his previous two fights, and Liston's destruction of former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson in two first-round knockouts, Clay was a 7–1 underdog. Despite this, Clay taunted Liston during the pre-fight buildup, dubbing him "the big ugly bear", stating "Liston even smells like a bear" and claiming "After I beat him I'm going to donate him to the zoo."[55] Clay turned the pre-fight weigh-in into a circus, shouting at Liston that "someone is going to die at ringside tonight." Clay's pulse rate was measured at 120, more than double his normal 54.[56] Many of those in attendance thought Clay's behavior stemmed from fear, and some commentators wondered if he would show up for the bout.

The outcome of the fight was a major upset. At the opening bell, Liston rushed at Clay, seemingly angry and looking for a quick knockout. However, Clay's superior speed and mobility enabled him to elude Liston, making the champion miss and look awkward. At the end of the first round, Clay opened up his attack and hit Liston repeatedly with jabs. Liston fought better in round two, but at the beginning of the third round Clay hit Liston with a combination that buckled his knees and opened a cut under his left eye. This was the first time Liston had ever been cut. At the end of round four, Clay was returning to his corner when he began experiencing blinding pain in his eyes and asked his trainer, Angelo Dundee, to cut off his gloves. Dundee refused. It has been speculated that the problem was due to ointment used to seal Liston's cuts, perhaps deliberately applied by his corner to his gloves.[56] Though unconfirmed, boxing historian Bert Sugar said that two of Liston's opponents also complained about their eyes "burning".[57][58]

Despite Liston's attempts to knock out a blinded Clay, Clay was able to survive the fifth round until sweat and tears rinsed the irritation from his eyes. In the sixth, Clay dominated, hitting Liston repeatedly. Liston did not answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by TKO. Liston stated that the reason he quit was an injured shoulder. Following the win, a triumphant Clay rushed to the edge of the ring and, pointing to the ringside press, shouted: "Eat your words!" He added, "I am the greatest! I shook up the world. I'm the prettiest thing that ever lived."[59]

At ringside post fight, Clay appeared unconvinced that the fight was stopped due to a Liston shoulder injury, saying that the only injury Liston had was "an open eye, a big cut eye!" When told by Joe Louis that the injury was a "left arm thrown out of its socket," Clay quipped, "Yeah, swinging at nothing, who wouldn't?"[60]

In winning this fight at the age of 22, Clay became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion. However, Floyd Patterson remained the youngest to win the heavyweight championship, doing so at the age 21 during an elimination bout following Rocky Marciano's retirement. Mike Tyson broke both records in 1986 when he defeated Trevor Berbick to win the heavyweight title at age 20.

Soon after the Liston fight, Clay changed his name to Cassius X, and then later to Muhammad Ali upon converting to Islam and affiliating with the Nation of Islam. Ali then faced a rematch with Liston scheduled for May 1965 in Lewiston, Maine. It had been scheduled for Boston the previous November, but was postponed for six months due to Ali's emergency surgery for a hernia three days before.[61] The fight was controversial. Midway through the first round, Liston was knocked down by a difficult-to-see blow the press dubbed a "phantom punch". Referee Jersey Joe Walcott did not begin the count immediately after the knockdown, as Ali refused to retreat to a neutral corner. Liston rose after he had been down for about 20 seconds, and the fight momentarily continued. However a few seconds later Walcott, having been informed by the timekeepers that Liston had been down for a count of 10, stopped the match and declared Ali the winner by knockout.[62] The entire fight lasted less than two minutes.[63]

It has since been speculated that Liston purposely dropped to the ground. Proposed motivations include threats on his life from the Nation of Islam, that he had bet against himself and that he "took a dive" to pay off debts. Slow-motion replays show that Liston was jarred by a chopping right from Ali, although it is unclear whether the blow was a genuine knockout punch.[64]

Fight against Patterson

Ali defended his title against former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson on November 22, 1965. Before the match, Ali mocked Patterson, who was widely known to call him by his former name Cassius Clay, as an "Uncle Tom", calling him "The Rabbit". Although Ali clearly had the better of Patterson, who appeared injured during the fight, the match lasted 12 rounds before being called on a technical knockout. Patterson later said he had strained his sacroiliac. Ali was criticized in the sports media for appearing to have toyed with Patterson during the fight.[65] Patterson biographer W. K. Stratton claims that the conflict between Ali and Patterson was not genuine but was staged to increase ticket sales and the closed-circuit viewing audience, with both men complicit in the theatrics. Stratton also cites an interview by Howard Cosell in which Ali explained that rather than toying with Patterson, he refrained from knocking him out after it became apparent Patterson was injured. Patterson later said that he had never been hit by punches as soft as Ali's. Stratton states that Ali arranged the second fight, in 1972, with the financially struggling Patterson to help the former champion earn enough money to pay a debt to the IRS.[65]

Main Bout

 
Ali watches replay of his March 1966 title fight against Henry Cooper.[66]

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, along with several others, including Bob Arum.[67]

Ali and then-WBA heavyweight champion boxer Ernie Terrell had agreed to meet for a bout in Chicago on March 29, 1966 (the WBA, one of two boxing associations, had stripped Ali of his title following his joining the Nation of Islam). But in February Ali was reclassified by the Louisville draft board as 1-A from 1-Y, and he indicated that he would refuse to serve, commenting to the press, "I ain't got nothing against no Viet Cong; no Viet Cong never called me nigger."[68] Amidst the media and public outcry over Ali's stance, the Illinois Athletic Commission refused to sanction the fight, citing technicalities.[69]

Instead, Ali traveled to Canada and Europe and won championship bouts against George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Brian London, and Karl Mildenberger.

Ali returned to the United States to fight Cleveland Williams at the Astrodome in Houston on November 14, 1966. The bout drew a record-breaking indoor crowd of 35,460 people. Williams had once been considered among the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division, but in 1964 he had been shot at point-blank range by a Texas policeman, resulting in the loss of one kidney and 3.0 metres (10 ft) of his small intestine. Ali dominated Williams, winning a third-round technical knockout in what some consider the finest performance of his career.

Ali fought Terrell in Houston on February 6, 1967. Terrell, who was unbeaten in five years and had defeated many of the boxers Ali had faced, was billed as Ali's toughest opponent since Liston; he was big, strong and had a three-inch reach advantage over Ali. During the lead up to the bout, Terrell repeatedly called Ali "Clay", much to Ali's annoyance. The two almost came to blows over the name issue in a pre-fight interview with Howard Cosell. Ali seemed intent on humiliating Terrell. "I want to torture him", he said. "A clean knockout is too good for him."[70] The fight was close until the seventh round, when Ali bloodied Terrell and almost knocked him out. In the eighth round, Ali taunted Terrell, hitting him with jabs and shouting between punches, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... what's my name?" Ali won a unanimous 15-round decision. Terrell claimed that early in the fight Ali deliberately thumbed him in the eye, forcing him to fight half-blind, and then, in a clinch, rubbed the wounded eye against the ropes. Because of Ali's apparent intent to prolong the fight to inflict maximum punishment, critics described the bout as "one of the ugliest boxing fights." Tex Maule later wrote: "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty." Ali denied the accusations of cruelty but, for Ali's critics, the fight provided more evidence of his arrogance.

After Ali's title defense against Zora Folley on March 22, he was stripped of his title due to his refusal to be drafted to army service.[25] His boxing license was also suspended by the state of New York. 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 verdict was being appealed.

Draft resistance

My enemy is the white people, not Viet Cong or Chinese or Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. You won't even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs—and you want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won't even stand up for me here at home?

—Muhammad Ali to a crowd of college students during his exile from boxing[71]

Ali registered for conscription in the United States military on his 18th birthday and was listed as 1-A in 1962.[72] In 1964, he was reclassified as Class 1-Y (fit for service only in times of national emergency) after he failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub-standard,[73] due to his dyslexia.[37] (He was quoted as saying, "I said I was the greatest, not the smartest!")[72][74] By early 1966, the army lowered its standards to permit soldiers above the 15th percentile and Ali was again classified as 1-A.[25][72][74] This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U.S. Army at a time when the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam War, a war which put him further at odds with the white establishment.[10]

When notified of this status, Ali declared that he would refuse to serve in the army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector.[25] Ali stated: "War is against the teachings of the Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers".[75] He also said "We are not to be the aggressor but we will defend ourselves if attacked." He stated: "Man, I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong."[76] Ali elaborated: "Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?"[77] Ali antagonized the white establishment in 1966 by refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War.[9][10]

On April 28, 1967, Ali appeared in Houston for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces, but he refused three times to step forward when his name was called. An officer warned him that he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more, Ali refused to budge when his name was called, and he was arrested. Later that same day, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. Other boxing commissions followed suit. Ali remained unable to obtain a license to box in any state for over three years.[78][page needed] On June 4, 1967, in a first for sports professionals, a group of high-profile African-American athletes including Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as well as one political leader, Carl Stokes, assembled at the Negro Industrial Economic Union in Cleveland for what became known as the "Cleveland Summit" or the "Muhammad Ali Summit." The meeting was organized by Brown for his peers to question Ali about the seriousness of his convictions, and to decide whether to support him, which they ultimately did.[79]

External video
  Conversation with Muhammad Ali, includes transcript, July 7, 1968, 28:55, American Archive of Public Broadcasting[80]

At the trial on June 20, 1967, the jury found Ali guilty after only 21 minutes of deliberation of the criminal offense of violating the Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted.[25] After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.[81]

Ali remained free in the years between the Appellate Court decision and the Supreme Court ruling. As public opinion began turning people against the war and the Civil Rights Movement continued to gather momentum, Ali became a popular speaker at colleges and universities across the country; this itinerary was rare if not unprecedented for a prizefighter. At Howard University, for example, he gave his popular "Black Is Best" speech to 4,000 cheering students and community intellectuals, after he was invited to speak by sociology professor Nathan Hare on behalf of the Black Power Committee, a student protest group.[82]

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).[83] The decision was not based on, nor did it address, the merits of Ali's claims per se. Rather, the Court held that since the appeal board gave no reason for the denial of a conscientious objector exemption to Ali, that it was therefore impossible to determine which of the three basic tests for conscientious objector status (offered in the Justice Department's brief) the appeal board relied on, and Ali's conviction must be reversed.[84]

Impact of Ali's draft refusal

Ali's example inspired many black Americans and others. However, initially when he refused induction, he became arguably the most hated man in the country and received many death threats. People who supported Ali during this time were also threatened, including sports journalist Jerry Izenberg, whose columns defended Ali's decision not to serve. He wrote, "Bomb threats emptied our office, making the staff stand out in the snow. My car windshield was smashed with a sledgehammer."[85][86] The New York Times columnist William Rhoden wrote, "Ali's actions changed my standard of what constituted an athlete's greatness. Possessing a killer jump shot or the ability to stop on a dime was no longer enough. What were you doing for the liberation of your people? What were you doing to help your country live up to the covenant of its founding principles?"[13]

Recalling Ali's anti-war position, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said: "I remember the teachers at my high school didn't like Ali because he was so anti-establishment and he kind of thumbed his nose at authority and got away with it. The fact that he was proud to be a black man and that he had so much talent  ... made some people think that he was dangerous. But for those very reasons I enjoyed him."[87]

Civil rights figures came to believe that Ali had an energizing effect on the freedom movement as a whole. Al Sharpton spoke of his bravery at a time when there was still widespread support for the Vietnam War:

For the heavyweight champion of the world, who had achieved the highest level of athletic celebrity, to put all of that on the line—the money, the ability to get endorsements—to sacrifice all of that for a cause, gave a whole sense of legitimacy to the movement and the causes with young people that nothing else could have done. Even those who were assassinated, certainly lost their lives, but they didn't voluntarily do that. He knew he was going to jail and did it anyway. That's another level of leadership and sacrifice.[88]

Ali was honored with the annual Martin Luther King Award in 1970 by civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy, who called him "a living example of soul power, the March on Washington in two fists." Coretta Scott King added that Ali was "a champion of justice and peace and unity."[89]

In speaking of the cost on Ali's career of his refusal to be drafted, his trainer Angelo Dundee said, "One thing must be taken into account when talking about Ali: He was robbed of his best years, his prime years."[90]

Bob Arum did not support Ali's choice at the time. More recently, Arum stated that "when I look back at his life, and I was blessed to call him a friend and spent a lot of time with him, it's hard for me to talk about his exploits in boxing because as great as they were they paled in comparison to the impact that he had on the world," and "He did what he thought was right. And it turned out he was right, and I was wrong."[91]

Ali's resistance to the draft was covered in the 2013 documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali.[92]

NSA and FBI monitoring of Ali's communications

In a secret operation code-named "Minaret", the National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted the communications of leading Americans, including Ali, Senators Frank Church and Howard Baker, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., prominent U.S. journalists, and others who criticized the U.S. war in Vietnam.[93][94] A review by the NSA of the Minaret program concluded that it was "disreputable if not outright illegal."[94]

In 1971, his Fight of the Century with Frazier was used by an activist group, the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI, to pull off a burglary at an FBI office in Pennsylvania; the anticipation for the fight was unlike anything else, so they believed the security would also be focused on the fight. This raid exposed the COINTELPRO operations that included illegal spying on activists involved with the civil rights and anti-war movements. One of the COINTELPRO targets was Ali, and their activities included the FBI gaining access to his records as far back as elementary school; one such record mentioned him loving art as a child.[95]

Exile and comeback

In March 1966, Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces. He was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and stripped of his passport. As a result, he did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970—from ages 25 to almost 29—as his case worked its way through the appeals process before his conviction was overturned in 1971.[96]

Protesting while exiled

During this time of inactivity, as opposition to the Vietnam War began to grow and Ali's stance gained sympathy, he spoke at colleges across the nation, criticizing the Vietnam War and advocating African-American pride and racial justice. Ali based himself in Chicago.[97] According to most close to him, his Chicago years were formative.

At the time, Ali was widely condemned by the American media,[98] with fears that his actions could potentially lead to mass civil disobedience.[99] Despite this, Ebony magazine noted in the late 1960s that Ali's popularity had increased during this time, especially among black people.[100]

The Super Fight

While banned from sanctioned bouts, Ali settled a $1 million lawsuit against radio producer Murray Woroner by accepting $10,000 to appear in a privately staged fantasy fight against retired champion Rocky Marciano.[101] In 1969 the boxers were filmed sparring for about 75 one-minute rounds; they produced several potential outcomes.[102] A computer program purportedly determined the winner, based on data about the fighters, along with the opinions of approximately 250 boxing experts. Edited versions of the bout were shown in movie theaters in 1970. In the U.S. version Ali lost in a simulated 13th-round knockout, but in the European version Marciano lost due to cuts, also simulated.[103]

Ali suggested that prejudice determined his defeat in the U.S. version. He was reported to jokingly say, "That computer was made in Alabama."[101]

Return

On August 11, 1970, with his case still in appeal, Ali was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission. Leroy Johnson, Jesse Hill Jr. and Harry Pett had used their local political influence and set up the company House of Sports to organize the fight, underlining the influential power of Georgia's black politics in Ali' s comeback.[104] Ali's first return bout was against Jerry Quarry on October 26, resulting in a win after three rounds after Quarry was cut.

A month earlier, a victory in federal court forced the New York State Boxing Commission to reinstate Ali's license.[105] He fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December, an uninspired performance that ended in a dramatic technical knockout of Bonavena in the 15th round. The win left Ali as a top contender against heavyweight champion Joe Frazier.

Fight against Joe Frazier

Ali and Frazier's first fight, held at the Garden on March 8, 1971, was nicknamed the "Fight of the Century", due to the tremendous excitement surrounding a bout between two undefeated fighters, each with a legitimate claim to be heavyweight champion. Veteran US boxing writer John Condon called it "the greatest event I've ever worked on in my life." The bout was broadcast to 36 countries; promoters granted 760 press passes.[46]

Adding to the atmosphere were the considerable pre-fight theatrics and name calling. Before the fight Frazier called Ali, "Cassius Clay", this angered Ali and he portrayed Frazier as a "dumb tool of the white establishment." "Frazier is too ugly to be champ", Ali said. "Frazier is too dumb to be champ." Ali also frequently called Frazier an "Uncle Tom". Dave Wolf, who worked in Frazier's camp, recalled that, "Ali was saying 'the only people rooting for Joe Frazier are white people in suits, Alabama sheriffs, and members of the Ku Klux Klan. I'm fighting for the little man in the ghetto.' Joe was sitting there, smashing his fist into the palm of his hand, saying, 'What the fuck does he know about the ghetto?'"[46]

Ali began training at a farm near Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1971 and, finding the country setting to his liking, sought to develop a real training camp in the countryside. He found a five-acre site on a Pennsylvania country road in the village of Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. On this site, Ali carved out what was to become his training camp, where he trained for all his fights from 1972 to the end of his career in 1981.

The Monday night fight lived up to its billing. In a preview of their two other fights, a crouching, bobbing and weaving Frazier constantly pressured Ali, getting hit regularly by Ali jabs and combinations, but relentlessly attacking and scoring repeatedly, especially to Ali's body. The fight was even in the early rounds, but Ali was taking more punishment than ever in his career. On several occasions in the early rounds he played to the crowd and shook his head "no" after he was hit. In the later rounds—in what was the first appearance of the "rope-a-dope strategy"—Ali leaned against the ropes and absorbed punishment from Frazier, hoping to tire him. In the 11th round, Frazier connected with a left hook that wobbled Ali, but because it appeared that Ali might be clowning as he staggered backwards across the ring, Frazier hesitated to press his advantage, fearing an Ali counter-attack. In the final round, Frazier knocked Ali down with a vicious left hook, which referee Arthur Mercante said was as hard as a man can be hit. Ali was back on his feet in three seconds.[46] Nevertheless, Ali lost by unanimous decision, his first professional defeat.

Chamberlain challenge and Ellis fight

In 1971, basketball star Wilt Chamberlain challenged Ali to a fight, and a bout was scheduled for July 26. Although the seven-foot-two-inch tall Chamberlain had formidable physical advantages over Ali—weighing 60 pounds more and able to reach 14 inches further—Ali was able to influence Chamberlain into calling off the bout by taunting him with calls of "Timber!" and "The tree will fall" during a shared interview. These statements of confidence unsettled his taller opponent, whom Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had offered a record-setting contract, conditional on Chamberlain agreeing to abandon what Cooke termed "this boxing foolishness",[106] and he did exactly that.[107] To replace Ali's opponent, promoter Bob Arum quickly booked a former sparring partner of Ali's, Jimmy Ellis, who was a childhood friend from Louisville, Kentucky, to fight him. Ali won the bout through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight in the twelfth round.[108]

After his loss

Fights against Quarry, Patterson, Foster and Norton

After the loss to Frazier, Ali fought Jerry Quarry, had a second bout with Floyd Patterson and faced Bob Foster in 1972, winning a total of six fights that year. In 1973, Ken Norton broke Ali's jaw while giving him the second loss of his career. After initially considering retirement, Ali won a controversial decision against Norton in their second bout. 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.

Second fight against Joe Frazier

 
Ali vs. Frazier, promotional photo

Ali was strong in the early rounds of the fight, and staggered Frazier in the second round. Referee Tony Perez mistakenly thought he heard the bell ending the round and stepped between the two fighters as Ali was pressing his attack, giving Frazier time to recover. However, Frazier came on in the middle rounds, snapping Ali's head in round seven and driving him to the ropes at the end of round eight. The last four rounds saw round-to-round shifts in momentum between the two fighters. Throughout most of the bout, however, Ali was able to circle away from Frazier's dangerous left hook and to tie Frazier up when he was cornered, the latter a tactic that Frazier's camp complained of bitterly. Judges awarded Ali a unanimous decision.

World heavyweight champion (second reign)

The Rumble in the Jungle

The defeat of Frazier set the stage for a title fight against heavyweight champion George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974—a bout nicknamed The Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman was considered one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history. In assessing the fight, analysts pointed out that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, who had given Ali four tough battles and won two of them, had both been devastated by Foreman in second-round knockouts. Ali was 32 years old, and had clearly lost speed and reflexes since his twenties. Contrary to his later persona, Foreman was at the time a brooding and intimidating presence. Almost no one associated with the sport, not even Ali's long-time supporter Howard Cosell, gave the former champion a chance of winning.

As usual, Ali was confident and colorful before the fight. He told interviewer David Frost, "If you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whup Foreman's behind!"[109] He told the press, "I've done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick."[110] Ali was wildly popular in Zaire, with crowds chanting "Ali, bomaye" ("Ali, kill him") wherever he went.

Ali opened the fight moving and scoring with right crosses to Foreman's head. Then, beginning in the second round, and to the consternation of his corner, Ali retreated to the ropes and invited Foreman to hit him while covering up, clinching and counter-punching, all while verbally taunting Foreman. The move, which would later become known as the "Rope-a-dope", so violated conventional boxing wisdom—letting one of the hardest hitters in boxing strike at will—that at ringside writer George Plimpton thought the fight had to be fixed.[46] Foreman, increasingly angered, threw punches that were deflected and did not land squarely. Midway through the fight, as Foreman began tiring, Ali countered more frequently and effectively with punches and flurries, which electrified the pro-Ali crowd. In the eighth round, Ali dropped an exhausted Foreman with a combination at center ring; Foreman failed to make the count. Against the odds, and amidst pandemonium in the ring, Ali had regained the title by knockout. Reflecting on the fight, George Foreman later said: "I thought Ali was just one more knockout victim until, about the seventh round, I hit him hard to the jaw and he held me and whispered in my ear: 'That all you got, George?' I realized that this ain't what I thought it was."[111]

 
President Jimmy Carter greets Ali at a White House dinner, 1977.

It was a major upset victory,[112] after Ali came in as a 4–1 underdog against the previously unbeaten, heavy-hitting Foreman.[113] The fight became famous for Ali's introduction of the rope-a-dope tactic.[114] The fight was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide.[115][116] It was the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time.[117]

Fights against Wepner, Lyle and Bugner

Ali's next opponents included Chuck Wepner, Ron Lyle, and Joe Bugner. Wepner, a journeyman known as "The Bayonne Bleeder", stunned Ali with a knockdown in the ninth round; Ali would later say he tripped on Wepner's foot. It was a bout that would inspire Sylvester Stallone to create the acclaimed film, Rocky.[118]

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,[25] in temperatures approaching 100 °F (38 °C). In the first rounds, Ali was aggressive, moving and exchanging blows with Frazier. However, Ali soon appeared to tire and adopted the "rope-a-dope" strategy, frequently resorting to clinches. During this part of the bout Ali did some effective counter-punching, but for the most part absorbed punishment from a relentlessly attacking Frazier. In the 12th round, Frazier began to tire, and Ali scored several sharp blows that closed Frazier's left eye and opened a cut over his right eye. With Frazier's vision now diminished, Ali dominated the 13th and 14th rounds, at times conducting what boxing historian Mike Silver called "target practice" on Frazier's head. The fight was stopped when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to answer the bell for the 15th and final round, despite Frazier's protests. Frazier's eyes were both swollen shut. Ali, in his corner, winner by TKO, slumped on his stool, clearly spent.

An ailing Ali said afterwards that the fight "was the closest thing to dying that I know", and, when later asked if he had viewed the fight on videotape, reportedly said, "Why would I want to go back and see Hell?" After the fight he cited Frazier as "the greatest fighter of all times next to me."

After the third fight with Frazier, Ali considered retirement. He said, “I'm sore all over. My arms, my face, my sides all ache. I'm so, so tired. There is a great possibility that I will retire. You might have seen the last of me. I want to sit back and count my money, live in my house and my farm, work for my people and concentrate on my family."[119]

Later career

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

Following the Manila bout, Ali fought Jean-Pierre Coopman, Jimmy Young, and Richard Dunn, winning the last by knockout.

The punch used to knock Dunn out was taught to Ali by Taekwondo Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee. Rhee called that punch the "Accupunch"; he learned it from Bruce Lee.[120] The Dunn fight was the last time Ali would knock down an opponent in his boxing career.

Ali fought Ken Norton for the third time in September 1976. The bout, which was held at Yankee Stadium, resulted in Ali winning a controversial decision that ringside commentators had scored in favour of Norton. Afterwards, he announced he was retiring from boxing to practice his faith, having converted to Sunni Islam after falling out with the Nation of Islam the previous year.[121]

After returning to beat Alfredo Evangelista in May 1977, Ali struggled in his next fight against Earnie Shavers that September, getting pummeled a few times by punches to the head. Ali won the fight by another unanimous decision, but the bout caused his longtime doctor Ferdie Pacheco to quit after he was rebuffed for telling Ali he should retire. Pacheco was quoted as saying, "the New York State Athletic Commission gave me a report that showed Ali's kidneys were falling apart. I wrote to Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, his wife and Ali himself. I got nothing back in response. That's when I decided enough is enough."[46]

In February 1978, Ali faced Leon Spinks at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. At the time, Spinks had only seven professional fights to his credit, and had recently fought a draw with journeyman Scott LeDoux. Ali sparred less than two dozen rounds in preparation for the fight, and was seriously out of shape by the opening bell. He lost the title by split decision. A rematch occurred in September at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. 70,000 people attended the bout and paid a total of $6 million admission, making it the largest live gate in boxing history at that time.[122] Ali won a unanimous decision in an uninspiring fight, with referee Lucien Joubert scoring rounds 10-4, judge Ernie Cojoe 10-4, and judge Herman Preis 11-4. This made Ali the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times.[123][124]

Following this win, on July 27, 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing. His retirement was short-lived, however; Ali announced his comeback to face Larry Holmes for the WBC belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time. The fight was largely motivated by Ali's need for money. Boxing writer Richie Giachetti said, "Larry didn't want to fight Ali. He knew Ali had nothing left; he knew it would be a horror."

It was around this time that Ali started struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands.[125] The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) ordered that he undergo a complete physical in Las Vegas before being allowed to fight again. Ali chose instead to check into the Mayo Clinic, who declared him fit to fight. Their opinion was accepted by the NAC on July 31, 1980, paving the way for Ali's return to the ring.[126]

Fight stoppage vs. Larry Holmes

On October 2, 1980, Ali returned to the ring to fight Holmes at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Holmes, who fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin", easily dominated Ali. After the tenth round, Angelo Dundee stepped into the ring and instructed the referee to stop the fight. It was the only time Ali ever lost by stoppage.

Giachetti called the fight "awful...the worst sports event I ever had to cover." Actor Sylvester Stallone was ringside for the fight and said that it was like watching an autopsy on a man who is still alive.[46] The Holmes fight is said to have contributed to Ali's Parkinson's syndrome.[127] Despite pleas to definitively retire, Ali fought one last time on December 11, 1981, in Nassau, Bahamas, against Trevor Berbick, losing a ten-round decision.[128][129][130]

Exhibition bouts

Ali boxed both well known boxers and celebrities from other walks of life, including Michael Dokes,[131] Antonio Inoki,[132] Lyle Alzado,[133] Dave Semenko,[134] and the famous Puerto Rican comedian Jose Miguel Agrelot (with Iris Chacon acting as Agrelot's corner-woman).[135]

Ali vs Inoki

On June 26, 1976, Ali participated in an exhibition bout in Tokyo against Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist Antonio Inoki.[136] Ali was only able to land two jabs while Inoki's kicks caused two blood clots and an infection that almost resulted in Ali's leg being amputated, as a result of Ali's team insisting on rules restricting Inoki's ability to wrestle.[136] The match was not scripted and ultimately declared a draw.[136] After Ali's death, The New York Times declared it his least memorable fight.[137] Most boxing commentators at the time viewed the fight negatively and hoped it would be forgotten as some considered it a "15-round farce."[138] Today it is considered by some to be one of Ali's most influential fights and CBS Sports said the attention the mixed-style bout received "foretold the arrival of standardized MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) years later."[138][139] After the fight, Ali and Inoki became friends.[140]

Ali vs Alzado

In 1979, Ali fought an exhibition match against NFL player Lyle Alzado. The fight went 8 rounds and was declared a draw.[141]

Ali vs Semenko

Ali fought NHL player, Dave Semenko in an exhibition on June 12, 1983.[142] The match was officially a draw after going three rounds, but the Associated Press reported Ali was not seriously trying and was just toying with Semenko.

Personal life

Marriages and children

Children of Muhammad Ali
  • With Belinda Boyd
    • Maryum (born 1968)
    • Jamillah (born 1970)
    • Rasheda (born 1970)
    • Muhammad Jr. (born 1972)
  • With Patricia Harvell
    • Miya (born 1972)
  • With Wanda Bolton
    • Khaliah (born 1974)
  • With Veronica Porché
    • Hana (born 1976)
    • Laila (born 1977)
  • With Yolanda Williams
    • Asaad (adopted 1986)

Ali was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons. Ali was introduced to cocktail waitress Sonji Roi by Herbert Muhammad, who was to become Ali's long-time manager, and asked her to marry him after their first date. They married approximately one month later on August 14, 1964.[143] They quarreled over Sonji's refusal to join the Nation Of Islam.[144] According to Ali, "She wouldn't do what she was supposed to do. She wore lipstick; she went into bars; she dressed in clothes that were revealing and didn't look right."[145] The marriage was childless and they divorced on January 10, 1966. Just before the divorce was finalized, Ali sent Sonji a note: "You traded heaven for hell, baby."[146] Ali's brother Rahman said that she was Ali's only true love and the Nation of Islam made Ali divorce her and Ali never got over it.[144]

On August 17, 1967, Ali married Belinda Boyd. In an interview with NBC 6, Boyd recounted meeting Ali when she was 10 years old at her hometown mosque. "He said, 'Listen here little girl. This is my name. Imma be famous. You need to keep that 'cause it's gone be worth a lot of money,'" Boyd said, mimicking Ali. “You'll never be famous with that name. And, I walked away," Boyd said.[147] Born into a Chicago family that had converted to the Nation Of Islam, she later changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: author and rapper Maryum[148] "May May" (born 1968); twins Jamillah and Rasheda (born 1970); and Muhammad Ali Jr. (born 1972).[149] Rasheda married Robert Walsh and has two sons: Biaggio Ali, (born 1998), and Nico Ali (born 2000), who is a professional boxer.[150]

Ali was a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey in suburban Philadelphia in the early 1970s.[151] At age 32 in 1974, Ali began an extramarital relationship with 16-year-old Wanda Bolton (who subsequently changed her name to Aaisha Ali) with whom he fathered another daughter, Khaliah (born 1974). While still married to Belinda, Ali married Aaisha in an Islamic ceremony that was not legally recognized. According to Khaliah, Aaisha and her mother lived at Ali's Deer Lake training camp alongside Belinda and her children.[152] In January 1985, Aaisha sued Ali for unpaid palimony. The case was settled when Ali agreed to set up a $200,000 trust fund for Khaliah.[153] In 2001 Khaliah was quoted as saying she believed her father viewed her as "a mistake".[152] He had another daughter, Miya (born 1972), from an extramarital relationship with Patricia Harvell.[154]

By the summer of 1977, his second marriage ended due to Ali's repeated infidelity, and he had married actress and model Veronica Porché.[155] At the time of their marriage, they had a daughter, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, Laila Ali, was born in December 1977. By 1986, Ali and Porché were divorced due to Ali's continuous infidelity. Porché said of Ali's infidelity, "It was too much temptation for him, with women who threw themselves at him, It didn't mean anything. He didn't have affairs – he had one-night stands. I knew beyond a doubt there were no feelings involved. It was so obvious, It was easy to forgive him."[155][156][157]

On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda "Lonnie" Williams. Lonnie first met Ali at the age of 6 when her family moved to Louisville in 1963.[158] In 1982, she became Ali's primary caregiver and in return, he paid for her to attend graduate school at UCLA.[158] Together they adopted a son, Asaad Amin (born 1986), when Asaad was five months old.[159] In 1992, Lonnie incorporated Greatest of All Time, Inc. (G.O.A.T. Inc) to consolidate and license his intellectual properties for commercial purposes. She served as the vice president and treasurer until the sale of the company in 2006.[158]

Kiiursti Mensah-Ali claims she is Ali's biological daughter with Barbara Mensah, with whom he allegedly had a 20-year relationship,[160][161][162][163] citing photographs and a paternity test conducted in 1988. She said he accepted responsibility and took care of her, but all contacts with him were cut off after he married his fourth wife Lonnie. Kiiursti says she has a relationship with his other children. After his death she again made passionate appeals to be allowed to mourn at his funeral.[164][165][166]

In 2010, Osmon Williams came forward claiming to be Ali's biological son.[167] His mother Temica Williams (also known as Rebecca Holloway) launched a $3 million lawsuit against Ali in 1981 for sexual assault, claiming that she had started a sexual relationship with him when she was 12, and that her son Osmon (born 1977) was fathered by Ali.[168] She further alleged that Ali had originally supported her and her son financially, but stopped doing so after four years. The case went on until 1986 and was eventually thrown out as her allegations were deemed to be barred by the statute of limitations.[169] According to Veronica, Ali admitted to the affair with Williams, but did not believe Osmon was his son which Veronica supported by saying "Everybody in the camp was going with that girl."[170][171] Ali biographer and friend Thomas Hauser has said this claim was of "questionable veracity".[172]

Ali then lived in Scottsdale, Arizona with Lonnie.[173] In January 2007, it was reported that they had put their home in Berrien Springs, Michigan, which they had bought in 1975,[174] up for sale and had purchased a home in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky for $1,875,000.[175] Both homes were subsequently sold after Ali's death with Lonnie living in their remaining home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late twenties.[176]

In a 1974 interview, Ali said, "If they say stand and salute the flag I do that out of respect, because I'm in the country".[177] Ali would later say, "If America was in trouble and real war came, I'd be on the front line if we had been attacked. But I could see that (The Vietnam War) wasn't right."[178] He also said, "Black men would go over there and fight, but when they came home, they couldn't even be served a hamburger."[179]

Ali's daughter Laila was a professional boxer from 1999 until 2007,[180] despite her father's previous opposition to women's boxing. In 1978, he said "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that."[181] Ali still attended a number of his daughter's fights and later admitted to Laila he was wrong.[182] 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.[183][184] After Ali met a lesbian couple who were fans of his in 1997, he smiled and said to his friend Hauser, "They look like they’re happy together." Hauser wrote about the story, "The thought that Liz and Roz (the lesbian couple he met) were happy pleased Muhammad. Ali wanted people to be happy."[185]

Religion and beliefs

Affiliation with the Nation of Islam

Ali said that he first heard of the Nation of Islam when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago in 1959, and attended his first Nation of Islam meeting in 1961. He continued to attend meetings, although keeping his involvement hidden from the public. In 1962, Clay met Malcolm X, who soon became his spiritual and political mentor.[186] By the time of the first Liston fight, Nation of Islam members, including Malcolm X, were visible in his entourage. This led to a story in The Miami Herald just before the fight disclosing that Clay had joined the Nation of Islam, which nearly caused the bout to be canceled. The article quoted Cassius Clay Sr. as saying that his son had joined the Black Muslims when he was 18.[187]

 
Ali (seen in background) at an address by Elijah Muhammad in 1964

In fact, Clay was initially refused entry to the Nation of Islam (often called the Black Muslims at the time) due to his boxing career. However, after he won the championship from Liston in 1964, the Nation of Islam was more receptive and agreed to publicize his membership.[186] Shortly afterwards on March 6, Elijah Muhammad gave a radio address that Clay would be renamed Muhammad (one who is worthy of praise) Ali (most high).[188] Around that time Ali moved to the south side of Chicago and lived in a series of houses, always near the Nation of Islam's Mosque Maryam or Elijah Muhammad's residence. He stayed in Chicago for about 12 years.[189]

Only a few journalists, most notably Howard Cosell, accepted the new name at that time. Ali stated that his earlier name was a "slave name," and a "white man's name" and added that "I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name".[190] The person he was named after was a white slave owner turned abolitionist.[191] Ali explained in his autobiography after studying his works, "he may have gotten rid of his slaves, but (he) held on to white supremacy."[192] In truth, Cassius Clay's attachment to slavery went farther than Ali knew. In spite of his abolitionist fervor, Clay owned more slaves in 1865, when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution finally forbade its practice, than he had inherited from his wealthy slave-owning father Green Clay 37 years earlier.[192] With the Clay name coming from a family of enslavers, Ali concluded: "Why should I keep my white slavemaster's name visible and my black ancestors invisible, unknown, unhonored?"[190]

Not afraid to antagonize the white establishment, Ali stated, "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me."[193] Ali's friendship with Malcolm X ended as Malcolm split with the Nation of Islam a couple of weeks after Ali joined, and Ali remained with the Nation of Islam.[194][195] Ali later said that turning his back on Malcolm was one of the mistakes he regretted most in his life.[196]

Aligning himself with the Nation of Islam, its leader Elijah Muhammad, and a narrative that labeled the white race as the perpetrator of genocide against African Americans made Ali a target of public condemnation. The Nation of Islam was widely viewed by whites and some African Americans as a black separatist "hate religion" with a propensity toward violence; Ali had few qualms about using his influential voice to speak Nation of Islam doctrine.[197] In a press conference articulating his opposition to the Vietnam War, Ali stated, "My enemy is the white people, not Vietcong or Chinese or Japanese."[71] In relation to integration, he said: "We who follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad don't want to be forced to integrate. Integration is wrong. We don't want to live with the white man; that's all."[198][199] Further articulating his opposition to integration, he told members of the KKK at a Klan rally in 1975 that "black people should marry their own women... blue birds are blue birds, red birds are red birds, pigeons with pigeons, eagles with eagles, God did not make no mistake".[200]

Writer Jerry Izenberg once noted that, "the Nation became Ali's family and Elijah Muhammad became his father. But there is an irony to the fact that while the Nation branded white people as devils, Ali had more white colleagues than most African American people did at that time in America, and continued to have them throughout his career."[46]

Conversion to Sunni/Sufi Islam

In Hauser's biography Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, Ali says that although he's not a Christian as he thinks the idea of God having a son sounds wrong and does not make sense to him, as he believes, "God don't beget; man begets". He still believes that even good Christians or good Jews can receive God's blessing and enter heaven as he stated, "God created all people, no matter what their religion". He also stated, "If you're against someone because he's a Muslim that's wrong. If you're against someone because he's a Christian or a Jew, that's wrong".[201]

 
Ali attending a Saviours' Day celebration in 1974

In a 2004 autobiography, Ali attributed his conversion to mainstream Sunni Islam to Warith Deen Muhammad, who assumed leadership of the Nation of Islam upon the death of his father Elijah Muhammad, and persuaded the Nation's followers to become adherents of Sunni Islam. He said some people didn't like the change and stuck to Elijah's teachings, but he admired it and so left Elijah's teachings and became a follower of Sunni Islam.[202]

Ali had gone on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1972, which inspired him in a similar manner to Malcolm X, meeting people of different colors from all over the world giving him a different outlook and greater spiritual awareness.[203] In 1977, he said that, after he retired, he would dedicate the rest of his life to getting "ready to meet God" by helping people, charitable causes, uniting people and helping to make peace.[204] He went on another Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1988.[205]

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, he stated that "Islam is a religion of peace" and "does not promote terrorism or killing people", and that he was "angry that the world sees a certain group of Islam followers who caused this destruction, but they are not real Muslims. They are racist fanatics who call themselves Muslims." In December 2015, he stated that "True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so-called Islamic jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion", that "We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda", and that "political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam, and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is."[206]

He also developed an interest in Sufism, which he referenced in his autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly.[196][207][208] According to Ali's daughter, Hana Yasmeen Ali, who co-authored The Soul of a Butterfly with him, Ali was attracted to Sufism after reading the books of Inayat Khan, which contain Sufi teachings.[209][210]

Muhammad Ali received guidance from Islamic scholars such as Grand Mufti of Syria Al Marhum Al Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro, Hisham Kabbani, Imam Zaid Shakir, Hamza Yusuf, and Timothy J. Gianotti, who was at Ali's bedside during his last days and ensured that although his funeral was interfaith, it was still in accordance with Islamic rites and rituals.[211][212]

Beatles reunion plan

In 1976, inventor Alan Amron and businessman Joel Sacher partnered with Ali to promote The International Committee to Reunite the Beatles.[213] They asked fans worldwide to contribute a dollar each. Ali said the idea was not to use the proceeds for profit, but to establish an international agency to help poor children. "This is money to help people all over the world", he said. He added, "I love the music. I used to train to their music." He said a reunion of the Beatles "would make a lot of people happy."[214] The former Beatles were indifferent to the plan, which elicited only a tepid response from the public.[215] No reunion happened.

Entertainment career

Acting

Ali had a cameo role in the 1962 film version of Requiem for a Heavyweight, and during his exile from boxing, he starred in the short-lived 1969 Broadway musical, Buck White.[216][217] He also appeared in the documentary film Black Rodeo (1972) riding both a horse and a bull.

His autobiography The Greatest: My Own Story, written with Richard Durham, was published in 1975.[218] In 1977 the book was adapted into a film called The Greatest, in which Ali played himself and Ernest Borgnine played Angelo Dundee.

The film Freedom Road, made in 1978, features Ali in a rare acting role as Gideon Jackson, a former slave and Union (American Civil War) soldier in 1870s Virginia, who gets elected to the U.S. Senate and battles alongside former slaves and white sharecroppers to keep the land they have tended all their lives.[219]

Spoken word poetry and rap music

Ali often used rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, both for when he was trash talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism outside of boxing. He played a role in the shaping of the black poetic tradition, paving the way for The Last Poets in 1968, Gil Scott-Heron in 1970, and the emergence of rap music in the 1970s.[20] According to The Guardian, "Some have argued that" Ali was "the first rapper."[220]

In 1963, Ali released an album of spoken word music on Columbia Records titled, I Am the Greatest, and in 1964, he recorded a cover version of the rhythm and blues song "Stand by Me".[221][222] I Am the Greatest sold 500,000 copies, and has been identified as an early example of rap music and a precursor to hip hop.[223][224] It reached number 61 on the album chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award. He later received a second Grammy nomination, for "Best Recording for Children", with his 1976 spoken word novelty record, The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay.[22]

Ali was an influential figure in the world of hip hop music. As a "rhyming trickster", he was noted for his "funky delivery", "boasts", "comical trash talk", and "endless quotables."[21] According to Rolling Stone, his "freestyle skills" and his "rhymes, flow, and braggadocio" would "one day become typical of old school MCs" like Run–D.M.C. and LL Cool J, and his "outsized ego foreshadowed the vainglorious excesses of Kanye West, while his Afrocentric consciousness and cutting honesty pointed forward to modern bards like Rakim, Nas, Jay-Z, and Kendrick Lamar."[22] “I’ve wrestled with alligators, I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning and throw thunder in jail. You know I’m bad. Just last week, I murdered a rock, Injured a stone, Hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean, I make medicine sick[225]” "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.[226]” Ali spoke like no man the world had seen before. So confident in what he said; fluent, smooth, creative, and intimidating. He was a boxer and an activist, but he also had a role in influencing what now dominated pop-culture, hip-hop. In 2006, the documentary Ali Rap was produced by ESPN. Chuck D, a rapper for the band Public Enemy is the host.[227] Other rappers narrated the documentary as well, including Doug E Fresh, Ludacris and Rakim who all spoke on Ali's behalf in the film.

He has been cited as an inspiration by rappers such as LL Cool J,[21] Public Enemy's Chuck D,[228] Jay-Z, Eminem, Sean Combs, Slick Rick, Nas and MC Lyte.[229] Ali has been referenced in a number of hip hop songs, including Migos "Fight Night", The Game's "Jesus Piece", Nas' "The Message, The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", the Fugees' "Ready or Not", EPMD's "You're a Customer" and Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy wit It".[229]

Professional wrestling

Ali was involved with professional wrestling at different times in his career.

On June 1, 1976, as Ali was preparing for his bout with Inoki, he attended a match featuring Gorilla Monsoon. After the match was over, Ali removed his shirt and jacket and confronted professional wrestler Gorilla Monsoon in the ring after his match at a World Wide Wrestling Federation show in Philadelphia Arena. After dodging a few punches, Monsoon put Ali in an airplane spin and dumped him to the mat. Ali stumbled to the corner, where his associate Butch Lewis convinced him to walk away.[230]

On March 31, 1985, Ali was the special guest referee for the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania event.[231]

In 1995, Ali led a group of Japanese and American professional wrestlers, including his 1976 opponent Antonio Inoki and Ric Flair, 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.[140]

Television appearances

Muhammad Ali's fights were some of the world's most-watched television broadcasts, setting television viewership records. His most-watched fights drew an estimated 1–2 billion viewers worldwide between 1974 and 1980, and were the world's most-watched live television broadcasts at the time.[117] Outside of fights, he made many other television appearances. The following table lists known viewership figures of his non-fight television appearances. For television viewership figures of his fights, see Boxing career of Muhammad Ali: Television viewership.

Date Broadcast Region(s) Viewers Source
October 17, 1971 Parkinson (series 1, episode 14) United Kingdom 12,000,000 [citation needed]
January 25, 1974 Parkinson (series 3, episode 18) United Kingdom 12,000,000 [citation needed]
December 7, 1974 Parkinson United Kingdom 12,000,000 [citation needed]
March 28, 1977 49th Academy Awards United States 39,719,000 [232]
December 25, 1978 This Is Your Life ("Muhammad Ali") United States 60,000,000 [233]
October 24, 1979 Diff'rent Strokes ("Arnold's Hero") United States 41,000,000 [234]
January 17, 1981 Parkinson (series 10, episode 32) United Kingdom 12,000,000 [citation needed]
July 19, 1996 Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony Worldwide 3,500,000,000 [235]
United States 209,000,000 [236]
September 21, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes United States 60,000,000 [237]
January 4, 2007 Michael Parkinson's Greatest Entertainers United Kingdom 3,630,000 [238]
June 9, 2016 Muhammad Ali memorial service Worldwide 1,000,000,000 [239]
Total viewership Worldwide 4,692,349,000

Art

Ali was also an amateur artist and made dozens of drawings and paintings in the 1970s. In 1977, Rodney Hilton Brown, who owned an art gallery in NYC, asked Ali if he was interested in painting. Ali took him up on the offer and produced several paintings for him to sell. Brown is the author of “Muhammad Ali: The Untold Story: Painter, Poet and Prophet."[240] In October 2021, 26 of his drawings and arts were placed on auction and sold for close to $1 Million USD.[241][242]

Later years

By the end of his boxing career Ali had absorbed an estimated 200,000 hits.[243]

In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome, which sometimes results from head trauma from violent physical activities such as boxing.[23][244][245] Ali still remained active during this time, later participating as a guest referee at WrestleMania I.[246][247]

Philanthropy, humanitarianism and politics

 
Ali in an art gallery during his visit to Argentina in 1971

Ali was known for being a humanitarian[248] and philanthropist.[249][250] 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.[251] 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.[252]

Ali began visiting Africa, starting in 1964 when he visited Nigeria and Ghana.[253] In 1974, he visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Southern Lebanon, where Ali declared "support for the Palestinian struggle to liberate their homeland."[254] In 1978, following his loss to Spinks and before winning the rematch, Ali visited Bangladesh and received honorary citizenship there.[255][2] 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.[256]

In early 1980, Ali was recruited by President Jimmy Carter for a diplomatic mission to Africa, in an effort to persuade a number of African governments to join the US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics (in response to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan). Having arrived in Tanzania, Ali told cameras "Russia is invading a Muslim country, Asiatic country", and that its probable intention to head to oil-rich Persia to take dwells and ports "could lead to nuclear war. My purpose in coming here was to try to stop that."[257] However, according to Ali biographer Thomas Hauser, "at best, it was ill-conceived; at worst, a diplomatic disaster." The Tanzanian government was insulted that Carter had sent an athlete to discuss a serious political issue. One official asked whether the United States would "send Chris Evert to negotiate with London." Consequently, Ali was only received by the youth and culture minister, rather than President Julius Nyerere. Ali was unable to explain why the African countries should join the US boycott when it had failed to support the African boycott of the 1976 Olympics (in protest of Apartheid in South Africa), and was unaware that the Soviet Union was sponsoring popular revolutionary movements in Africa. Ali conceded "They didn't tell me about that in America", and complained that Carter had sent him "around the world to take the whupping over American policies."[258][259] The Nigerian government also rebuffed him and confirmed that they would be participating in the Moscow games. Ali did, however, convince the government of Kenya to boycott the Olympics.[260]

On January 19, 1981, in Los Angeles, Ali talked a suicidal man down from jumping off a ninth-floor ledge, an event that made national news.[261][262]

 
President Ronald Reagan with Ali in the Oval Office in 1983

In 1984, Ali announced his support for the re-election of United States President Ronald Reagan. When asked to elaborate on his endorsement of Reagan, Ali told reporters, "He's keeping God in schools and that's enough."[263] In 1985, he visited Israel to request the release of Muslim prisoners at Atlit detainee camp, which Israel declined.[264]

Around 1987, the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution selected Ali to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Ali rode on a float at the following year's Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.S. Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration.[265] In 1988, during the First Intifada, Ali participated in a Chicago rally in support of Palestine.[254] The same year, he visited Sudan to raise awareness about the plight of famine victims.[266] According to Politico, Ali supported Orrin Hatch politically.[267] In 1989, he participated in an Indian charity event with the Muslim Educational Society in Kozhikode, Kerala, along with Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar.[205]

 
Ali in 1997

In 1990, Ali traveled to Iraq prior to the Gulf War, and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali secured the release of the hostages, in exchange for promising Hussein that he would bring America "an honest account" of Iraq. Despite arranging the hostages release, he received criticism from President George H. W. Bush, and Joseph C. Wilson, the highest-ranking American diplomat in Baghdad.[268][269]

Ali cooperated with Thomas Hauser on a biography, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. The oral history was released in 1991.

In 1994, Ali campaigned to the United States government to come to the aid of refugees afflicted by the Rwandan genocide, and to donate to organizations helping Rwandan refugees.[251]

In 1996, he lit the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. It was watched by an estimated 3.5 billion viewers worldwide.[235]

On November 17, 2002, Ali went to Afghanistan as the "U.N. Messenger of Peace."[270] He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN.[271]

On September 1, 2009, Ali visited Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, the home of his great-grandfather, Abe Grady, who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, eventually settling in Kentucky.[272]

On July 27, 2012, Ali was a titular bearer of the Olympic flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson's syndrome rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium.[273] The same year, he was awarded the Philadelphia Liberty Medal in recognition of his lifelong efforts in activism, philanthropy and humanitarianism.[265][248]

Earnings

By 1978, Ali's total fight purse earnings were estimated to be nearly $60 million[274] (inflation-adjusted $337 million), including an estimated $47.45 million grossed between 1970 and 1978.[275] By 1980, his total fight purse earnings were estimated to be up to $70 million[276] (inflation-adjusted $334 million).

In 1978, Ali revealed that he was "broke" and several news outlets reported his net worth to be an estimated $3.5 million[275] (inflation-adjusted $15 million). The press attributed his decline in wealth to several factors, including taxes consuming at least half of his income, management taking a third of his income,[275] his lifestyle, and spending on family, charity and religious causes.[276]

In 2006, Ali sold his name and image for $50 million,[277] after which Forbes estimated his net worth to be $55 million in 2006.[278] Following his death in 2016, his fortune was estimated to be between $50 million and $80 million.[279]

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[280][281]

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.[282]

 
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.[283]

In February 2013, Ali's brother Rahman Ali said Muhammad could no longer speak and could be dead within days.[284] 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.[285] On December 20, 2014, Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of pneumonia.[286] 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.[287] He was released the next day.[288]

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.[289][290][291][292]

News coverage and tributes

Following Ali's death, he was the number-one trending topic on Twitter for over 12 hours and on Facebook for several days. BET played their documentary Muhammad Ali: Made In Miami. ESPN played four hours of non-stop commercial-free coverage of Ali. News networks, such as ABC News, BBC, CNN, and Fox News, also covered him extensively.

He was mourned globally, and a family spokesman said the family "certainly believes that Muhammad was a citizen of the world ... and they know that the world grieves with him."[293] Politicians such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, David Cameron and more paid tribute to Ali. Ali also received numerous tributes from the world of sports including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, the Miami Marlins, LeBron James, Steph Curry and more. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer stated, "Muhammad Ali belongs to the world. But he only has one hometown."[293]

The day after Ali's death, the UFC paid tribute to Ali at their UFC 199 event in a lengthy video tribute package, crediting Ali for his accomplishments and inspiring multiple UFC champions.[294]

Memorial

External video
  "Muhammad Ali Memorial Service", C-SPAN[295]
 
Ali's headstone, with an inscription of his quote: "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room in heaven"

Ali's funeral had been pre-planned by himself and others for several years prior to his actual death.[296] The services began in Louisville on June 9, 2016, with an Islamic Janazah prayer service at Freedom Hall on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center. The Janazah prayer was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[297] On June 10, 2016, the funeral procession passed through the streets of Louisville ending at Cave Hill Cemetery, where his body was interred during a private ceremony. A public memorial service for Ali at downtown Louisville's KFC Yum! Center was held during the afternoon of June 10.[298][299][300] Billy Crystal gave the eulogy. The pallbearers included Will Smith, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, with honorary pallbearers including George Chuvalo, Larry Holmes and George Foreman.[301] Ali's memorial was watched by an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide.[239]

If the measure of greatness is to gladden the heart of every human being on the face of the earth, then he truly was the greatest. In every way he was the bravest, the kindest and the most excellent of men.

— Tribute from Bob Dylan.[302]

Legacy

Ali remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times, and was involved in more Ring "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He was one of only three boxers to be named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated. Muhammad Ali was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in its first year and held wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees during an era that has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. The Associated Press ranked him as the second best boxer and best heavyweight of the 20th century.[8] His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years.[note 1][note 2][303][304][305]

 
President George W. Bush embraces Ali after presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, during ceremonies at the White House.

In 1978, three years before Ali's permanent retirement, the Louisville Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, voted 6–5 to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard. This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen. Earlier that year, a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky) considered renaming Ali's alma mater, Central High School, in his honor, but the motion failed to pass. In time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.[306]

Ali was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life magazine in 1990. In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete, out of over 800 dead or living athletes, in America. The study found that over 97% of Americans over 12 years of age identified both Ali and Ruth.[307] He was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

At the end of the 20th century he was ranked at or near the top of most lists of the century's greatest athletes. He was crowned Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated.[308] Named BBC's Sports Personality of the Century, he received more votes than the other five candidates combined.[309][7] He was named Athlete of the Century by USA Today, and ranked as the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.[310]

In 1999, Time magazine named Ali one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.[311] On January 8, 2001, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton.[312] In November 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush,[313][314] followed by the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold of the UN Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work with the civil rights movement and the United Nations, which he received on December 17, 2005.[315]

 
The Muhammad Ali Center, alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville, Kentucky's riverfront

On November 19, 2005, Ali and his wife Lonnie Ali opened the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville.[158] In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth. On June 5, 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony.[316]

Ali Mall, located in Araneta Center, Quezon City, Philippines, is named after him. Construction of the mall, the first of its kind in the Philippines, began shortly after Ali's victory in a match with Joe Frazier in nearby Araneta Coliseum in 1975. The mall opened in 1976 with Ali attending its opening.[317]

The 1976 Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki fight played an important role in the history of mixed martial arts.[318] In Japan, the match inspired Inoki's students Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki to found Pancrase in 1993, which in turn inspired the foundation of Pride Fighting Championships in 1997. Pride was acquired by its rival, Ultimate Fighting Championship, in 2007.[319][320]

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was introduced in 1999 and passed in 2000, to protect the rights and welfare of boxers in the United States. In May 2016, a bill was introduced to United States Congress by Markwayne Mullin, a politician and former MMA fighter, to extend the Ali Act to mixed martial arts.[321] In June 2016, US senator Rand Paul proposed an amendment to the US draft laws named after Ali, a proposal to eliminate the Selective Service System.[322]

In 2015, Sports Illustrated renamed its Sportsman Legacy Award to the Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. The annual award was originally created in 2008 and honors former "sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world." Ali first appeared on the magazine's cover in 1963 and went on to be featured on numerous covers during his storied career.[323]

On January 13, 2017, the Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Act was introduced into the 115th Congress (2017–2019), but was not enacted.[324][325]

In media and popular culture

As a world champion boxer, social activist, sex symbol and pop culture icon, Ali was the subject of numerous creative works including books, films, music, video games, TV shows, and other. Muhammad Ali was often dubbed the world's "most famous" person in the media.[326][327][328] Several of his fights were watched by an estimated 1–2 billion viewers between 1974 and 1980, and his lighting of the torch at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was watched by an estimated 3.5 billion viewers.[235]

 
Muhammad Ali pop art painting by John Stango

Ali appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on 38 different occasions,[329] second only to Michael Jordan's 46.[330] He also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine 5 times,[331] the most of any athlete.[citation needed] In 2015, Harris Poll found that Ali was one of the three most recognizable athletes in the United States, along with Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth.[332]

Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee was influenced by Ali, whose footwork he studied and incorporated into his own style while developing Jeet Kune Do in the 1960s.[333]

On the set of Freedom Road Ali met Canadian singer-songwriter Michel,[334] and subsequently helped create Michel's album The First Flight of the Gizzelda Dragon and an unaired television special featuring them both.[335]

Ali was the subject of the British television program This Is Your Life in 1978 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.[citation needed] Ali was featured in Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, a 1978 DC Comics comic book pitting the champ against the superhero. In 1979, Ali guest-starred as himself in an episode of the NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. The show's title itself was inspired by the quote "Different strokes for different folks" popularized in 1966 by Ali, who also inspired the title of the 1967 Syl Johnson song "Different Strokes", one of the most sampled songs in pop music history.[336]

He also wrote several bestselling books about his career, including The Greatest: My Own Story and The Soul of a Butterfly. The Muhammad Ali effect, named after Ali, is a term that came into use in psychology in the 1980s, as he stated in The Greatest: My Own Story: "I only said I was the greatest, not the smartest."[218] According to this effect, when people are asked to rate their intelligence and moral behavior in comparison to others, people will rate themselves as more moral, but not more intelligent than others.[337][338]

When We Were Kings, a 1996 documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[339] The 2001 biopic Ali garnered a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Will Smith for his portrayal of Ali.[340] Prior to making the film, Smith rejected the role until Ali requested that he accept it. Smith said the first thing Ali told him was: "Man, you're almost pretty enough to play me."[341]

In 2002, Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the entertainment industry.[342] His star is the only one to be mounted on a vertical surface, out of deference to his request that the name Muhammad—a name he shares with the Islamic prophet—not be walked upon.[343][344]

His 1966 fight against George Chuvalo was the subject of Joseph Blasioli's 2003 documentary film The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali.[345]

The Trials of Muhammad Ali, a documentary directed by Bill Siegel that focuses on Ali's refusal of the draft during the Vietnam War, opened in Manhattan on August 23, 2013.[92][346] A 2013 made-for-TV movie titled Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight dramatized the same aspect of Ali's life.

Antoine Fuqua's documentary What's My Name: Muhammad Ali was released in 2019.

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns created the four-part documentary film Muhammad Ali, spanning over eight hours on Ali's life. Burns worked on the film from early 2016 and it was released in September 2021 on PBS.[347][348] Dave Zirin, who watched an 8-hour rough cut of this documentary, called it "utterly outstanding" and said "the footage they found will blow minds".[349]

Professional boxing record

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[350] 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.

Discography

See also

Notes

  1. ^ These records are shared with Joe Louis and José Napoles, respectively. Both these records were eventually beaten by Wladimir Klitschko.
  2. ^ Some sources claim that Joe Louis has actually defeated 22 fighters for the world heavyweight title; that would make Louis the sole holder of the eventually broken record.

References

  1. ^ "Muhammad Ali: The greatest monument to the great one". MediaWorks TV. March 31, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Muhammad Ali, We Still Love You: Unsteady Dreams of a "Muslim International"". The New Inquiry. June 19, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Boxing record for Muhammad Ali from BoxRec (registration required). Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  4. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). "Ali". Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0. the former boxer Muhammad Ali pronounces ɑːˈliː
  5. ^ Peter, Josh (July 11, 2016). "Why Muhammad Ali never legally changed name from Cassius Clay". USA Today. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Muhammad Ali". ESPN. January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Donelson, Tom (July 14, 2008). "Was Ali the Greatest Heavyweight?". Boxinginsider.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "AP Fighters of the Century list". Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d Hauser, Thomas. "The Importance of Muhammad Ali". Gilder Lehrman Institute.
  10. ^ a b c Roberts, Randy (1991). Winning is the Only Thing: Sports in America Since 1945. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 171–172.
  11. ^ "Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction". History.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Hallett, Alison. "Not So Fast". Portland Mercury. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Rhoden, William C. (June 20, 2013). "In Ali's Voice From the Past, a Stand for the Ages". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Keating, Steve (March 5, 2021). "Ali, Frazier 'Fight of the Century' still packs a punch 50 years on". Reuters. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Kang, Jay Caspian (April 4, 2013). "The End and Don King". Grantland. ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  16. ^ McDougall, Christopher (2014). The Best American Sports Writing 2014. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-544-14700-3.
  17. ^ . YouTube. September 26, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  18. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Muhammad Ali – Pre Liston Poetry & Highlights". YouTube. February 12, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  19. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Muhammad Ali Famous Interview After Defeating Foreman". YouTube. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  20. ^ a b Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (June 9, 2016). "Muhammad Ali, the Political Poet". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  21. ^ a b c Reeves, Mosi (June 4, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  22. ^ a b c d Rubin, Mike (June 5, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  23. ^ a b Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (September 20, 1984). "Change In Drug Helps Ali Improve". The New York Times. pp. D–29. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  24. ^ AP "Muhammad Ali's doctor doubts boxing led to Parkinson's", Associated Press via CBC, June 6. 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Johnson, Rafer (2002). Great Athletes. Vol. 1 (revised ed.). Salem Press. pp. 38–41. ISBN 978-1-58765-008-6.
  26. ^ "Barber Can Relax Hair". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 15, 1997. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  27. ^ "Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., Former Champion's Father, 77". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 10, 1990. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  28. ^ Egerton, John (1991). Shades of Gray: Dispatches from the Modern South. LSU Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0807117057. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  29. ^ "Muhammad Ali: Boxer's ancestral Irish town pays tribute after death". BBC. June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  30. ^ "Ali has Irish ancestry". BBC News. February 9, 2002. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  31. ^ Reitwiesner, Williams Addams. "Ancestry of Muhammad Ali".
  32. ^ "Muhammad Ali's Irish roots". IrishCentral.com. June 3, 2020.
  33. ^ "Muhammad Ali: Boxer's ancestral Irish town pays tribute after death". BBC News. June 4, 2016.
  34. ^ "DNA evidence links Muhammad Ali to heroic slave, family says". Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  35. ^ Alexander, Archer (ca. 1810–1879) at the Online Encyclopedia of Significant People and Places in African American History (BlackPast.org); by Susan J. Griffith; published 2011; retrieved October 5, 2013.
  36. ^ Hauser 2004, p. 14
  37. ^ a b Eig, Jonathan (2017). Ali: A Life: Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781471155963.
  38. ^ Hampton, Henry; Fayer, Steve; Flynn, Sarah (1990). Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s. Bantam Books. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-553-05734-8.
  39. ^ Gorn, Elliott (1998). Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ. University of Illinois Press. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-0-252-06721-1.
  40. ^ Kandel, Elmo (April 1, 2006). . Article Click. Elmo Kandel. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  41. ^ . University of Florida. Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
  42. ^ The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey. Simon and Schuster. 2013. p. 18.
  43. ^ Fernandez, Pedro Fernandez (September 2, 2007). . RingTalk. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  44. ^ Gray, Geoffey (June 4, 2016). "How Muhammad Ali Became a Boxer – Daily Intelligencer". New York. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  45. ^ Ward, Nathan (October 2006). . American Heritage. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g h Hauser 2004
  47. ^ Calkins, Matt (November 17, 2014). "Archie Moore was the KO king". U-T San Diego. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  48. ^ Krantz, Les (2008). Ali in Action: The Man, the Moves, the Mouth. Globe Pequot. ISBN 9781599213026. Retrieved June 15, 2016 – via Google Books.
  49. ^ Velin, Bob (June 4, 2016). "Fight by fight: Muhammad Ali's legendary career". USA Today. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  50. ^ Bob Mee, Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear, 2011.
  51. ^ Capouya, John (December 12, 2005). . Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  52. ^ Burkholder, Denny (June 6, 2016). "How Muhammad Ali's fascination with pro wrestling fueled his career, inspired MMA". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  53. ^ Irusta, Carlos (January 17, 2012). "Dundee: Ali was, still is 'The Greatest'". ESPN. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  54. ^ Haygood, Wil (2011). Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson. Chicago Review Press. p. 378. ISBN 9781569768648. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  55. ^ King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, p. 147, at Google Books Remnick (1998), p. 147
  56. ^ a b Lipsyte, Robert (February 26, 1964). "Clay Wins Title in Seventh-Round Upset As Liston Is Halted by Shoulder Injury". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  57. ^ Sugar, Bert Randolph (2003). Bert Sugar on Boxing: The Best of the Sport's Most Notable Writer. Globe Pequot. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-59228-048-3.
  58. ^ In an interview in 1974, Ali said that, prior to his later fight with Foreman, a one-time member of Liston's entourage offered him a liniment that could be applied to boxing gloves and that would cause a blinding, temporary stinging of the eyes. Video on YouTube
  59. ^ McLeod, Kembrew, Pranksters: Making Mischief in the Modern World, pp. 223–224.
  60. ^ "Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Liston – 1964 Boxen". YouTube.
  61. ^ Cuddy, Jack (November 14, 1964). "Clay Undergoes Surgery; Fight Is Off Indefinitely". The Bridgeport Telegram. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  62. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston I & II – Highlights (Ali Becomes World Champion & Phantom Punch Fight!)". YouTube. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  63. ^ Anderson, Dave (January 16, 1992). "Sports of The Times; On His 50th, Ali Is Still 'The Greatest'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  64. ^ Vachss, Andrew (2003). Only Child. Vintage. p. 89. Vachss further explains the way such a fix would have been engineered in . Pantheon. 2005. pp. 160–165, 233. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  65. ^ a b Belth, Alex (August 27, 2012). . Sports on Earth. Sports on Earth. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  66. ^ "Boxing – Muhammad Ali – Rank Cinema, Wardour Street, London". GettyImages. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  67. ^ Ezra, Michael (2013). The Economic Civil Rights Movement: African Americans and the Struggle for Economic Power. Routledge. p. 105. ISBN 9781136274756.
  68. ^ Shalit, Nevin I. (July 15, 1980). "Muhammad Ali: Losing the Real Title". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  69. ^ Dundee, Angelo; Maule, Tex (August 28, 1967). "He Could Go To Jail And Still Be Champ". Sports Illustrated.
  70. ^ Maule, Tex (February 13, 1967). . Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013.
  71. ^ a b Metz, Nina (August 31, 2013). "The trials of a Chicago director making Muhammad Ali doc". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  72. ^ a b c Foley, Michael (2003), , University of North Carolina Press, ISBN 978-0-8078-5436-5, archived from the original on October 16, 2015
  73. ^ "Clay may be put into 1-A class today". Lodi News-Sentinel. United Press International. February 10, 1967. p. 13.
  74. ^ a b Neel, Eric. "Page2 – Muhammad Ali from A to Z". ESPN. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  75. ^ Network, Warfare History. . The National Interest. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  76. ^ Remnick, David (1998). King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero. Random House. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-375-50065-7.
  77. ^ Haas, Jeffrey (2009). The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther. Lawrence Hill Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-55652-765-4.
  78. ^ Reemstsma, Jean (1999). More Than a Champion: The Style of Muhammad Ali. New York: Vintage. ISBN 978-0-375-70005-7. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  79. ^ "Remembering Cleveland's Muhammad Ali Summit, 45 years later", Branson Wright for The Plain Dealer via Cleveland.com, June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  80. ^ "Conversation with Muhammad Ali". WGBH, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. July 7, 1968. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  81. ^ "Cassius Marsellus CLAY, Jr. also known as Muhammad Ali, Petitioner, v. United States". LII / Legal Information Institute.
  82. ^ . Time. February 27, 1978. p. 5. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  83. ^ "Cassius Marsellus Clay, Jr. also known as Muhammad Ali, Petitioner, v. United States. | LII / Legal Information Institute". Law.cornell.edu. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  84. ^ "Clay v. United States | The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law". Oyez.org. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  85. ^ Star-Ledger, Jerry Izenberg | For The (June 4, 2016). "Why I called Muhammad Ali my friend". nj. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  86. ^ Wolfson, Andrew. "Muhammad Ali lost everything in opposing the Vietnam War. But in 1968, he triumphed". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  87. ^ "Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar". Digital.wustl.edu. March 3, 1989. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  88. ^ "Muhammad Ali: The man who changed his sport and his country". BBC. June 5, 2016.
  89. ^ Ezra, Michael (2009). "Muhammad Ali's Main Bout: African American Economic Power and the World Heavyweight Title". Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon. Temple University Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781592136612.
  90. ^ "Dundee: Ali was, still is 'The Greatest'". ESPN. January 17, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  91. ^ Whitcomb, Dan "Former Ali promoter Bob Arum recalls boxer's impact on society", Reuters, June 5, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  92. ^ a b Rapold, Nicolas (August 22, 2013). "One of His Biggest Fights Was Outside of the Ring". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  93. ^ Zirin, Dave (June 4, 2016). "The Hidden History of Muhammad Ali". Jacobin. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  94. ^ a b Pilkington, Ed (September 26, 2013). "Declassified NSA files show agency spied on Muhammad Ali and MLK". The Guardian. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  95. ^ Medsger, Betty (June 6, 2016). "In 1971, Muhammad Ali Helped Undermine the FBI's Illegal Spying on Americans". The Intercept. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  96. ^ "Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction". History.
  97. ^ Glanton, Dahleen. "Muhammad Ali's exile years in Chicago: 'Learning about life'". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  98. ^ Tinsley, Justin (January 17, 2018). "What if the Muhammad Ali we knew had never existed?". Andscape. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  99. ^ "Case of Muhammad Ali: The Ultimate Civil Disobedience". The Austin American. May 3, 1967. p. 24.
  100. ^ "Secret Honeymoon of the Champ: Muhammad Ali joins Muslim speaking tour with his wedding trip". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. 23 (1): 146–151 (151). November 1967.
  101. ^ a b "Ali vs. Marciano: Who wins?". The Enterprise. September 1, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  102. ^ "The forgotten story of ... the Rocky Marciano v Muhammad Ali Super Fight". The Guardian. November 13, 2012.
  103. ^ Bingham, Howard; Wallace, Max (2000). Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. the United States of America. M. Evans. p. 218. ISBN 9780871319005.
  104. ^ Matthew (October 1, 2005). "Knockout: An oral history of Muhammad Ali, Atlanta, and the fight nobody wanted". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  105. ^ "Clay granted New York ring license". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. September 15, 1970. p. B4.
  106. ^ "Ali's Remark Ended Wilt's Ring Career". Los Angeles Times. January 15, 1989. Morning Briefing.
  107. ^ O'Reilly, Terry (March 3, 2016). "Achilles Heel Advertising: Repositioning the Competition". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  108. ^ "Victor, at 220½, in Command of Houston Bout". The New York Times. July 27, 1971. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  109. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Muhammad Ali – The Rumble In The Jungle(Interview)". YouTube. March 22, 1967. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  110. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Muhammad Ali Inspirational Speech (Cassius Clay Boxing Motivation)". YouTube. September 14, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  111. ^ Foreman, George (January 2012). "George Foreman on why Muhammad Ali was so much more than a 'boxer'". ShortList. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  112. ^ "Zaire's fight promotion opens new gold mines". The Morning Herald. November 18, 1974.
  113. ^ "Ali Regains Title, Flooring Foreman". The New York Times. October 30, 1974.
  114. ^ "Rumble in the Jungle: the night Ali became King of the World again". The Guardian. October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  115. ^ "Revisiting 'The Rumble in the Jungle' 40 years later". USA Today. October 29, 2014.
  116. ^ "Mike Tyson May Fight George Foreman In Biggest Money Match: $80 Million". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 88 (19): 46. September 18, 1995.
  117. ^ a b . Inquisitr. May 19, 2018. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  118. ^ Schneiderman, R. M. (August 10, 2006). "Stallone Settles With The 'Real' Rocky". Forbes.
  119. ^ Blaine Henry (May 18, 2019). "History Lesson: Thrilla in Manila". Fight-Library.com.
  120. ^ . www.jhoonrhee.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  121. ^ "Champion Ali Quits Boxing". The Paris News. October 1, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  122. ^ Read Peter Finney's column on Ali vs. Spinks 2 at the Superdome in 1978, The Times-Picayune NOLA.com (New Orleans, LA.), re-posted on June 4, 2016.
  123. ^ Muhammad Ali, The Glory Years, Felix Dennis and Don Atyeo, p. 258.
  124. ^ The Last Flight of the Butterfly: Remembering Ali vs Spinks II, RingsideReport.com, Kevin "The Voice" Kincade, September 22, 2016.
  125. ^ "Muhammad Ali Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  126. ^ Koch, Ed. "Timeline: Fifty years of Las Vegas memories for Muhammad Ali". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  127. ^ Hale, Mike (October 26, 2009). "Boxing King Casts His Shadow, Even at Time of Defeat". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  128. ^ "Ali to try again?". The Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal. Associated Press. August 16, 1981. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  129. ^ "It's all over for Ali after loss". Lawrence Journal-World. Associated Press. December 12, 1981. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  130. ^ Nack, William (December 21, 1981). "Not with a bang but a whisper". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  131. ^ . The New York Times. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  132. ^ Aaron Tallent. "The Joke That Almost Ended Ali's Career". The Sweet Science. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  133. ^ "Muhammad Ali Boxing Football's Lyle Alzado". Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  134. ^ "Greatest Hockey Legends.com: Ali vs. Semenko - It Really Happened". Greatesthockeylegends.com. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  135. ^ . Doncholito.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  136. ^ a b c Tallent, Aaron (February 20, 2005). . The Sweet Science. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  137. ^ Mather, Victor (June 5, 2016). "Ali's Least Memorable Fight". The New York Times.
  138. ^ a b Gross, Josh (June 25, 2016). "Muhammad Ali's Forgotten Fight Was Also One of His Most Influential". Newsweek. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  139. ^ Burkholder, Denny (June 6, 2016). "How Muhammad Ali's fascination with pro wrestling fueled his career, inspired MMA". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  140. ^ a b Hall, Nick (April 29, 2020). "Collision in Korea: Pyongyang's historic socialism and spandex spectacular". NK News. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  141. ^ Vaughan, Kevin. . Denver Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  142. ^ "When Muhammad Ali fought hockey's heavyweight champ, Dave Semenko". ca.sports.yahoo.com.
  143. ^ Micklos, John Jr. (2010). Muhammad Ali: "I Am the Greatest". Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7660-3381-8.
  144. ^ a b "Ep. 6: "How Much You Gonna Pay Me?" - Rahman Ali". Ali: A Life.
  145. ^ Hauser, Thomas (2012). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Open Road Integrated Media. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-4532-4119-6.
  146. ^ Hauser, Thomas (2012). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Open Road Integrated Media. p. 288. ISBN 978-1-4532-4119-6.
  147. ^ "The Secrets of Ali: Former Wife of Boxing Champ Tells All". nbcmiami.com.
  148. ^ "Muhammad Ali's Daughter, May May Ali, Writes Children's Book About His Boxing Career". Jet. Vol. 104, no. 24. Johnson Publishing Company. December 8, 2003. pp. 38–39. ISSN 0021-5996 – via Google Books.
  149. ^ "Muhammad Ali's son shut off from dad, living in poverty". January 26, 2014.
  150. ^ "For Muhammad Ali's grandson, family legacy extends beyond the ring". WashingtonPost.com.
  151. ^ "Ali's camp now a bed and breakfast". ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  152. ^ a b . New York Daily News. March 18, 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  153. ^ "Former three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali agreed Tuesday ..." UPI. January 28, 1986.
  154. ^ . Lifetime. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  155. ^ a b "Muhammad Ali's ex-wife reveals details about their secret wedding". USA Today. June 6, 2016.
  156. ^ "Muhammad Ali's Ex-Wives Forgave His Infidelity". People.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  157. ^ "Muhammad Ali's Ex-Wives Forgave His Infidelity". People.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  158. ^ a b c d Crouse, Karen (June 9, 2016). "Muhammad Ali Was Her First, and Greatest, Love". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  159. ^ Allen, Nick (June 5, 2016), "Could Muhammad Ali's $80m fortune become subject of bitter legal battle?", The Daily Telegraph.
  160. ^ "Muhammad Ali confesses illness put a stop to his 'girl chasing,' but his son is just starting". Jet. Vol. 91, no. 10. Johnson Publishing Company. January 27, 1997. pp. 32–33. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved March 14, 2017 – via Google Books.
  161. ^ Miller, Davis (September 12, 1993). "Still Larger Than Life – To Millions, Muhammad Ali Will Always Be The Champ". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  162. ^ Laufenberg, Norbert B. (2005). Entertainment Celebrities. Trafford Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-4120-5335-8. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  163. ^ Bollinger, Rhett. "Angels draft boxing legend Ali's son". Major League Baseball. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  164. ^ Bucktin, Christopher (September 13, 2014). "Muhammad Ali's secret daughter begs to see boxing legend one more time 'before he dies'". Daily Mirror. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  165. ^ Ofori-Mensah (June 5, 2016). "6 Facts About Kiiursti Mensah Ali, Muhammed Ali's Ghanaian Daughter You Need To Know (sic)". omgvoice.com. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  166. ^ Foster, Peter; Allen, Nick (June 4, 2016). "Muhammad Ali's tangled love life leaves troubled legacy". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  167. ^ "Ali's alleged lovechild talks to tabloids". The Daily Express. February 11, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  168. ^ "An 18-year-old woman has filed suit seeking $3 million ..." United Press International. April 24, 1981. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  169. ^ "Temica Williams a/k/a Rebecca Jean Holloway, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Muhammad Ali, Defendant-Appellee". All Court Data. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  170. ^ Eig, Jonathan (2017). Ali: A Life: Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 978-1-4711-5596-3.
  171. ^ Eig, Jonathan (2017). Ali: A Life. London: Simon & Schuster. p. 416. ISBN 978-1471155932. OCLC 968294310.
  172. ^ "'Ali: A Life': A biography that's not The Greatest – The Ring". The Ring. September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  173. ^ . United Press International. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  174. ^ Brewer, Dale (September 16, 2018). "When Ali was King". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  175. ^ Shafer, Sheldon S. (January 25, 2007). (PDF). The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  176. ^ Patricia Sheridan (December 3, 2007) "Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Lonnie Ali" January 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  177. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : Day at Night: Muhammad Ali, legendary boxing champion. Event occurs at 21:50.
  178. ^ "Interview with Muhammad Ali". digital.wustl.edu. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  179. ^ "Oprah Talks to Muhammad Ali". Oprah.com. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  180. ^ "Laila Ali". Womenboxing.com. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  181. ^ "Boxing- Muhammad Ali". Womenboxing.com. June 8, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  182. ^ "Laila Ali, With Her Father Watching, Stays Undefeated". New York Times. June 12, 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  183. ^ Cepeda, Elias (June 4, 2016). "Kevin Casey will fight at UFC 199 despite passing of father-in-law Muhammad Ali". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  184. ^ Mohammed, Sagal (September 2, 2018). "My dad, the greatest: Hana Ali recalls the crushing heartache that would haunt her father his whole life". You Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  185. ^ Hauser, Thomas (June 17, 2016). "Muhammad Ali: They Look Like They're Happy Together". HuffPost. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  186. ^ a b Mitchell, Kevin (June 4, 2016). "From the Vietnam war to Islam – the key chapters in Ali's life". The Guardian. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  187. ^ "Muslim Charge Clams Up Clay". The Pittsburgh Press. February 7, 1964.
  188. ^ Schwartz, Larry. "He is simply ... The Greatest". ESPN. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  189. ^ Steinberg, Neil (June 4, 2016). "For a time, Ali called Chicago home". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  190. ^ a b "History website, Muhammad Ali: "Cassius Clay is my slave name"". BBC. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  191. ^ Gonzalez, Susan (June 9, 2016). "Muhammad Ali originally named for ardent abolitionist and Yale alumnus Cassius Clay". Yale News. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  192. ^ a b "Heritage of a Heavyweight". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  193. ^ "'I am America': Muhammad Ali's fight for civil rights". 9News, Australia. Agence France-Presse. June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  194. ^ Handler, M. S. (March 9, 1964). "Malcolm X Splits with Muhammad". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2008. (subscription required)
  195. ^ "The Champ and Mr. X". National Review. February 29, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  196. ^ a b Ali, Muhammad; Ali, Hana Yasmeen (2004). The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-6286-6. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  197. ^ Garcia, Courtney (September 6, 2013). "'Trials of Muhammad Ali' highlights boxer's anti-war opposition". theGrio. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  198. ^ Mogul, Priyanka (June 4, 2016). "Muhammad Ali: Why the boxing legend converted to Islam and refused to serve in the Vietnam War". International Business Times. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  199. ^ Bercaw, Nancy; Ownby, Ted (eds.). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 13: Gender. p. 291.
  200. ^ "Muhammad Ali discussing his meeting with the KKK while with the Nation of Islam". YouTube.
  201. ^ Hauser, Thomas (1992). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-77971-9.
  202. ^ Ali, Muhammad; Ali, Hana Yasmeen (2013). The Soul of a Butterfly. Simon & Schuster. p. 85.
  203. ^ "Muhammed Ali's Pilgrimage to Makkah (sic)". Emel. No. 17. February 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  204. ^ Bryan, Chloe (June 4, 2016). "Muhammad Ali had a thought-provoking response when asked about his retirement plans". Mashable. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  205. ^ a b Rajeev, K R (June 5, 2016). "Muhammad Ali's visit was Kozhikode's knockout moment". The Times of India. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  206. ^ "Muhammad Ali: The face of 'real Islam'". Al Jazeera. June 6, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  207. ^ "Muhammad Ali: Five things you never knew about the boxing legend". CNN. April 28, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  208. ^ "Family, faith and magic tricks: My 40-year friendship with Muhammad Ali". The Telegraph. March 4, 2016. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  209. ^ . On Being. June 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  210. ^ "Muhammad Ali's New Spiritual Quest". Beliefnet. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  211. ^ "Timothy Gianotti – The Imam whose on Muhammad Ali's last days and funeral". On Being. June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  212. ^ "Prof. Gianotti plans Muhammad Ali's funeral and memorial service". On Being. June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  213. ^ Columbia Daily Spectator International Committee To Reunite The Beatles June 17, 1976. Retrieved on April 1, 2018.
  214. ^ Beatles Again Stan Mieses [1] Desert Sun Newspaper January 26, 1977. Retrieved on April 1, 2018
  215. ^ Can 200 Million Fans Reunite the Beatles The Daily Herald January 28, 1977. Retrieved on April 1, 2018.
  216. ^ Langer, Adam (November 28, 2019). "Muhammad Ali in a Broadway Musical? It Happened". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  217. ^ "Buck White". IBDB.
  218. ^ a b Ali, Muhammad; Durham, Richard (1975). The Greatest: My Own Story. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-46268-4. OCLC 1622063.
  219. ^ "Freedom Road". Imdb.
  220. ^ "Muhammad Ali's influence ran deep through rap's golden age". The Guardian. June 6, 2016.
  221. ^ . YouTube. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  222. ^ "Different versions of 'Stand By Me'". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  223. ^ Tinsley, Justin (June 8, 2016). "The Grammy-nominated Cassius Clay". Andscape.
  224. ^ . Rolling Stone. June 4, 2016. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  225. ^ "A quote by Muhammad Ali". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  226. ^ "30 of Muhammad Ali's best quotes". USA Today. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  227. ^ Berry, Ben (June 9, 2016). "The 10 Best Muhammad Ali References In Hip Hop". The Source. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  228. ^ "Muhammad Ali: The original rapper – Legendary emcee Chuck D of Public Enemy talks Ali's impact on hip-hop". Andscape. June 9, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  229. ^ a b "Jay Z, Eminem and more hip-hop luminaries remember Muhammad Ali". CBS News. June 9, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  230. ^ . boxinghalloffame.com. December 29, 2012. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  231. ^ Burkett, Harry, ed. (2007). "Historical Cards: WrestleMania I (03-31-1985)". PWI 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of facts. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania: London Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-25274-00389.
  232. ^ . TV By The Numbers. February 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016.
  233. ^ Hauser, Thomas (2012). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Anova Books. p. 431. ISBN 9781907554902.
  234. ^ "Diff'rent Strokes – The Complete Second Season DVD Review". Sitcoms Online. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  235. ^ a b c Hajeski, Nancy J. (2013). Ali: The Official Portrait of "The Greatest" of All Time. Simon and Schuster. p. 293. ISBN 9781607109839.
  236. ^ Toff, Benjamin (August 25, 2008). "Olympics Ratings Set Record". The New York Times.
  237. ^ "'Heroes' Telethon Raises $150 Million". Billboard. September 25, 2001. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  238. ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. January 7, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  239. ^ a b "Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Muhammad Ali Center. January 2017.
  240. ^ "Art by Muhammad Ali, boxing icon, sells for close to $1 million in New York auction". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  241. ^ Villa, Angelica (October 6, 2021). "Muhammad Ali's Little-Known Art Becomes a Hit at Auction". ARTnews.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  242. ^ Calfas, Jennifer (October 6, 2021). "Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali's Art Sells for Nearly $1 Million in Auction". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  243. ^ "A new biography of Muhammad Ali". The Economist. October 26, 2017.
  244. ^ "Ali Leaves Hospital Vowing to take better care of himself and get more sleep". The New York Times. September 22, 1984. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  245. ^ Friedman, J. H. (1989). "Progressive parkinsonism in boxers". Southern Medical Journal. 82 (5): 543–546. doi:10.1097/00007611-198905000-00002. PMID 2655100.
  246. ^ . Wwe.com. March 31, 1985. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  247. ^ McAvennie, Mike (January 17, 2007). "Happy Birthday to 'The Greatest'". WWE.com. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  248. ^ a b "Muhammad Ali Handed Humanitarian Honour". Sky News. September 14, 2012.
  249. ^ "A Tribute To Muhammad Ali: The Athlete, Philanthropist And Legend". Odyssey. June 6, 2016.
  250. ^ "Muhammad Ali". Biography.com. January 18, 2018.
  251. ^ a b Christopher, Paul J.; Smith, Alicia Marie (2006). Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition. Encouragement Press, LLC. p. 20. ISBN 9781933766096.
  252. ^ Ezra, Michael (2009). "Muhammad Ali's Main Bout: African American Economic Power and the World Heavyweight Title". Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon. Temple University Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781592136612.
  253. ^ "In pictures: Muhammad Ali's love affair with Africa". BBC News. June 9, 2016.
  254. ^ a b Zirin, Dave (June 8, 2016). "Andrew Cuomo Would Have Blacklisted Muhammad Ali". The Nation. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  255. ^ Rahman, Mizan (June 6, 2016). "Muhammad Ali's forgotten land in Bangladesh". Gulf Times. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  256. ^ Schilling, Vincent (June 4, 2016). . Indian Country Today Media Network. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  257. ^ Fuqua, Antoine (director) (2019). What's My Name: Muhammad Ali: Part II (Motion picture). HBO.
  258. ^ Hauser 2004, p. 397
  259. ^ "Muhammad Ali’s Strange, Failed Diplomatic Career", by Michael Ezra, Politico Magazine, June 5, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  260. ^ Cuddihy, Martin (June 9, 2016). "Muhammad Ali: Africa remembers the boxing legend". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  261. ^ Levin, Josh (June 4, 2016). "The Time Muhammad Ali Stopped a Man From Leaping to His Death". Slate.
  262. ^ "Ali Talks Would-Be Jumper Off Ninth-Floor Fire Escape". The Blade / Associated Press. January 20, 1981.
  263. ^ "CAMPAIGN NOTES; Muhammad Ali Switches His Support to Reagan". The New York Times. UPI. October 3, 1984. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  264. ^ "Muhammad Ali Steps into Ring". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. June 28, 1985. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  265. ^ a b . National Constitution Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  266. ^ Khaled, Ali (June 4, 2016). "How Muhammad Ali became a sporting hero to the Arab world". Al Arabiya. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  267. ^ Bresnahan, John. "Muhammad Ali and Orrin Hatch: An unlikely friendship". POLITICO.
  268. ^ Shenon, Philip (November 27, 1990). "MIDEAST TENSIONS; At Baghdad's Bazaar, Everyone Wants Hostages". The New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  269. ^ Brian Becker (June 10, 2016). "I was with Muhammad Ali on his hostage-release trip to Iraq — and the media has it all wrong". ANSWER Coalition. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  270. ^ . UN News Centre. December 13, 2002. Archived from the original on December 13, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  271. ^ . Getty Images. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
  272. ^ McDonald, Brian (August 12, 2009). "Fightin' talk as Ennis awaits Muhammed Ali (sic)". Irish Independent. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
  273. ^ Wilson, Stan (July 28, 2012). "Muhammad Ali returns to the Olympic stage, once again, in London". CNN. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  274. ^ "Corporal Spinks, you're the greatest!". The Age. February 17, 1978.
  275. ^ a b c "Muhammad Ali's Finances A Puzzle To News Media; 'I'm Broke,' He Quips". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 54 (4): 53. April 13, 1978.
  276. ^ a b "His Lifestyle, His Ex-Wives, His Expensive Entourage: They Explain Why Ali Took An $8 Million Beating". People. October 20, 1980.
muhammad, also, boxing, career, professional, boxing, record, cassius, clay, mohammad, redirect, here, other, uses, cassius, clay, disambiguation, mohammad, disambiguation, ɑː, born, cassius, marcellus, clay, january, 1942, june, 2016, american, professional, . See also Boxing career of Muhammad Ali and professional boxing record Cassius Clay and Mohammad Ali redirect here For other uses see Cassius Clay disambiguation and Mohammad Ali disambiguation Muhammad Ali ɑː ˈ l iː 4 born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr 5 January 17 1942 June 3 2016 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 frequently ranked as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time 6 7 8 In 1999 he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC Muhammad AliAli in 1967BornCassius Marcellus Clay Jr 1942 01 17 January 17 1942Louisville Kentucky U S DiedJune 3 2016 2016 06 03 aged 74 Scottsdale Arizona U S Resting placeCave Hill Cemetery LouisvilleMonumentsMuhammad Ali CenterMuhammad Ali Mural Los Angeles 1 NationalityAmericanBangladeshi 2 EducationCentral High School 1958 SpousesSonji Roi m 1964 div 1966 wbr Belinda Boyd m 1967 div 1977 wbr Veronica Porche Ali m 1977 div 1986 wbr Yolanda Williams m 1986 wbr Children9 including Laila see below ParentsCassius Marcellus Clay Sr Odessa Grady ClayRelativesRahman Ali brother Archer Alexander great great great grandfather Nico Ali Walsh grandson AwardsBoxing career of Muhammad Ali AccoladesBoxing careerStatisticsNickname s The Greatest The People s Champion The Louisville LipWeight s HeavyweightHeight6 ft 3 in 191 cm 3 Reach78 in 198 cm 3 StanceOrthodoxBoxing recordTotal fights61Wins56Wins by KO37Losses5SignatureBorn 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 became a Muslim 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 9 10 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 11 Ali s actions as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture of the 1960s generation 12 13 and he was a very high profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career 9 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 14 the Thrilla in Manila and his fight with George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle 15 16 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 17 18 19 He was famous for trash talking often free styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry incorporating elements of hip hop 20 21 22 He often predicted in which round he would knock out his opponent Outside boxing Ali attained success as a spoken word artist releasing two studio albums I Am the Greatest 1963 and The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs Mr Tooth Decay 1976 Both albums received Grammy Award nominations 22 He also featured as an actor and writer releasing two autobiographies Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and focused on religion philanthropy and activism In 1984 he made public his diagnosis of Parkinson s syndrome which some reports attributed to boxing related injuries 23 though he and his specialist physicians disputed this 24 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 Contents 1 Early life 2 Amateur career 3 Professional career 3 1 Early career 3 2 World heavyweight champion 3 2 1 Fights against Liston 3 2 2 Fight against Patterson 3 2 3 Main Bout 4 Draft resistance 4 1 Impact of Ali s draft refusal 4 2 NSA and FBI monitoring of Ali s communications 5 Exile and comeback 5 1 Protesting while exiled 5 2 The Super Fight 6 Return 6 1 Fight against Joe Frazier 6 2 Chamberlain challenge and Ellis fight 6 3 After his loss 6 3 1 Fights against Quarry Patterson Foster and Norton 6 3 2 Second fight against Joe Frazier 6 4 World heavyweight champion second reign 6 4 1 The Rumble in the Jungle 6 4 2 Fights against Wepner Lyle and Bugner 6 4 3 Third fight against Joe Frazier 6 5 Later career 6 5 1 Fight stoppage vs Larry Holmes 7 Exhibition bouts 7 1 Ali vs Inoki 7 2 Ali vs Alzado 7 3 Ali vs Semenko 8 Personal life 8 1 Marriages and children 8 2 Religion and beliefs 8 2 1 Affiliation with the Nation of Islam 8 2 2 Conversion to Sunni Sufi Islam 8 3 Beatles reunion plan 9 Entertainment career 9 1 Acting 9 2 Spoken word poetry and rap music 9 3 Professional wrestling 9 4 Television appearances 9 5 Art 10 Later years 10 1 Philanthropy humanitarianism and politics 10 2 Earnings 10 3 Declining health 11 Death 11 1 News coverage and tributes 11 2 Memorial 12 Legacy 13 In media and popular culture 14 Professional boxing record 15 Discography 16 See also 17 Notes 18 References 19 Further reading 19 1 Online 20 External linksEarly lifeCassius Marcellus Clay Jr ˈ k ae ʃ e s KASH ess was born on January 17 1942 in Louisville Kentucky 25 He had one brother He was named after his father Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr who had a sister and four brothers 26 27 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 28 He was a descendant of slaves of the antebellum South and was predominantly of African descent with Irish 29 and English family heritage 30 31 Ali s maternal great grandfather Abe Grady emigrated from Ennis Co Clare Ireland 32 33 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 34 Like Ali Alexander fought for his freedom 35 His father was a sign and billboard painter 25 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 36 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 37 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 9 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 38 39 Amateur career Cassius Clay and his trainer Joe E Martin January 1960 Clay was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E Martin 40 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 41 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 42 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 43 Clay defeated Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win gold in the 1960 Summer Olympics Clay made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 against local amateur boxer Ronnie O Keefe He won by split decision 44 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 45 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 46 Ali received a replacement medal at a basketball intermission during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta where he lit the torch to start the games Professional careerEarly career On site poster for Cassius Clay s fifth professional bout 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 47 48 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 might get locked up for murder The fight was later named Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine 49 In each of these fights Clay vocally belittled his opponents and vaunted his abilities He called Jones an ugly little man and Cooper a bum He said he was embarrassed to get in the ring with Alex Miteff and claimed that Madison Square Garden was too small for me 50 Ali s trash talk was inspired by professional wrestler Gorgeous George Wagner s after he saw George s talking ability attract huge crowds to events 51 Ali stated in a 1969 interview with the Associated Press Hubert Mizel that he met with George in Las Vegas in 1961 that George told him that talking a big game would earn paying fans who either wanted to see him win or wanted to see him lose thus Ali transformed himself into a self described big mouth and a bragger 52 In 1960 Clay left Moore s camp partially due to Clay s refusal to do chores such as washing dishes and sweeping To replace Moore Clay hired Angelo Dundee to be his trainer Clay had met Dundee in February 1957 during Clay s amateur career 53 Around this time Clay sought longtime idol Sugar Ray Robinson to be his manager but was rebuffed 54 World heavyweight champion Fights against Liston Main article Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston By late 1963 Clay had become the top contender for Sonny Liston s title The fight was set for February 25 1964 in Miami Beach Liston was an intimidating personality a dominating fighter with a criminal past and ties to the mob Based on Clay s uninspired performance against Jones and Cooper in his previous two fights and Liston s destruction of former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson in two first round knockouts Clay was a 7 1 underdog Despite this Clay taunted Liston during the pre fight buildup dubbing him the big ugly bear stating Liston even smells like a bear and claiming After I beat him I m going to donate him to the zoo 55 Clay turned the pre fight weigh in into a circus shouting at Liston that someone is going to die at ringside tonight Clay s pulse rate was measured at 120 more than double his normal 54 56 Many of those in attendance thought Clay s behavior stemmed from fear and some commentators wondered if he would show up for the bout The outcome of the fight was a major upset At the opening bell Liston rushed at Clay seemingly angry and looking for a quick knockout However Clay s superior speed and mobility enabled him to elude Liston making the champion miss and look awkward At the end of the first round Clay opened up his attack and hit Liston repeatedly with jabs Liston fought better in round two but at the beginning of the third round Clay hit Liston with a combination that buckled his knees and opened a cut under his left eye This was the first time Liston had ever been cut At the end of round four Clay was returning to his corner when he began experiencing blinding pain in his eyes and asked his trainer Angelo Dundee to cut off his gloves Dundee refused It has been speculated that the problem was due to ointment used to seal Liston s cuts perhaps deliberately applied by his corner to his gloves 56 Though unconfirmed boxing historian Bert Sugar said that two of Liston s opponents also complained about their eyes burning 57 58 Despite Liston s attempts to knock out a blinded Clay Clay was able to survive the fifth round until sweat and tears rinsed the irritation from his eyes In the sixth Clay dominated hitting Liston repeatedly Liston did not answer the bell for the seventh round and Clay was declared the winner by TKO Liston stated that the reason he quit was an injured shoulder Following the win a triumphant Clay rushed to the edge of the ring and pointing to the ringside press shouted Eat your words He added I am the greatest I shook up the world I m the prettiest thing that ever lived 59 At ringside post fight Clay appeared unconvinced that the fight was stopped due to a Liston shoulder injury saying that the only injury Liston had was an open eye a big cut eye When told by Joe Louis that the injury was a left arm thrown out of its socket Clay quipped Yeah swinging at nothing who wouldn t 60 In winning this fight at the age of 22 Clay became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion However Floyd Patterson remained the youngest to win the heavyweight championship doing so at the age 21 during an elimination bout following Rocky Marciano s retirement Mike Tyson broke both records in 1986 when he defeated Trevor Berbick to win the heavyweight title at age 20 Soon after the Liston fight Clay changed his name to Cassius X and then later to Muhammad Ali upon converting to Islam and affiliating with the Nation of Islam Ali then faced a rematch with Liston scheduled for May 1965 in Lewiston Maine It had been scheduled for Boston the previous November but was postponed for six months due to Ali s emergency surgery for a hernia three days before 61 The fight was controversial Midway through the first round Liston was knocked down by a difficult to see blow the press dubbed a phantom punch Referee Jersey Joe Walcott did not begin the count immediately after the knockdown as Ali refused to retreat to a neutral corner Liston rose after he had been down for about 20 seconds and the fight momentarily continued However a few seconds later Walcott having been informed by the timekeepers that Liston had been down for a count of 10 stopped the match and declared Ali the winner by knockout 62 The entire fight lasted less than two minutes 63 It has since been speculated that Liston purposely dropped to the ground Proposed motivations include threats on his life from the Nation of Islam that he had bet against himself and that he took a dive to pay off debts Slow motion replays show that Liston was jarred by a chopping right from Ali although it is unclear whether the blow was a genuine knockout punch 64 Fight against Patterson Main article Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson Ali defended his title against former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson on November 22 1965 Before the match Ali mocked Patterson who was widely known to call him by his former name Cassius Clay as an Uncle Tom calling him The Rabbit Although Ali clearly had the better of Patterson who appeared injured during the fight the match lasted 12 rounds before being called on a technical knockout Patterson later said he had strained his sacroiliac Ali was criticized in the sports media for appearing to have toyed with Patterson during the fight 65 Patterson biographer W K Stratton claims that the conflict between Ali and Patterson was not genuine but was staged to increase ticket sales and the closed circuit viewing audience with both men complicit in the theatrics Stratton also cites an interview by Howard Cosell in which Ali explained that rather than toying with Patterson he refrained from knocking him out after it became apparent Patterson was injured Patterson later said that he had never been hit by punches as soft as Ali s Stratton states that Ali arranged the second fight in 1972 with the financially struggling Patterson to help the former champion earn enough money to pay a debt to the IRS 65 Main Bout Ali watches replay of his March 1966 title fight against Henry Cooper 66 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 along with several others including Bob Arum 67 Ali and then WBA heavyweight champion boxer Ernie Terrell had agreed to meet for a bout in Chicago on March 29 1966 the WBA one of two boxing associations had stripped Ali of his title following his joining the Nation of Islam But in February Ali was reclassified by the Louisville draft board as 1 A from 1 Y and he indicated that he would refuse to serve commenting to the press I ain t got nothing against no Viet Cong no Viet Cong never called me nigger 68 Amidst the media and public outcry over Ali s stance the Illinois Athletic Commission refused to sanction the fight citing technicalities 69 Instead Ali traveled to Canada and Europe and won championship bouts against George Chuvalo Henry Cooper Brian London and Karl Mildenberger Ali returned to the United States to fight Cleveland Williams at the Astrodome in Houston on November 14 1966 The bout drew a record breaking indoor crowd of 35 460 people Williams had once been considered among the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division but in 1964 he had been shot at point blank range by a Texas policeman resulting in the loss of one kidney and 3 0 metres 10 ft of his small intestine Ali dominated Williams winning a third round technical knockout in what some consider the finest performance of his career Ali fought Terrell in Houston on February 6 1967 Terrell who was unbeaten in five years and had defeated many of the boxers Ali had faced was billed as Ali s toughest opponent since Liston he was big strong and had a three inch reach advantage over Ali During the lead up to the bout Terrell repeatedly called Ali Clay much to Ali s annoyance The two almost came to blows over the name issue in a pre fight interview with Howard Cosell Ali seemed intent on humiliating Terrell I want to torture him he said A clean knockout is too good for him 70 The fight was close until the seventh round when Ali bloodied Terrell and almost knocked him out In the eighth round Ali taunted Terrell hitting him with jabs and shouting between punches What s my name Uncle Tom what s my name Ali won a unanimous 15 round decision Terrell claimed that early in the fight Ali deliberately thumbed him in the eye forcing him to fight half blind and then in a clinch rubbed the wounded eye against the ropes Because of Ali s apparent intent to prolong the fight to inflict maximum punishment critics described the bout as one of the ugliest boxing fights Tex Maule later wrote It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty Ali denied the accusations of cruelty but for Ali s critics the fight provided more evidence of his arrogance After Ali s title defense against Zora Folley on March 22 he was stripped of his title due to his refusal to be drafted to army service 25 His boxing license was also suspended by the state of New York 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 verdict was being appealed Draft resistanceSee also Clay v United States My enemy is the white people not Viet Cong or Chinese or Japanese You my opposer when I want freedom You my opposer when I want justice You my opposer when I want equality You won t even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs and you want me to go somewhere and fight but you won t even stand up for me here at home Muhammad Ali to a crowd of college students during his exile from boxing 71 Ali registered for conscription in the United States military on his 18th birthday and was listed as 1 A in 1962 72 In 1964 he was reclassified as Class 1 Y fit for service only in times of national emergency after he failed the U S Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub standard 73 due to his dyslexia 37 He was quoted as saying I said I was the greatest not the smartest 72 74 By early 1966 the army lowered its standards to permit soldiers above the 15th percentile and Ali was again classified as 1 A 25 72 74 This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U S Army at a time when the U S was involved in the Vietnam War a war which put him further at odds with the white establishment 10 When notified of this status Ali declared that he would refuse to serve in the army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector 25 Ali stated War is against the teachings of the Qur an I m not trying to dodge the draft We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger We don t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers 75 He also said We are not to be the aggressor but we will defend ourselves if attacked He stated Man I ain t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong 76 Ali elaborated Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights 77 Ali antagonized the white establishment in 1966 by refusing to be drafted into the U S military citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War 9 10 On April 28 1967 Ali appeared in Houston for his scheduled induction into the U S Armed Forces but he refused three times to step forward when his name was called An officer warned him that he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of 10 000 Once more Ali refused to budge when his name was called and he was arrested Later that same day the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title Other boxing commissions followed suit Ali remained unable to obtain a license to box in any state for over three years 78 page needed On June 4 1967 in a first for sports professionals a group of high profile African American athletes including Jim Brown Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul Jabbar as well as one political leader Carl Stokes assembled at the Negro Industrial Economic Union in Cleveland for what became known as the Cleveland Summit or the Muhammad Ali Summit The meeting was organized by Brown for his peers to question Ali about the seriousness of his convictions and to decide whether to support him which they ultimately did 79 External video Conversation with Muhammad Ali includes transcript July 7 1968 28 55 American Archive of Public Broadcasting 80 At the trial on June 20 1967 the jury found Ali guilty after only 21 minutes of deliberation of the criminal offense of violating the Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted 25 After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction the case was reviewed by the U S Supreme Court in 1971 81 Ali remained free in the years between the Appellate Court decision and the Supreme Court ruling As public opinion began turning people against the war and the Civil Rights Movement continued to gather momentum Ali became a popular speaker at colleges and universities across the country this itinerary was rare if not unprecedented for a prizefighter At Howard University for example he gave his popular Black Is Best speech to 4 000 cheering students and community intellectuals after he was invited to speak by sociology professor Nathan Hare on behalf of the Black Power Committee a student protest group 82 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 83 The decision was not based on nor did it address the merits of Ali s claims per se Rather the Court held that since the appeal board gave no reason for the denial of a conscientious objector exemption to Ali that it was therefore impossible to determine which of the three basic tests for conscientious objector status offered in the Justice Department s brief the appeal board relied on and Ali s conviction must be reversed 84 Impact of Ali s draft refusal Ali s example inspired many black Americans and others However initially when he refused induction he became arguably the most hated man in the country and received many death threats People who supported Ali during this time were also threatened including sports journalist Jerry Izenberg whose columns defended Ali s decision not to serve He wrote Bomb threats emptied our office making the staff stand out in the snow My car windshield was smashed with a sledgehammer 85 86 The New York Times columnist William Rhoden wrote Ali s actions changed my standard of what constituted an athlete s greatness Possessing a killer jump shot or the ability to stop on a dime was no longer enough What were you doing for the liberation of your people What were you doing to help your country live up to the covenant of its founding principles 13 Recalling Ali s anti war position Kareem Abdul Jabbar said I remember the teachers at my high school didn t like Ali because he was so anti establishment and he kind of thumbed his nose at authority and got away with it The fact that he was proud to be a black man and that he had so much talent made some people think that he was dangerous But for those very reasons I enjoyed him 87 Civil rights figures came to believe that Ali had an energizing effect on the freedom movement as a whole Al Sharpton spoke of his bravery at a time when there was still widespread support for the Vietnam War For the heavyweight champion of the world who had achieved the highest level of athletic celebrity to put all of that on the line the money the ability to get endorsements to sacrifice all of that for a cause gave a whole sense of legitimacy to the movement and the causes with young people that nothing else could have done Even those who were assassinated certainly lost their lives but they didn t voluntarily do that He knew he was going to jail and did it anyway That s another level of leadership and sacrifice 88 Ali was honored with the annual Martin Luther King Award in 1970 by civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy who called him a living example of soul power the March on Washington in two fists Coretta Scott King added that Ali was a champion of justice and peace and unity 89 In speaking of the cost on Ali s career of his refusal to be drafted his trainer Angelo Dundee said One thing must be taken into account when talking about Ali He was robbed of his best years his prime years 90 Bob Arum did not support Ali s choice at the time More recently Arum stated that when I look back at his life and I was blessed to call him a friend and spent a lot of time with him it s hard for me to talk about his exploits in boxing because as great as they were they paled in comparison to the impact that he had on the world and He did what he thought was right And it turned out he was right and I was wrong 91 Ali s resistance to the draft was covered in the 2013 documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali 92 NSA and FBI monitoring of Ali s communications In a secret operation code named Minaret the National Security Agency NSA intercepted the communications of leading Americans including Ali Senators Frank Church and Howard Baker Dr Martin Luther King Jr prominent U S journalists and others who criticized the U S war in Vietnam 93 94 A review by the NSA of the Minaret program concluded that it was disreputable if not outright illegal 94 In 1971 his Fight of the Century with Frazier was used by an activist group the Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI to pull off a burglary at an FBI office in Pennsylvania the anticipation for the fight was unlike anything else so they believed the security would also be focused on the fight This raid exposed the COINTELPRO operations that included illegal spying on activists involved with the civil rights and anti war movements One of the COINTELPRO targets was Ali and their activities included the FBI gaining access to his records as far back as elementary school one such record mentioned him loving art as a child 95 Exile and comebackIn March 1966 Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces He was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and stripped of his passport As a result he did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970 from ages 25 to almost 29 as his case worked its way through the appeals process before his conviction was overturned in 1971 96 Protesting while exiled During this time of inactivity as opposition to the Vietnam War began to grow and Ali s stance gained sympathy he spoke at colleges across the nation criticizing the Vietnam War and advocating African American pride and racial justice Ali based himself in Chicago 97 According to most close to him his Chicago years were formative At the time Ali was widely condemned by the American media 98 with fears that his actions could potentially lead to mass civil disobedience 99 Despite this Ebony magazine noted in the late 1960s that Ali s popularity had increased during this time especially among black people 100 The Super Fight Main article The Super Fight While banned from sanctioned bouts Ali settled a 1 million lawsuit against radio producer Murray Woroner by accepting 10 000 to appear in a privately staged fantasy fight against retired champion Rocky Marciano 101 In 1969 the boxers were filmed sparring for about 75 one minute rounds they produced several potential outcomes 102 A computer program purportedly determined the winner based on data about the fighters along with the opinions of approximately 250 boxing experts Edited versions of the bout were shown in movie theaters in 1970 In the U S version Ali lost in a simulated 13th round knockout but in the European version Marciano lost due to cuts also simulated 103 Ali suggested that prejudice determined his defeat in the U S version He was reported to jokingly say That computer was made in Alabama 101 ReturnOn August 11 1970 with his case still in appeal Ali was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission Leroy Johnson Jesse Hill Jr and Harry Pett had used their local political influence and set up the company House of Sports to organize the fight underlining the influential power of Georgia s black politics in Ali s comeback 104 Ali s first return bout was against Jerry Quarry on October 26 resulting in a win after three rounds after Quarry was cut A month earlier a victory in federal court forced the New York State Boxing Commission to reinstate Ali s license 105 He fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December an uninspired performance that ended in a dramatic technical knockout of Bonavena in the 15th round The win left Ali as a top contender against heavyweight champion Joe Frazier Fight against Joe Frazier Main article Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali Ali and Frazier s first fight held at the Garden on March 8 1971 was nicknamed the Fight of the Century due to the tremendous excitement surrounding a bout between two undefeated fighters each with a legitimate claim to be heavyweight champion Veteran US boxing writer John Condon called it the greatest event I ve ever worked on in my life The bout was broadcast to 36 countries promoters granted 760 press passes 46 Adding to the atmosphere were the considerable pre fight theatrics and name calling Before the fight Frazier called Ali Cassius Clay this angered Ali and he portrayed Frazier as a dumb tool of the white establishment Frazier is too ugly to be champ Ali said Frazier is too dumb to be champ Ali also frequently called Frazier an Uncle Tom Dave Wolf who worked in Frazier s camp recalled that Ali was saying the only people rooting for Joe Frazier are white people in suits Alabama sheriffs and members of the Ku Klux Klan I m fighting for the little man in the ghetto Joe was sitting there smashing his fist into the palm of his hand saying What the fuck does he know about the ghetto 46 Ali began training at a farm near Reading Pennsylvania in 1971 and finding the country setting to his liking sought to develop a real training camp in the countryside He found a five acre site on a Pennsylvania country road in the village of Deer Lake Pennsylvania On this site Ali carved out what was to become his training camp where he trained for all his fights from 1972 to the end of his career in 1981 The Monday night fight lived up to its billing In a preview of their two other fights a crouching bobbing and weaving Frazier constantly pressured Ali getting hit regularly by Ali jabs and combinations but relentlessly attacking and scoring repeatedly especially to Ali s body The fight was even in the early rounds but Ali was taking more punishment than ever in his career On several occasions in the early rounds he played to the crowd and shook his head no after he was hit In the later rounds in what was the first appearance of the rope a dope strategy Ali leaned against the ropes and absorbed punishment from Frazier hoping to tire him In the 11th round Frazier connected with a left hook that wobbled Ali but because it appeared that Ali might be clowning as he staggered backwards across the ring Frazier hesitated to press his advantage fearing an Ali counter attack In the final round Frazier knocked Ali down with a vicious left hook which referee Arthur Mercante said was as hard as a man can be hit Ali was back on his feet in three seconds 46 Nevertheless Ali lost by unanimous decision his first professional defeat Chamberlain challenge and Ellis fight Main article Muhammad Ali vs Jimmy Ellis In 1971 basketball star Wilt Chamberlain challenged Ali to a fight and a bout was scheduled for July 26 Although the seven foot two inch tall Chamberlain had formidable physical advantages over Ali weighing 60 pounds more and able to reach 14 inches further Ali was able to influence Chamberlain into calling off the bout by taunting him with calls of Timber and The tree will fall during a shared interview These statements of confidence unsettled his taller opponent whom Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had offered a record setting contract conditional on Chamberlain agreeing to abandon what Cooke termed this boxing foolishness 106 and he did exactly that 107 To replace Ali s opponent promoter Bob Arum quickly booked a former sparring partner of Ali s Jimmy Ellis who was a childhood friend from Louisville Kentucky to fight him Ali won the bout through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight in the twelfth round 108 After his loss Fights against Quarry Patterson Foster and Norton After the loss to Frazier Ali fought Jerry Quarry had a second bout with Floyd Patterson and faced Bob Foster in 1972 winning a total of six fights that year In 1973 Ken Norton broke Ali s jaw while giving him the second loss of his career After initially considering retirement Ali won a controversial decision against Norton in their second bout 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 Second fight against Joe Frazier Main article Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier II Ali vs Frazier promotional photo Ali was strong in the early rounds of the fight and staggered Frazier in the second round Referee Tony Perez mistakenly thought he heard the bell ending the round and stepped between the two fighters as Ali was pressing his attack giving Frazier time to recover However Frazier came on in the middle rounds snapping Ali s head in round seven and driving him to the ropes at the end of round eight The last four rounds saw round to round shifts in momentum between the two fighters Throughout most of the bout however Ali was able to circle away from Frazier s dangerous left hook and to tie Frazier up when he was cornered the latter a tactic that Frazier s camp complained of bitterly Judges awarded Ali a unanimous decision World heavyweight champion second reign The Rumble in the Jungle Main article The Rumble in the Jungle The defeat of Frazier set the stage for a title fight against heavyweight champion George Foreman in Kinshasa Zaire on October 30 1974 a bout nicknamed The Rumble in the Jungle Foreman was considered one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history In assessing the fight analysts pointed out that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton who had given Ali four tough battles and won two of them had both been devastated by Foreman in second round knockouts Ali was 32 years old and had clearly lost speed and reflexes since his twenties Contrary to his later persona Foreman was at the time a brooding and intimidating presence Almost no one associated with the sport not even Ali s long time supporter Howard Cosell gave the former champion a chance of winning As usual Ali was confident and colorful before the fight He told interviewer David Frost If you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned wait till I whup Foreman s behind 109 He told the press I ve done something new for this fight I done wrestled with an alligator I done tussled with a whale handcuffed lightning thrown thunder in jail only last week I murdered a rock injured a stone hospitalized a brick I m so mean I make medicine sick 110 Ali was wildly popular in Zaire with crowds chanting Ali bomaye Ali kill him wherever he went Ali opened the fight moving and scoring with right crosses to Foreman s head Then beginning in the second round and to the consternation of his corner Ali retreated to the ropes and invited Foreman to hit him while covering up clinching and counter punching all while verbally taunting Foreman The move which would later become known as the Rope a dope so violated conventional boxing wisdom letting one of the hardest hitters in boxing strike at will that at ringside writer George Plimpton thought the fight had to be fixed 46 Foreman increasingly angered threw punches that were deflected and did not land squarely Midway through the fight as Foreman began tiring Ali countered more frequently and effectively with punches and flurries which electrified the pro Ali crowd In the eighth round Ali dropped an exhausted Foreman with a combination at center ring Foreman failed to make the count Against the odds and amidst pandemonium in the ring Ali had regained the title by knockout Reflecting on the fight George Foreman later said I thought Ali was just one more knockout victim until about the seventh round I hit him hard to the jaw and he held me and whispered in my ear That all you got George I realized that this ain t what I thought it was 111 President Jimmy Carter greets Ali at a White House dinner 1977 It was a major upset victory 112 after Ali came in as a 4 1 underdog against the previously unbeaten heavy hitting Foreman 113 The fight became famous for Ali s introduction of the rope a dope tactic 114 The fight was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide 115 116 It was the world s most watched live television broadcast at the time 117 Fights against Wepner Lyle and Bugner Ali s next opponents included Chuck Wepner Ron Lyle and Joe Bugner Wepner a journeyman known as The Bayonne Bleeder stunned Ali with a knockdown in the ninth round Ali would later say he tripped on Wepner s foot It was a bout that would inspire Sylvester Stallone to create the acclaimed film Rocky 118 Third fight against Joe Frazier Main article Thrilla in Manila 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 25 in temperatures approaching 100 F 38 C In the first rounds Ali was aggressive moving and exchanging blows with Frazier However Ali soon appeared to tire and adopted the rope a dope strategy frequently resorting to clinches During this part of the bout Ali did some effective counter punching but for the most part absorbed punishment from a relentlessly attacking Frazier In the 12th round Frazier began to tire and Ali scored several sharp blows that closed Frazier s left eye and opened a cut over his right eye With Frazier s vision now diminished Ali dominated the 13th and 14th rounds at times conducting what boxing historian Mike Silver called target practice on Frazier s head The fight was stopped when Frazier s trainer Eddie Futch refused to allow Frazier to answer the bell for the 15th and final round despite Frazier s protests Frazier s eyes were both swollen shut Ali in his corner winner by TKO slumped on his stool clearly spent An ailing Ali said afterwards that the fight was the closest thing to dying that I know and when later asked if he had viewed the fight on videotape reportedly said Why would I want to go back and see Hell After the fight he cited Frazier as the greatest fighter of all times next to me After the third fight with Frazier Ali considered retirement He said I m sore all over My arms my face my sides all ache I m so so tired There is a great possibility that I will retire You might have seen the last of me I want to sit back and count my money live in my house and my farm work for my people and concentrate on my family 119 Later career Ali being interviewed by WBAL TV s Curt Anderson in Baltimore 1978 Following the Manila bout Ali fought Jean Pierre Coopman Jimmy Young and Richard Dunn winning the last by knockout The punch used to knock Dunn out was taught to Ali by Taekwondo Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee Rhee called that punch the Accupunch he learned it from Bruce Lee 120 The Dunn fight was the last time Ali would knock down an opponent in his boxing career Ali fought Ken Norton for the third time in September 1976 The bout which was held at Yankee Stadium resulted in Ali winning a controversial decision that ringside commentators had scored in favour of Norton Afterwards he announced he was retiring from boxing to practice his faith having converted to Sunni Islam after falling out with the Nation of Islam the previous year 121 After returning to beat Alfredo Evangelista in May 1977 Ali struggled in his next fight against Earnie Shavers that September getting pummeled a few times by punches to the head Ali won the fight by another unanimous decision but the bout caused his longtime doctor Ferdie Pacheco to quit after he was rebuffed for telling Ali he should retire Pacheco was quoted as saying the New York State Athletic Commission gave me a report that showed Ali s kidneys were falling apart I wrote to Angelo Dundee Ali s trainer his wife and Ali himself I got nothing back in response That s when I decided enough is enough 46 In February 1978 Ali faced Leon Spinks at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas At the time Spinks had only seven professional fights to his credit and had recently fought a draw with journeyman Scott LeDoux Ali sparred less than two dozen rounds in preparation for the fight and was seriously out of shape by the opening bell He lost the title by split decision A rematch occurred in September at the Superdome in New Orleans Louisiana 70 000 people attended the bout and paid a total of 6 million admission making it the largest live gate in boxing history at that time 122 Ali won a unanimous decision in an uninspiring fight with referee Lucien Joubert scoring rounds 10 4 judge Ernie Cojoe 10 4 and judge Herman Preis 11 4 This made Ali the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times 123 124 Following this win on July 27 1979 Ali announced his retirement from boxing His retirement was short lived however Ali announced his comeback to face Larry Holmes for the WBC belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time The fight was largely motivated by Ali s need for money Boxing writer Richie Giachetti said Larry didn t want to fight Ali He knew Ali had nothing left he knew it would be a horror It was around this time that Ali started struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands 125 The Nevada Athletic Commission NAC ordered that he undergo a complete physical in Las Vegas before being allowed to fight again Ali chose instead to check into the Mayo Clinic who declared him fit to fight Their opinion was accepted by the NAC on July 31 1980 paving the way for Ali s return to the ring 126 Fight stoppage vs Larry Holmes Main article Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali On October 2 1980 Ali returned to the ring to fight Holmes at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Holmes who fought under the nickname The Easton Assassin easily dominated Ali After the tenth round Angelo Dundee stepped into the ring and instructed the referee to stop the fight It was the only time Ali ever lost by stoppage Giachetti called the fight awful the worst sports event I ever had to cover Actor Sylvester Stallone was ringside for the fight and said that it was like watching an autopsy on a man who is still alive 46 The Holmes fight is said to have contributed to Ali s Parkinson s syndrome 127 Despite pleas to definitively retire Ali fought one last time on December 11 1981 in Nassau Bahamas against Trevor Berbick losing a ten round decision 128 129 130 Exhibition boutsAli boxed both well known boxers and celebrities from other walks of life including Michael Dokes 131 Antonio Inoki 132 Lyle Alzado 133 Dave Semenko 134 and the famous Puerto Rican comedian Jose Miguel Agrelot with Iris Chacon acting as Agrelot s corner woman 135 Ali vs Inoki Main article Muhammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki On June 26 1976 Ali participated in an exhibition bout in Tokyo against Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist Antonio Inoki 136 Ali was only able to land two jabs while Inoki s kicks caused two blood clots and an infection that almost resulted in Ali s leg being amputated as a result of Ali s team insisting on rules restricting Inoki s ability to wrestle 136 The match was not scripted and ultimately declared a draw 136 After Ali s death The New York Times declared it his least memorable fight 137 Most boxing commentators at the time viewed the fight negatively and hoped it would be forgotten as some considered it a 15 round farce 138 Today it is considered by some to be one of Ali s most influential fights and CBS Sports said the attention the mixed style bout received foretold the arrival of standardized MMA Mixed Martial Arts years later 138 139 After the fight Ali and Inoki became friends 140 Ali vs Alzado In 1979 Ali fought an exhibition match against NFL player Lyle Alzado The fight went 8 rounds and was declared a draw 141 Ali vs Semenko Ali fought NHL player Dave Semenko in an exhibition on June 12 1983 142 The match was officially a draw after going three rounds but the Associated Press reported Ali was not seriously trying and was just toying with Semenko Personal lifeMarriages and children Children of Muhammad AliWith Belinda Boyd Maryum born 1968 Jamillah born 1970 Rasheda born 1970 Muhammad Jr born 1972 With Patricia Harvell Miya born 1972 With Wanda Bolton Khaliah born 1974 With Veronica Porche Hana born 1976 Laila born 1977 With Yolanda Williams Asaad adopted 1986 Ali was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons Ali was introduced to cocktail waitress Sonji Roi by Herbert Muhammad who was to become Ali s long time manager and asked her to marry him after their first date They married approximately one month later on August 14 1964 143 They quarreled over Sonji s refusal to join the Nation Of Islam 144 According to Ali She wouldn t do what she was supposed to do She wore lipstick she went into bars she dressed in clothes that were revealing and didn t look right 145 The marriage was childless and they divorced on January 10 1966 Just before the divorce was finalized Ali sent Sonji a note You traded heaven for hell baby 146 Ali s brother Rahman said that she was Ali s only true love and the Nation of Islam made Ali divorce her and Ali never got over it 144 On August 17 1967 Ali married Belinda Boyd In an interview with NBC 6 Boyd recounted meeting Ali when she was 10 years old at her hometown mosque He said Listen here little girl This is my name Imma be famous You need to keep that cause it s gone be worth a lot of money Boyd said mimicking Ali You ll never be famous with that name And I walked away Boyd said 147 Born into a Chicago family that had converted to the Nation Of Islam she later changed her name to Khalilah Ali though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family They had four children author and rapper Maryum 148 May May born 1968 twins Jamillah and Rasheda born 1970 and Muhammad Ali Jr born 1972 149 Rasheda married Robert Walsh and has two sons Biaggio Ali born 1998 and Nico Ali born 2000 who is a professional boxer 150 Ali was a resident of Cherry Hill New Jersey in suburban Philadelphia in the early 1970s 151 At age 32 in 1974 Ali began an extramarital relationship with 16 year old Wanda Bolton who subsequently changed her name to Aaisha Ali with whom he fathered another daughter Khaliah born 1974 While still married to Belinda Ali married Aaisha in an Islamic ceremony that was not legally recognized According to Khaliah Aaisha and her mother lived at Ali s Deer Lake training camp alongside Belinda and her children 152 In January 1985 Aaisha sued Ali for unpaid palimony The case was settled when Ali agreed to set up a 200 000 trust fund for Khaliah 153 In 2001 Khaliah was quoted as saying she believed her father viewed her as a mistake 152 He had another daughter Miya born 1972 from an extramarital relationship with Patricia Harvell 154 By the summer of 1977 his second marriage ended due to Ali s repeated infidelity and he had married actress and model Veronica Porche 155 At the time of their marriage they had a daughter Hana and Veronica was pregnant with their second child Their second daughter Laila Ali was born in December 1977 By 1986 Ali and Porche were divorced due to Ali s continuous infidelity Porche said of Ali s infidelity It was too much temptation for him with women who threw themselves at him It didn t mean anything He didn t have affairs he had one night stands I knew beyond a doubt there were no feelings involved It was so obvious It was easy to forgive him 155 156 157 On November 19 1986 Ali married Yolanda Lonnie Williams Lonnie first met Ali at the age of 6 when her family moved to Louisville in 1963 158 In 1982 she became Ali s primary caregiver and in return he paid for her to attend graduate school at UCLA 158 Together they adopted a son Asaad Amin born 1986 when Asaad was five months old 159 In 1992 Lonnie incorporated Greatest of All Time Inc G O A T Inc to consolidate and license his intellectual properties for commercial purposes She served as the vice president and treasurer until the sale of the company in 2006 158 Kiiursti Mensah Ali claims she is Ali s biological daughter with Barbara Mensah with whom he allegedly had a 20 year relationship 160 161 162 163 citing photographs and a paternity test conducted in 1988 She said he accepted responsibility and took care of her but all contacts with him were cut off after he married his fourth wife Lonnie Kiiursti says she has a relationship with his other children After his death she again made passionate appeals to be allowed to mourn at his funeral 164 165 166 In 2010 Osmon Williams came forward claiming to be Ali s biological son 167 His mother Temica Williams also known as Rebecca Holloway launched a 3 million lawsuit against Ali in 1981 for sexual assault claiming that she had started a sexual relationship with him when she was 12 and that her son Osmon born 1977 was fathered by Ali 168 She further alleged that Ali had originally supported her and her son financially but stopped doing so after four years The case went on until 1986 and was eventually thrown out as her allegations were deemed to be barred by the statute of limitations 169 According to Veronica Ali admitted to the affair with Williams but did not believe Osmon was his son which Veronica supported by saying Everybody in the camp was going with that girl 170 171 Ali biographer and friend Thomas Hauser has said this claim was of questionable veracity 172 Ali then lived in Scottsdale Arizona with Lonnie 173 In January 2007 it was reported that they had put their home in Berrien Springs Michigan which they had bought in 1975 174 up for sale and had purchased a home in eastern Jefferson County Kentucky for 1 875 000 175 Both homes were subsequently sold after Ali s death with Lonnie living in their remaining home in Paradise Valley Arizona Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late twenties 176 In a 1974 interview Ali said If they say stand and salute the flag I do that out of respect because I m in the country 177 Ali would later say If America was in trouble and real war came I d be on the front line if we had been attacked But I could see that The Vietnam War wasn t right 178 He also said Black men would go over there and fight but when they came home they couldn t even be served a hamburger 179 Ali s daughter Laila was a professional boxer from 1999 until 2007 180 despite her father s previous opposition to women s boxing In 1978 he said Women are not made to be hit in the breast and face like that 181 Ali still attended a number of his daughter s fights and later admitted to Laila he was wrong 182 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 183 184 After Ali met a lesbian couple who were fans of his in 1997 he smiled and said to his friend Hauser They look like they re happy together Hauser wrote about the story The thought that Liz and Roz the lesbian couple he met were happy pleased Muhammad Ali wanted people to be happy 185 Religion and beliefs Main article Religious views of Muhammad Ali Affiliation with the Nation of Islam Ali said that he first heard of the Nation of Islam when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago in 1959 and attended his first Nation of Islam meeting in 1961 He continued to attend meetings although keeping his involvement hidden from the public In 1962 Clay met Malcolm X who soon became his spiritual and political mentor 186 By the time of the first Liston fight Nation of Islam members including Malcolm X were visible in his entourage This led to a story in The Miami Herald just before the fight disclosing that Clay had joined the Nation of Islam which nearly caused the bout to be canceled The article quoted Cassius Clay Sr as saying that his son had joined the Black Muslims when he was 18 187 Ali seen in background at an address by Elijah Muhammad in 1964 In fact Clay was initially refused entry to the Nation of Islam often called the Black Muslims at the time due to his boxing career However after he won the championship from Liston in 1964 the Nation of Islam was more receptive and agreed to publicize his membership 186 Shortly afterwards on March 6 Elijah Muhammad gave a radio address that Clay would be renamed Muhammad one who is worthy of praise Ali most high 188 Around that time Ali moved to the south side of Chicago and lived in a series of houses always near the Nation of Islam s Mosque Maryam or Elijah Muhammad s residence He stayed in Chicago for about 12 years 189 Only a few journalists most notably Howard Cosell accepted the new name at that time Ali stated that his earlier name was a slave name and a white man s name and added that I didn t choose it and I don t want it I am Muhammad Ali a free name 190 The person he was named after was a white slave owner turned abolitionist 191 Ali explained in his autobiography after studying his works he may have gotten rid of his slaves but he held on to white supremacy 192 In truth Cassius Clay s attachment to slavery went farther than Ali knew In spite of his abolitionist fervor Clay owned more slaves in 1865 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution finally forbade its practice than he had inherited from his wealthy slave owning father Green Clay 37 years earlier 192 With the Clay name coming from a family of enslavers Ali concluded Why should I keep my white slavemaster s name visible and my black ancestors invisible unknown unhonored 190 Not afraid to antagonize the white establishment Ali stated I am America I am the part you won t recognize But get used to me Black confident cocky my name not yours my religion not yours my goals my own get used to me 193 Ali s friendship with Malcolm X ended as Malcolm split with the Nation of Islam a couple of weeks after Ali joined and Ali remained with the Nation of Islam 194 195 Ali later said that turning his back on Malcolm was one of the mistakes he regretted most in his life 196 Aligning himself with the Nation of Islam its leader Elijah Muhammad and a narrative that labeled the white race as the perpetrator of genocide against African Americans made Ali a target of public condemnation The Nation of Islam was widely viewed by whites and some African Americans as a black separatist hate religion with a propensity toward violence Ali had few qualms about using his influential voice to speak Nation of Islam doctrine 197 In a press conference articulating his opposition to the Vietnam War Ali stated My enemy is the white people not Vietcong or Chinese or Japanese 71 In relation to integration he said We who follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad don t want to be forced to integrate Integration is wrong We don t want to live with the white man that s all 198 199 Further articulating his opposition to integration he told members of the KKK at a Klan rally in 1975 that black people should marry their own women blue birds are blue birds red birds are red birds pigeons with pigeons eagles with eagles God did not make no mistake 200 Writer Jerry Izenberg once noted that the Nation became Ali s family and Elijah Muhammad became his father But there is an irony to the fact that while the Nation branded white people as devils Ali had more white colleagues than most African American people did at that time in America and continued to have them throughout his career 46 Conversion to Sunni Sufi IslamIn Hauser s biography Muhammad Ali His Life and Times Ali says that although he s not a Christian as he thinks the idea of God having a son sounds wrong and does not make sense to him as he believes God don t beget man begets He still believes that even good Christians or good Jews can receive God s blessing and enter heaven as he stated God created all people no matter what their religion He also stated If you re against someone because he s a Muslim that s wrong If you re against someone because he s a Christian or a Jew that s wrong 201 Ali attending a Saviours Day celebration in 1974 In a 2004 autobiography Ali attributed his conversion to mainstream Sunni Islam to Warith Deen Muhammad who assumed leadership of the Nation of Islam upon the death of his father Elijah Muhammad and persuaded the Nation s followers to become adherents of Sunni Islam He said some people didn t like the change and stuck to Elijah s teachings but he admired it and so left Elijah s teachings and became a follower of Sunni Islam 202 Ali had gone on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1972 which inspired him in a similar manner to Malcolm X meeting people of different colors from all over the world giving him a different outlook and greater spiritual awareness 203 In 1977 he said that after he retired he would dedicate the rest of his life to getting ready to meet God by helping people charitable causes uniting people and helping to make peace 204 He went on another Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1988 205 After the September 11 attacks in 2001 he stated that Islam is a religion of peace and does not promote terrorism or killing people and that he was angry that the world sees a certain group of Islam followers who caused this destruction but they are not real Muslims They are racist fanatics who call themselves Muslims In December 2015 he stated that True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion that We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda and that political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people s views on what Islam really is 206 He also developed an interest in Sufism which he referenced in his autobiography The Soul of a Butterfly 196 207 208 According to Ali s daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali who co authored The Soul of a Butterfly with him Ali was attracted to Sufism after reading the books of Inayat Khan which contain Sufi teachings 209 210 Muhammad Ali received guidance from Islamic scholars such as Grand Mufti of Syria Al Marhum Al Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro Hisham Kabbani Imam Zaid Shakir Hamza Yusuf and Timothy J Gianotti who was at Ali s bedside during his last days and ensured that although his funeral was interfaith it was still in accordance with Islamic rites and rituals 211 212 Beatles reunion plan In 1976 inventor Alan Amron and businessman Joel Sacher partnered with Ali to promote The International Committee to Reunite the Beatles 213 They asked fans worldwide to contribute a dollar each Ali said the idea was not to use the proceeds for profit but to establish an international agency to help poor children This is money to help people all over the world he said He added I love the music I used to train to their music He said a reunion of the Beatles would make a lot of people happy 214 The former Beatles were indifferent to the plan which elicited only a tepid response from the public 215 No reunion happened Entertainment careerFurther information Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture Acting Ali had a cameo role in the 1962 film version of Requiem for a Heavyweight and during his exile from boxing he starred in the short lived 1969 Broadway musical Buck White 216 217 He also appeared in the documentary film Black Rodeo 1972 riding both a horse and a bull His autobiography The Greatest My Own Story written with Richard Durham was published in 1975 218 In 1977 the book was adapted into a film called The Greatest in which Ali played himself and Ernest Borgnine played Angelo Dundee The film Freedom Road made in 1978 features Ali in a rare acting role as Gideon Jackson a former slave and Union American Civil War soldier in 1870s Virginia who gets elected to the U S Senate and battles alongside former slaves and white sharecroppers to keep the land they have tended all their lives 219 Spoken word poetry and rap music Ali often used rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry both for when he was trash talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism outside of boxing He played a role in the shaping of the black poetic tradition paving the way for The Last Poets in 1968 Gil Scott Heron in 1970 and the emergence of rap music in the 1970s 20 According to The Guardian Some have argued that Ali was the first rapper 220 In 1963 Ali released an album of spoken word music on Columbia Records titled I Am the Greatest and in 1964 he recorded a cover version of the rhythm and blues song Stand by Me 221 222 I Am the Greatest sold 500 000 copies and has been identified as an early example of rap music and a precursor to hip hop 223 224 It reached number 61 on the album chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award He later received a second Grammy nomination for Best Recording for Children with his 1976 spoken word novelty record The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs Mr Tooth Decay 22 Ali was an influential figure in the world of hip hop music As a rhyming trickster he was noted for his funky delivery boasts comical trash talk and endless quotables 21 According to Rolling Stone his freestyle skills and his rhymes flow and braggadocio would one day become typical of old school MCs like Run D M C and LL Cool J and his outsized ego foreshadowed the vainglorious excesses of Kanye West while his Afrocentric consciousness and cutting honesty pointed forward to modern bards like Rakim Nas Jay Z and Kendrick Lamar 22 I ve wrestled with alligators I ve tussled with a whale I done handcuffed lightning and throw thunder in jail You know I m bad Just last week I murdered a rock Injured a stone Hospitalized a brick I m so mean I make medicine sick 225 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 226 Ali spoke like no man the world had seen before So confident in what he said fluent smooth creative and intimidating He was a boxer and an activist but he also had a role in influencing what now dominated pop culture hip hop In 2006 the documentary Ali Rap was produced by ESPN Chuck D a rapper for the band Public Enemy is the host 227 Other rappers narrated the documentary as well including Doug E Fresh Ludacris and Rakim who all spoke on Ali s behalf in the film He has been cited as an inspiration by rappers such as LL Cool J 21 Public Enemy s Chuck D 228 Jay Z Eminem Sean Combs Slick Rick Nas and MC Lyte 229 Ali has been referenced in a number of hip hop songs including Migos Fight Night The Game s Jesus Piece Nas The Message The Sugarhill Gang s Rapper s Delight the Fugees Ready or Not EPMD s You re a Customer and Will Smith s Gettin Jiggy wit It 229 Professional wrestling Ali was involved with professional wrestling at different times in his career On June 1 1976 as Ali was preparing for his bout with Inoki he attended a match featuring Gorilla Monsoon After the match was over Ali removed his shirt and jacket and confronted professional wrestler Gorilla Monsoon in the ring after his match at a World Wide Wrestling Federation show in Philadelphia Arena After dodging a few punches Monsoon put Ali in an airplane spin and dumped him to the mat Ali stumbled to the corner where his associate Butch Lewis convinced him to walk away 230 On March 31 1985 Ali was the special guest referee for the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania event 231 In 1995 Ali led a group of Japanese and American professional wrestlers including his 1976 opponent Antonio Inoki and Ric Flair 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 140 Television appearances Further information Boxing career of Muhammad Ali Television viewership Muhammad Ali s fights were some of the world s most watched television broadcasts setting television viewership records His most watched fights drew an estimated 1 2 billion viewers worldwide between 1974 and 1980 and were the world s most watched live television broadcasts at the time 117 Outside of fights he made many other television appearances The following table lists known viewership figures of his non fight television appearances For television viewership figures of his fights see Boxing career of Muhammad Ali Television viewership Date Broadcast Region s Viewers SourceOctober 17 1971 Parkinson series 1 episode 14 United Kingdom 12 000 000 citation needed January 25 1974 Parkinson series 3 episode 18 United Kingdom 12 000 000 citation needed December 7 1974 Parkinson United Kingdom 12 000 000 citation needed March 28 1977 49th Academy Awards United States 39 719 000 232 December 25 1978 This Is Your Life Muhammad Ali United States 60 000 000 233 October 24 1979 Diff rent Strokes Arnold s Hero United States 41 000 000 234 January 17 1981 Parkinson series 10 episode 32 United Kingdom 12 000 000 citation needed July 19 1996 Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony Worldwide 3 500 000 000 235 United States 209 000 000 236 September 21 2001 America A Tribute to Heroes United States 60 000 000 237 January 4 2007 Michael Parkinson s Greatest Entertainers United Kingdom 3 630 000 238 June 9 2016 Muhammad Ali memorial service Worldwide 1 000 000 000 239 Total viewership Worldwide 4 692 349 000Art Ali was also an amateur artist and made dozens of drawings and paintings in the 1970s In 1977 Rodney Hilton Brown who owned an art gallery in NYC asked Ali if he was interested in painting Ali took him up on the offer and produced several paintings for him to sell Brown is the author of Muhammad Ali The Untold Story Painter Poet and Prophet 240 In October 2021 26 of his drawings and arts were placed on auction and sold for close to 1 Million USD 241 242 Later yearsBy the end of his boxing career Ali had absorbed an estimated 200 000 hits 243 In 1984 Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson s syndrome which sometimes results from head trauma from violent physical activities such as boxing 23 244 245 Ali still remained active during this time later participating as a guest referee at WrestleMania I 246 247 Philanthropy humanitarianism and politics Ali in an art gallery during his visit to Argentina in 1971 Ali was known for being a humanitarian 248 and philanthropist 249 250 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 251 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 252 Ali began visiting Africa starting in 1964 when he visited Nigeria and Ghana 253 In 1974 he visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Southern Lebanon where Ali declared support for the Palestinian struggle to liberate their homeland 254 In 1978 following his loss to Spinks and before winning the rematch Ali visited Bangladesh and received honorary citizenship there 255 2 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 256 In early 1980 Ali was recruited by President Jimmy Carter for a diplomatic mission to Africa in an effort to persuade a number of African governments to join the US led boycott of the Moscow Olympics in response to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan Having arrived in Tanzania Ali told cameras Russia is invading a Muslim country Asiatic country and that its probable intention to head to oil rich Persia to take dwells and ports could lead to nuclear war My purpose in coming here was to try to stop that 257 However according to Ali biographer Thomas Hauser at best it was ill conceived at worst a diplomatic disaster The Tanzanian government was insulted that Carter had sent an athlete to discuss a serious political issue One official asked whether the United States would send Chris Evert to negotiate with London Consequently Ali was only received by the youth and culture minister rather than President Julius Nyerere Ali was unable to explain why the African countries should join the US boycott when it had failed to support the African boycott of the 1976 Olympics in protest of Apartheid in South Africa and was unaware that the Soviet Union was sponsoring popular revolutionary movements in Africa Ali conceded They didn t tell me about that in America and complained that Carter had sent him around the world to take the whupping over American policies 258 259 The Nigerian government also rebuffed him and confirmed that they would be participating in the Moscow games Ali did however convince the government of Kenya to boycott the Olympics 260 On January 19 1981 in Los Angeles Ali talked a suicidal man down from jumping off a ninth floor ledge an event that made national news 261 262 President Ronald Reagan with Ali in the Oval Office in 1983 In 1984 Ali announced his support for the re election of United States President Ronald Reagan When asked to elaborate on his endorsement of Reagan Ali told reporters He s keeping God in schools and that s enough 263 In 1985 he visited Israel to request the release of Muslim prisoners at Atlit detainee camp which Israel declined 264 Around 1987 the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U S Constitution selected Ali to personify the vitality of the U S Constitution and Bill of Rights Ali rode on a float at the following year s Tournament of Roses Parade launching the U S Constitution s 200th birthday commemoration 265 In 1988 during the First Intifada Ali participated in a Chicago rally in support of Palestine 254 The same year he visited Sudan to raise awareness about the plight of famine victims 266 According to Politico Ali supported Orrin Hatch politically 267 In 1989 he participated in an Indian charity event with the Muslim Educational Society in Kozhikode Kerala along with Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar 205 Ali in 1997 In 1990 Ali traveled to Iraq prior to the Gulf War and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages Ali secured the release of the hostages in exchange for promising Hussein that he would bring America an honest account of Iraq Despite arranging the hostages release he received criticism from President George H W Bush and Joseph C Wilson the highest ranking American diplomat in Baghdad 268 269 Ali cooperated with Thomas Hauser on a biography Muhammad Ali His Life and Times The oral history was released in 1991 In 1994 Ali campaigned to the United States government to come to the aid of refugees afflicted by the Rwandan genocide and to donate to organizations helping Rwandan refugees 251 In 1996 he lit the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta Georgia It was watched by an estimated 3 5 billion viewers worldwide 235 On November 17 2002 Ali went to Afghanistan as the U N Messenger of Peace 270 He was in Kabul for a three day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN 271 On September 1 2009 Ali visited Ennis County Clare Ireland the home of his great grandfather Abe Grady who emigrated to the U S in the 1860s eventually settling in Kentucky 272 On July 27 2012 Ali was a titular bearer of the Olympic flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London He was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson s syndrome rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium 273 The same year he was awarded the Philadelphia Liberty Medal in recognition of his lifelong efforts in activism philanthropy and humanitarianism 265 248 Earnings By 1978 Ali s total fight purse earnings were estimated to be nearly 60 million 274 inflation adjusted 337 million including an estimated 47 45 million grossed between 1970 and 1978 275 By 1980 his total fight purse earnings were estimated to be up to 70 million 276 inflation adjusted 334 million In 1978 Ali revealed that he was broke and several news outlets reported his net worth to be an estimated 3 5 million 275 inflation adjusted 15 million The press attributed his decline in wealth to several factors including taxes consuming at least half of his income management taking a third of his income 275 his lifestyle and spending on family charity and religious causes 276 In 2006 Ali sold his name and image for 50 million 277 after which Forbes estimated his net worth to be 55 million in 2006 278 Following his death in 2016 his fortune was estimated to be between 50 million and 80 million 279 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 280 281 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 282 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 283 In February 2013 Ali s brother Rahman Ali said Muhammad could no longer speak and could be dead within days 284 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 285 On December 20 2014 Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of pneumonia 286 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 287 He was released the next day 288 DeathAli 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 289 290 291 292 News coverage and tributes Following Ali s death he was the number one trending topic on Twitter for over 12 hours and on Facebook for several days BET played their documentary Muhammad Ali Made In Miami ESPN played four hours of non stop commercial free coverage of Ali News networks such as ABC News BBC CNN and Fox News also covered him extensively He was mourned globally and a family spokesman said the family certainly believes that Muhammad was a citizen of the world and they know that the world grieves with him 293 Politicians such as Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Bill Clinton Donald Trump David Cameron and more paid tribute to Ali Ali also received numerous tributes from the world of sports including Michael Jordan Tiger Woods Floyd Mayweather Mike Tyson the Miami Marlins LeBron James Steph Curry and more Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer stated Muhammad Ali belongs to the world But he only has one hometown 293 The day after Ali s death the UFC paid tribute to Ali at their UFC 199 event in a lengthy video tribute package crediting Ali for his accomplishments and inspiring multiple UFC champions 294 Memorial External video Muhammad Ali Memorial Service C SPAN 295 Ali s headstone with an inscription of his quote Service to others is the rent you pay for your room in heaven Ali s funeral had been pre planned by himself and others for several years prior to his actual death 296 The services began in Louisville on June 9 2016 with an Islamic Janazah prayer service at Freedom Hall on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center The Janazah prayer was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 297 On June 10 2016 the funeral procession passed through the streets of Louisville ending at Cave Hill Cemetery where his body was interred during a private ceremony A public memorial service for Ali at downtown Louisville s KFC Yum Center was held during the afternoon of June 10 298 299 300 Billy Crystal gave the eulogy The pallbearers included Will Smith Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson with honorary pallbearers including George Chuvalo Larry Holmes and George Foreman 301 Ali s memorial was watched by an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide 239 If the measure of greatness is to gladden the heart of every human being on the face of the earth then he truly was the greatest In every way he was the bravest the kindest and the most excellent of men Tribute from Bob Dylan 302 LegacyAli remains the only three time lineal heavyweight champion He is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times and was involved in more Ring Fight of the Year bouts than any other fighter He was one of only three boxers to be named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in its first year and held wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees during an era that has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing The Associated Press ranked him as the second best boxer and best heavyweight of the 20th century 8 His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years note 1 note 2 303 304 305 President George W Bush embraces Ali after presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 during ceremonies at the White House In 1978 three years before Ali s permanent retirement the Louisville Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville Kentucky voted 6 5 to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard This was controversial at the time as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen Earlier that year a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools Kentucky considered renaming Ali s alma mater Central High School in his honor but the motion failed to pass In time Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Ali himself came to be well accepted in his hometown 306 Ali was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life magazine in 1990 In 1993 the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete out of over 800 dead or living athletes in America The study found that over 97 of Americans over 12 years of age identified both Ali and Ruth 307 He was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award At the end of the 20th century he was ranked at or near the top of most lists of the century s greatest athletes He was crowned Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated 308 Named BBC s Sports Personality of the Century he received more votes than the other five candidates combined 309 7 He was named Athlete of the Century by USA Today and ranked as the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury Ali was named Kentucky Athlete of the Century by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East 310 In 1999 Time magazine named Ali one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century 311 On January 8 2001 Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton 312 In November 2005 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W Bush 313 314 followed by the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold of the UN Association of Germany DGVN in Berlin for his work with the civil rights movement and the United Nations which he received on December 17 2005 315 The Muhammad Ali Center alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville Kentucky s riverfront On November 19 2005 Ali and his wife Lonnie Ali opened the 60 million non profit Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville 158 In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia the center focuses on core themes of peace social responsibility respect and personal growth On June 5 2007 he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University s 260th graduation ceremony 316 Ali Mall located in Araneta Center Quezon City Philippines is named after him Construction of the mall the first of its kind in the Philippines began shortly after Ali s victory in a match with Joe Frazier in nearby Araneta Coliseum in 1975 The mall opened in 1976 with Ali attending its opening 317 The 1976 Muhammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki fight played an important role in the history of mixed martial arts 318 In Japan the match inspired Inoki s students Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki to found Pancrase in 1993 which in turn inspired the foundation of Pride Fighting Championships in 1997 Pride was acquired by its rival Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2007 319 320 The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was introduced in 1999 and passed in 2000 to protect the rights and welfare of boxers in the United States In May 2016 a bill was introduced to United States Congress by Markwayne Mullin a politician and former MMA fighter to extend the Ali Act to mixed martial arts 321 In June 2016 US senator Rand Paul proposed an amendment to the US draft laws named after Ali a proposal to eliminate the Selective Service System 322 In 2015 Sports Illustrated renamed its Sportsman Legacy Award to the Sports Illustrated s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award The annual award was originally created in 2008 and honors former sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world Ali first appeared on the magazine s cover in 1963 and went on to be featured on numerous covers during his storied career 323 On January 13 2017 the Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Act was introduced into the 115th Congress 2017 2019 but was not enacted 324 325 In media and popular cultureMain article Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture As a world champion boxer social activist sex symbol and pop culture icon Ali was the subject of numerous creative works including books films music video games TV shows and other Muhammad Ali was often dubbed the world s most famous person in the media 326 327 328 Several of his fights were watched by an estimated 1 2 billion viewers between 1974 and 1980 and his lighting of the torch at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was watched by an estimated 3 5 billion viewers 235 Muhammad Ali pop art painting by John Stango Ali appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on 38 different occasions 329 second only to Michael Jordan s 46 330 He also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine 5 times 331 the most of any athlete citation needed In 2015 Harris Poll found that Ali was one of the three most recognizable athletes in the United States along with Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth 332 Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee was influenced by Ali whose footwork he studied and incorporated into his own style while developing Jeet Kune Do in the 1960s 333 On the set of Freedom Road Ali met Canadian singer songwriter Michel 334 and subsequently helped create Michel s album The First Flight of the Gizzelda Dragon and an unaired television special featuring them both 335 Ali was the subject of the British television program This Is Your Life in 1978 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews citation needed Ali was featured in Superman vs Muhammad Ali a 1978 DC Comics comic book pitting the champ against the superhero In 1979 Ali guest starred as himself in an episode of the NBC sitcom Diff rent Strokes The show s title itself was inspired by the quote Different strokes for different folks popularized in 1966 by Ali who also inspired the title of the 1967 Syl Johnson song Different Strokes one of the most sampled songs in pop music history 336 He also wrote several bestselling books about his career including The Greatest My Own Story and The Soul of a Butterfly The Muhammad Ali effect named after Ali is a term that came into use in psychology in the 1980s as he stated in The Greatest My Own Story I only said I was the greatest not the smartest 218 According to this effect when people are asked to rate their intelligence and moral behavior in comparison to others people will rate themselves as more moral but not more intelligent than others 337 338 When We Were Kings a 1996 documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature 339 The 2001 biopic Ali garnered a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Will Smith for his portrayal of Ali 340 Prior to making the film Smith rejected the role until Ali requested that he accept it Smith said the first thing Ali told him was Man you re almost pretty enough to play me 341 In 2002 Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the entertainment industry 342 His star is the only one to be mounted on a vertical surface out of deference to his request that the name Muhammad a name he shares with the Islamic prophet not be walked upon 343 344 His 1966 fight against George Chuvalo was the subject of Joseph Blasioli s 2003 documentary film The Last Round Chuvalo vs Ali 345 The Trials of Muhammad Ali a documentary directed by Bill Siegel that focuses on Ali s refusal of the draft during the Vietnam War opened in Manhattan on August 23 2013 92 346 A 2013 made for TV movie titled Muhammad Ali s Greatest Fight dramatized the same aspect of Ali s life Antoine Fuqua s documentary What s My Name Muhammad Ali was released in 2019 Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns created the four part documentary film Muhammad Ali spanning over eight hours on Ali s life Burns worked on the film from early 2016 and it was released in September 2021 on PBS 347 348 Dave Zirin who watched an 8 hour rough cut of this documentary called it utterly outstanding and said the footage they found will blow minds 349 Professional boxing record61 fights 56 wins 5 lossesBy knockout 37 1By decision 19 4No Result Record Opponent Type Round time Date Age Location Notes61 Loss 56 5 Trevor Berbick UD 10 Dec 11 1981 39 years 328 days Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre Nassau Bahamas60 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 titles59 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 titles58 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 titles57 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 titles56 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 titles55 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 titles54 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 titles53 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 titles52 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 titles51 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 titles50 Win 48 2 Joe Bugner UD 15 July 1 1975 350 33 years 164 days Stadium Merdeka Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Retained WBA WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles49 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 titles48 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 titles47 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 titles46 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 title45 Win 43 2 Rudie Lubbers UD 12 Oct 20 1973 31 years 276 days Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Jakarta Indonesia44 Win 42 2 Ken Norton SD 12 Sep 10 1973 31 years 236 days The Forum Inglewood California U S Won NABF heavyweight title43 Loss 41 2 Ken Norton SD 12 Mar 31 1973 31 years 73 days Sports Arena San Diego California U S Lost NABF heavyweight title42 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 title40 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 title39 Win 38 1 Alvin Lewis TKO 11 12 1 15 Jul 19 1972 30 years 184 days Croke Park Dublin Ireland38 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 title37 Win 36 1 George Chuvalo UD 12 May 1 1972 30 years 105 days Pacific Coliseum Vancouver British Columbia Canada Retained NABF heavyweight title36 Win 35 1 Mac Foster UD 15 Apr 1 1972 30 years 75 days Nippon Budokan Tokyo Japan35 Win 34 1 Jurgen Blin KO 7 12 2 12 Dec 26 1971 29 years 343 days Hallenstadion Zurich Switzerland34 Win 33 1 Buster Mathis UD 12 Nov 17 1971 29 years 304 days Astrodome Houston Texas U S Retained NABF heavyweight title33 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 title32 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 titles31 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 title30 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 titles28 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 title27 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 titles26 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 titles25 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 titles24 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 titles23 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 titles22 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 titles21 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 titles20 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 titles19 Win 19 0 Henry Cooper TKO 5 10 2 15 Jun 18 1963 21 years 152 days Wembley Stadium London England18 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 DiscographyFurther information Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture I Am the Greatest 1963 The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs Mr Tooth Decay 1976 See also United States portal Biography portal Islam portal Sports portalList of heavyweight boxing champions List of WBA world champions List of WBC world champions List of The Ring world champions List of undisputed boxing champions Converts to Islam Notable boxing families List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area List of North American Muslims African American Muslims 1981 MAPS Wells Fargo embezzlement scandalNotes These records are shared with Joe Louis and Jose Napoles respectively Both these records were eventually beaten by Wladimir Klitschko Some sources claim that Joe Louis has actually defeated 22 fighters for the world heavyweight title that would make Louis the sole holder of the eventually broken record References Muhammad Ali The greatest monument to the great one MediaWorks TV March 31 2011 Retrieved June 4 2016 a b Muhammad Ali We Still Love You Unsteady Dreams of a Muslim International The New Inquiry June 19 2016 Retrieved January 21 2022 a b Boxing record for Muhammad Ali from BoxRec registration required Retrieved June 5 2016 Wells John C 2008 Ali Longman Pronunciation Dictionary 3rd ed Longman ISBN 978 1 4058 8118 0 the former boxer Muhammad Ali pronounces ɑːˈliː Peter Josh July 11 2016 Why Muhammad Ali never legally changed name from Cassius Clay USA Today Retrieved July 12 2016 Muhammad Ali ESPN January 20 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 a b Donelson Tom July 14 2008 Was Ali the Greatest Heavyweight Boxinginsider com Retrieved September 4 2016 a b AP Fighters of the Century list Retrieved February 12 2012 a b c d Hauser Thomas The Importance of Muhammad Ali Gilder Lehrman Institute a b c Roberts Randy 1991 Winning is the Only Thing Sports in America Since 1945 Johns Hopkins University Press pp 171 172 Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction History com Retrieved November 5 2020 Hallett Alison Not So Fast Portland Mercury Retrieved December 27 2013 a b Rhoden William C June 20 2013 In Ali s Voice From the Past a Stand for the Ages The New York Times Keating Steve March 5 2021 Ali Frazier Fight of the Century still packs a punch 50 years on Reuters Retrieved March 16 2021 Kang Jay Caspian April 4 2013 The End and Don King Grantland ESPN Retrieved April 4 2013 McDougall Christopher 2014 The Best American Sports Writing 2014 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt p 149 ISBN 978 0 544 14700 3 Muhammad Ali press conference 1974 YouTube September 26 2012 Archived from the original on February 3 2014 Retrieved November 5 2013 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Muhammad Ali Pre Liston Poetry amp Highlights YouTube February 12 2011 Retrieved November 5 2013 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Muhammad Ali Famous Interview After Defeating Foreman YouTube January 6 2010 Retrieved November 5 2013 a b Gates Henry Louis Jr June 9 2016 Muhammad Ali the Political Poet The New York Times Retrieved September 4 2016 a b c Reeves Mosi June 4 2016 Muhammad Ali World s Greatest Boxer Was Also Hip Hop Pioneer Rolling Stone Archived from the original on May 15 2018 Retrieved September 4 2016 a b c d Rubin Mike June 5 2016 Muhammad Ali 4 Ways He Changed America Rolling Stone Archived from the original on May 15 2018 Retrieved September 4 2016 a b Thomas Robert McG Jr September 20 1984 Change In Drug Helps Ali Improve The New York Times pp D 29 Retrieved March 9 2009 AP Muhammad Ali s doctor doubts boxing led to Parkinson s Associated Press via CBC June 6 2016 Retrieved September 1 2018 a b c d e f g Johnson Rafer 2002 Great Athletes Vol 1 revised ed Salem Press pp 38 41 ISBN 978 1 58765 008 6 Barber Can Relax Hair The Philadelphia Inquirer October 15 1997 Retrieved September 4 2009 Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr Former Champion s Father 77 The New York Times Associated Press February 10 1990 Retrieved September 4 2009 Egerton John 1991 Shades of Gray Dispatches from the Modern South LSU Press p 134 ISBN 978 0807117057 Retrieved June 24 2016 Muhammad Ali Boxer s ancestral Irish town pays tribute after death BBC June 4 2016 Retrieved June 4 2016 Ali has Irish ancestry BBC News February 9 2002 Retrieved August 5 2009 Reitwiesner Williams Addams Ancestry of Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali s Irish roots IrishCentral com June 3 2020 Muhammad Ali Boxer s ancestral Irish town pays tribute after death BBC News June 4 2016 DNA evidence links Muhammad Ali to heroic slave family says Washington Post Retrieved October 3 2018 Alexander Archer ca 1810 1879 at the Online Encyclopedia of Significant People and Places in African American History BlackPast org by Susan J Griffith published 2011 retrieved October 5 2013 Hauser 2004 p 14 a b Eig Jonathan 2017 Ali A Life Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017 Simon amp Schuster ISBN 9781471155963 Hampton Henry Fayer Steve Flynn Sarah 1990 Voices of Freedom An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s Bantam Books p 321 ISBN 978 0 553 05734 8 Gorn Elliott 1998 Muhammad Ali The People s Champ University of Illinois Press pp 76 77 ISBN 978 0 252 06721 1 Kandel Elmo April 1 2006 Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali Article Click Elmo Kandel Archived from the original on June 11 2008 Retrieved March 9 2009 Muhammad Ali University of Florida Archived from the original on May 31 2008 Retrieved May 20 2008 The Soul of a Butterfly Reflections on Life s Journey Simon and Schuster 2013 p 18 Fernandez Pedro Fernandez September 2 2007 Godfather Of Cutmen Chuck Bodak Suffers Stroke RingTalk Archived from the original on April 14 2015 Retrieved April 14 2015 Gray Geoffey June 4 2016 How Muhammad Ali Became a Boxer Daily Intelligencer New York Retrieved June 26 2016 Ward Nathan October 2006 A Total Eclipse of the Sonny American Heritage Archived from the original on January 11 2007 a b c d e f g h Hauser 2004 Calkins Matt November 17 2014 Archie Moore was the KO king U T San Diego Retrieved June 15 2016 Krantz Les 2008 Ali in Action The Man the Moves the Mouth Globe Pequot ISBN 9781599213026 Retrieved June 15 2016 via Google Books Velin Bob June 4 2016 Fight by fight Muhammad Ali s legendary career USA Today Retrieved June 15 2016 Bob Mee Ali and Liston The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear 2011 Capouya John December 12 2005 King Strut Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on June 3 2011 Retrieved March 14 2017 Burkholder Denny June 6 2016 How Muhammad Ali s fascination with pro wrestling fueled his career inspired MMA CBS Sports Retrieved October 2 2016 Irusta Carlos January 17 2012 Dundee Ali was still is The Greatest ESPN Retrieved January 17 2012 Haygood Wil 2011 Sweet Thunder The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson Chicago Review Press p 378 ISBN 9781569768648 Retrieved June 24 2016 King of the World Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero p 147 at Google Books Remnick 1998 p 147 a b Lipsyte Robert February 26 1964 Clay Wins Title in Seventh Round Upset As Liston Is Halted by Shoulder Injury The New York Times Retrieved December 27 2008 Sugar Bert Randolph 2003 Bert Sugar on Boxing The Best of the Sport s Most Notable Writer Globe Pequot p 196 ISBN 978 1 59228 048 3 In an interview in 1974 Ali said that prior to his later fight with Foreman a one time member of Liston s entourage offered him a liniment that could be applied to boxing gloves and that would cause a blinding temporary stinging of the eyes Video on YouTube McLeod Kembrew Pranksters Making Mischief in the Modern World pp 223 224 Cassius Clay vs Sonny Liston 1964 Boxen YouTube Cuddy Jack November 14 1964 Clay Undergoes Surgery Fight Is Off Indefinitely The Bridgeport Telegram p 1 Retrieved March 14 2017 via Newspapers com Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston I amp II Highlights Ali Becomes World Champion amp Phantom Punch Fight YouTube Retrieved June 20 2018 Anderson Dave January 16 1992 Sports of The Times On His 50th Ali Is Still The Greatest The New York Times Retrieved January 25 2012 Vachss Andrew 2003 Only Child Vintage p 89 Vachss further explains the way such a fix would have been engineered in Two Trains Running Pantheon 2005 pp 160 165 233 Archived from the original on July 16 2016 Retrieved June 4 2016 a b Belth Alex August 27 2012 Ali Patterson The Real Story Sports on Earth Sports on Earth Archived from the original on November 8 2017 Retrieved June 3 2016 Boxing Muhammad Ali Rank Cinema Wardour Street London GettyImages Retrieved December 11 2020 Ezra Michael 2013 The Economic Civil Rights Movement African Americans and the Struggle for Economic Power Routledge p 105 ISBN 9781136274756 Shalit Nevin I July 15 1980 Muhammad Ali Losing the Real Title The Harvard Crimson Retrieved August 19 2015 Dundee Angelo Maule Tex August 28 1967 He Could Go To Jail And Still Be Champ Sports Illustrated Maule Tex February 13 1967 Cruel Ali With All The Skills Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on March 9 2013 a b Metz Nina August 31 2013 The trials of a Chicago director making Muhammad Ali doc Chicago Tribune Retrieved July 31 2016 a b c Foley Michael 2003 Confronting the War Machine Draft Resistance during the Vietnam War University of North Carolina Press ISBN 978 0 8078 5436 5 archived from the original on October 16 2015 Clay may be put into 1 A class today Lodi News Sentinel United Press International February 10 1967 p 13 a b Neel Eric Page2 Muhammad Ali from A to Z ESPN Retrieved November 5 2013 Network Warfare History Vietnam War Muhammad Ali s Draft Controversy The National Interest Archived from the original on January 12 2021 Retrieved February 21 2022 Remnick David 1998 King of the World Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero Random House p 287 ISBN 978 0 375 50065 7 Haas Jeffrey 2009 The Assassination of Fred Hampton How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther Lawrence Hill Books p 27 ISBN 978 1 55652 765 4 Reemstsma Jean 1999 More Than a Champion The Style of Muhammad Ali New York Vintage ISBN 978 0 375 70005 7 Retrieved March 14 2012 Remembering Cleveland s Muhammad Ali Summit 45 years later Branson Wright for The Plain Dealer via Cleveland com June 3 2012 Retrieved July 23 2020 Conversation with Muhammad Ali WGBH Library of Congress American Archive of Public Broadcasting WGBH and the Library of Congress Boston MA and Washington DC July 7 1968 Retrieved March 15 2020 Cassius Marsellus CLAY Jr also known as Muhammad Ali Petitioner v United States LII Legal Information Institute The Greatest Is Gone Time February 27 1978 p 5 Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved August 4 2007 Cassius Marsellus Clay Jr also known as Muhammad Ali Petitioner v United States LII Legal Information Institute Law cornell edu Retrieved November 5 2013 Clay v United States The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago Kent College of Law Oyez org Retrieved November 5 2013 Star Ledger Jerry Izenberg For The June 4 2016 Why I called Muhammad Ali my friend nj Retrieved September 21 2020 Wolfson Andrew Muhammad Ali lost everything in opposing the Vietnam War But in 1968 he triumphed USA Today Retrieved September 21 2020 Interview with Kareem Abdul Jabbar Digital wustl edu March 3 1989 Retrieved November 5 2013 Muhammad Ali The man who changed his sport and his country BBC June 5 2016 Ezra Michael 2009 Muhammad Ali s Main Bout African American Economic Power and the World Heavyweight Title Muhammad Ali The Making of an Icon Temple University Press p 82 ISBN 9781592136612 Dundee Ali was still is The Greatest ESPN January 17 2012 Retrieved November 5 2013 Whitcomb Dan Former Ali promoter Bob Arum recalls boxer s impact on society Reuters June 5 2016 Retrieved September 15 2018 a b Rapold Nicolas August 22 2013 One of His Biggest Fights Was Outside of the Ring The New York Times Retrieved August 29 2016 Zirin Dave June 4 2016 The Hidden History of Muhammad Ali Jacobin Retrieved April 17 2017 a b Pilkington Ed September 26 2013 Declassified NSA files show agency spied on Muhammad Ali and MLK The Guardian Retrieved April 16 2017 Medsger Betty June 6 2016 In 1971 Muhammad Ali Helped Undermine the FBI s Illegal Spying on Americans The Intercept Retrieved April 17 2017 Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction History Glanton Dahleen Muhammad Ali s exile years in Chicago Learning about life chicagotribune com Retrieved December 1 2020 Tinsley Justin January 17 2018 What if the Muhammad Ali we knew had never existed Andscape Retrieved April 6 2021 Case of Muhammad Ali The Ultimate Civil Disobedience The Austin American May 3 1967 p 24 Secret Honeymoon of the Champ Muhammad Ali joins Muslim speaking tour with his wedding trip Ebony Johnson Publishing Company 23 1 146 151 151 November 1967 a b Ali vs Marciano Who wins The Enterprise September 1 2009 Retrieved July 19 2016 The forgotten story of the Rocky Marciano v Muhammad Ali Super Fight The Guardian November 13 2012 Bingham Howard Wallace Max 2000 Muhammad Ali s Greatest Fight Cassius Clay vs the United States of America M Evans p 218 ISBN 9780871319005 Matthew October 1 2005 Knockout An oral history of Muhammad Ali Atlanta and the fight nobody wanted Atlanta Magazine Retrieved October 31 2019 Clay granted New York ring license The Palm Beach Post Associated Press September 15 1970 p B4 Ali s Remark Ended Wilt s Ring Career Los Angeles Times January 15 1989 Morning Briefing O Reilly Terry March 3 2016 Achilles Heel Advertising Repositioning the Competition Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved August 30 2018 Victor at 220 in Command of Houston Bout The New York Times July 27 1971 Retrieved May 18 2022 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Muhammad Ali The Rumble In The Jungle Interview YouTube March 22 1967 Retrieved September 3 2013 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Muhammad Ali Inspirational Speech Cassius Clay Boxing Motivation YouTube September 14 2012 Retrieved September 3 2013 Foreman George January 2012 George Foreman on why Muhammad Ali was so much more than a boxer ShortList Retrieved June 6 2016 Zaire s fight promotion opens new gold mines The Morning Herald November 18 1974 Ali Regains Title Flooring Foreman The New York Times October 30 1974 Rumble in the Jungle the night Ali became King of the World again The Guardian October 29 2014 Retrieved October 29 2014 Revisiting The Rumble in the Jungle 40 years later USA Today October 29 2014 Mike Tyson May Fight George Foreman In Biggest Money Match 80 Million Jet Johnson Publishing Company 88 19 46 September 18 1995 a b Most Watched Live TV Broadcasts Of All Time Where Will The Royal Wedding Rank Inquisitr May 19 2018 Archived from the original on May 20 2018 Retrieved May 20 2018 Schneiderman R M August 10 2006 Stallone Settles With The Real Rocky Forbes Blaine Henry May 18 2019 History Lesson Thrilla in Manila Fight Library com Jhoon Rhee Father of American Tae Kwon Do www jhoonrhee com Archived from the original on May 6 2019 Retrieved May 1 2019 Champion Ali Quits Boxing The Paris News October 1 1976 p 12 Retrieved October 19 2011 Read Peter Finney s column on Ali vs Spinks 2 at the Superdome in 1978 The Times Picayune NOLA com New Orleans LA re posted on June 4 2016 Muhammad Ali The Glory Years Felix Dennis and Don Atyeo p 258 The Last Flight of the Butterfly Remembering Ali vs Spinks II RingsideReport com Kevin The Voice Kincade September 22 2016 Muhammad Ali Fast Facts CNN Retrieved February 20 2013 Koch Ed Timeline Fifty years of Las Vegas memories for Muhammad Ali Las Vegas Sun Retrieved November 12 2013 Hale Mike October 26 2009 Boxing King Casts His Shadow Even at Time of Defeat The New York Times Retrieved March 5 2012 Ali to try again The Daytona Beach Sunday News Journal Associated Press August 16 1981 Retrieved June 4 2016 It s all over for Ali after loss Lawrence Journal World Associated Press December 12 1981 Retrieved June 4 2016 Nack William December 21 1981 Not with a bang but a whisper Sports Illustrated Retrieved June 4 2016 Michael Dokes Larger Than Life Heavyweight Boxer Dies at 54 The New York Times August 14 2012 Archived from the original on August 23 2012 Retrieved July 6 2015 Aaron Tallent The Joke That Almost Ended Ali s Career The Sweet Science Retrieved July 11 2015 Muhammad Ali Boxing Football s Lyle Alzado Boxing Hall of Fame Retrieved July 11 2015 Greatest Hockey Legends com Ali vs Semenko It Really Happened Greatesthockeylegends com Retrieved July 11 2015 Filantropia Fundacion Jose Miguel Agrelot Doncholito org Archived from the original on July 6 2015 Retrieved July 11 2015 a b c Tallent Aaron February 20 2005 The Joke That Almost Ended Ali s Career The Sweet Science Archived from the original on July 9 2016 Retrieved December 4 2007 Mather Victor June 5 2016 Ali s Least Memorable Fight The New York Times a b Gross Josh June 25 2016 Muhammad Ali s Forgotten Fight Was Also One of His Most Influential Newsweek Retrieved April 10 2018 Burkholder Denny June 6 2016 How Muhammad Ali s fascination with pro wrestling fueled his career inspired MMA CBS Sports Retrieved June 11 2016 a b Hall Nick April 29 2020 Collision in Korea Pyongyang s historic socialism and spandex spectacular NK News Retrieved June 1 2020 Vaughan Kevin Goodbye Mile High Denver Rocky Mountain News Archived from the original on June 11 2008 Retrieved March 26 2008 When Muhammad Ali fought hockey s heavyweight champ Dave Semenko ca sports yahoo com Micklos John Jr 2010 Muhammad Ali I Am the Greatest Berkeley Heights NJ Enslow Publishers p 54 ISBN 978 0 7660 3381 8 a b Ep 6 How Much You Gonna Pay Me Rahman Ali Ali A Life Hauser Thomas 2012 Muhammad Ali His Life and Times Open Road Integrated Media p 252 ISBN 978 1 4532 4119 6 Hauser Thomas 2012 Muhammad Ali His Life and Times Open Road Integrated Media p 288 ISBN 978 1 4532 4119 6 The Secrets of Ali Former Wife of Boxing Champ Tells All nbcmiami com Muhammad Ali s Daughter May May Ali Writes Children s Book About His Boxing Career Jet Vol 104 no 24 Johnson Publishing Company December 8 2003 pp 38 39 ISSN 0021 5996 via Google Books Muhammad Ali s son shut off from dad living in poverty January 26 2014 For Muhammad Ali s grandson family legacy extends beyond the ring WashingtonPost com Ali s camp now a bed and breakfast ESPN Retrieved January 29 2012 a b Ali Daughter Tosses Book in Ring New York Daily News March 18 2001 Archived from the original on October 18 2016 Retrieved October 15 2016 Former three time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali agreed Tuesday UPI January 28 1986 Muhammed Ali Biography sic Lifetime May 23 2006 Archived from the original on April 4 2015 Retrieved May 1 2015 a b Muhammad Ali s ex wife reveals details about their secret wedding USA Today June 6 2016 Muhammad Ali s Ex Wives Forgave His Infidelity People com Retrieved October 28 2020 Muhammad Ali s Ex Wives Forgave His Infidelity People com Retrieved March 16 2021 a b c d Crouse Karen June 9 2016 Muhammad Ali Was Her First and Greatest Love The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved June 3 2021 Allen Nick June 5 2016 Could Muhammad Ali s 80m fortune become subject of bitter legal battle The Daily Telegraph Muhammad Ali confesses illness put a stop to his girl chasing but his son is just starting Jet Vol 91 no 10 Johnson Publishing Company January 27 1997 pp 32 33 ISSN 0021 5996 Retrieved March 14 2017 via Google Books Miller Davis September 12 1993 Still Larger Than Life To Millions Muhammad Ali Will Always Be The Champ The Seattle Times Retrieved May 3 2021 Laufenberg Norbert B 2005 Entertainment Celebrities Trafford Publishing p 9 ISBN 978 1 4120 5335 8 Retrieved December 5 2010 Bollinger Rhett Angels draft boxing legend Ali s son Major League Baseball Retrieved June 5 2016 Bucktin Christopher September 13 2014 Muhammad Ali s secret daughter begs to see boxing legend one more time before he dies Daily Mirror Retrieved June 6 2016 Ofori Mensah June 5 2016 6 Facts About Kiiursti Mensah Ali Muhammed Ali s Ghanaian Daughter You Need To Know sic omgvoice com Retrieved June 6 2016 Foster Peter Allen Nick June 4 2016 Muhammad Ali s tangled love life leaves troubled legacy The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on January 10 2022 Retrieved June 6 2016 Ali s alleged lovechild talks to tabloids The Daily Express February 11 2010 Retrieved October 15 2016 An 18 year old woman has filed suit seeking 3 million United Press International April 24 1981 Retrieved May 27 2018 Temica Williams a k a Rebecca Jean Holloway Plaintiff Appellant v Muhammad Ali Defendant Appellee All Court Data Retrieved October 15 2016 Eig Jonathan 2017 Ali A Life Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017 Simon amp Schuster UK ISBN 978 1 4711 5596 3 Eig Jonathan 2017 Ali A Life London Simon amp Schuster p 416 ISBN 978 1471155932 OCLC 968294310 Ali A Life A biography that s not The Greatest The Ring The Ring September 29 2017 Retrieved September 6 2020 Brother Muhammad Ali s health failing United Press International Archived from the original on August 13 2014 Retrieved September 4 2014 Brewer Dale September 16 2018 When Ali was King The Herald Palladium Retrieved September 16 2018 Shafer Sheldon S January 25 2007 Ali coming home buys house in Jefferson County PDF The Courier Journal Archived from the original PDF on March 25 2009 Retrieved January 25 2007 Patricia Sheridan December 3 2007 Patricia Sheridan s Breakfast With Lonnie Ali Archived January 18 2012 at the Wayback Machine Pittsburgh Post Gazette Retrieved July 28 2009 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Day at Night Muhammad Ali legendary boxing champion Event occurs at 21 50 Interview with Muhammad Ali digital wustl edu Retrieved September 21 2020 Oprah Talks to Muhammad Ali Oprah com Retrieved September 21 2020 Laila Ali Womenboxing com Retrieved January 29 2012 Boxing Muhammad Ali Womenboxing com June 8 2001 Retrieved January 29 2012 Laila Ali With Her Father Watching Stays Undefeated New York Times June 12 2005 Retrieved May 26 2018 Cepeda Elias June 4 2016 Kevin Casey will fight at UFC 199 despite passing of father in law Muhammad Ali Fox Sports Retrieved June 6 2016 Mohammed Sagal September 2 2018 My dad the greatest Hana Ali recalls the crushing heartache that would haunt her father his whole life You Magazine Retrieved October 11 2020 Hauser Thomas June 17 2016 Muhammad Ali They Look Like They re Happy Together HuffPost Retrieved September 21 2020 a b Mitchell Kevin June 4 2016 From the Vietnam war to Islam the key chapters in Ali s life The Guardian Retrieved June 5 2016 Muslim Charge Clams Up Clay The Pittsburgh Press February 7 1964 Schwartz Larry He is simply The Greatest ESPN Retrieved March 4 2018 Steinberg Neil June 4 2016 For a time Ali called Chicago home Chicago Sun Times Retrieved June 5 2016 a b History website Muhammad Ali Cassius Clay is my slave name BBC Retrieved July 2 2013 Gonzalez Susan June 9 2016 Muhammad Ali originally named for ardent abolitionist and Yale alumnus Cassius Clay Yale News Retrieved August 17 2021 a b Heritage of a Heavyweight The New York Times Retrieved September 27 2020 I am America Muhammad Ali s fight for civil rights 9News Australia Agence France Presse June 5 2016 Retrieved June 4 2016 Handler M S March 9 1964 Malcolm X Splits with Muhammad The New York Times Retrieved August 1 2008 subscription required The Champ and Mr X National Review February 29 2016 Retrieved November 18 2016 a b Ali Muhammad Ali Hana Yasmeen 2004 The Soul of a Butterfly Reflections on Life s Journey Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 0 7432 6286 6 Retrieved September 4 2016 Garcia Courtney September 6 2013 Trials of Muhammad Ali highlights boxer s anti war opposition theGrio Retrieved November 5 2013 Mogul Priyanka June 4 2016 Muhammad Ali Why the boxing legend converted to Islam and refused to serve in the Vietnam War International Business Times Retrieved August 30 2016 Bercaw Nancy Ownby Ted eds The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture Volume 13 Gender p 291 Muhammad Ali discussing his meeting with the KKK while with the Nation of Islam YouTube Hauser Thomas 1992 Muhammad Ali His Life and Times Simon and Schuster ISBN 978 0 671 77971 9 Ali Muhammad Ali Hana Yasmeen 2013 The Soul of a Butterfly Simon amp Schuster p 85 Muhammed Ali s Pilgrimage to Makkah sic Emel No 17 February 2006 Retrieved September 4 2016 Bryan Chloe June 4 2016 Muhammad Ali had a thought provoking response when asked about his retirement plans Mashable Retrieved September 4 2016 a b Rajeev K R June 5 2016 Muhammad Ali s visit was Kozhikode s knockout moment The Times of India Retrieved September 4 2016 Muhammad Ali The face of real Islam Al Jazeera June 6 2016 Retrieved September 4 2016 Muhammad Ali Five things you never knew about the boxing legend CNN April 28 2016 Retrieved November 18 2016 Family faith and magic tricks My 40 year friendship with Muhammad Ali The Telegraph March 4 2016 Archived from the original on January 10 2022 Retrieved December 13 2016 Muhammad Ali Unapologetically Black Unapologetically Muslim On Being June 9 2016 Archived from the original on December 20 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Muhammad Ali s New Spiritual Quest Beliefnet Retrieved December 13 2016 Timothy Gianotti The Imam whose on Muhammad Ali s last days and funeral On Being June 9 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Prof Gianotti plans Muhammad Ali s funeral and memorial service On Being June 9 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Columbia Daily Spectator International Committee To Reunite The Beatles June 17 1976 Retrieved on April 1 2018 Beatles Again Stan Mieses 1 Desert Sun Newspaper January 26 1977 Retrieved on April 1 2018 Can 200 Million Fans Reunite the Beatles The Daily Herald January 28 1977 Retrieved on April 1 2018 Langer Adam November 28 2019 Muhammad Ali in a Broadway Musical It Happened The New York Times Retrieved December 6 2020 Buck White IBDB a b Ali Muhammad Durham Richard 1975 The Greatest My Own Story New York Random House ISBN 978 0 394 46268 4 OCLC 1622063 Freedom Road Imdb Muhammad Ali s influence ran deep through rap s golden age The Guardian June 6 2016 Song Stand By Me recorded in 1964 by Muhammad Ali then known as Cassius Clay YouTube December 13 2008 Archived from the original on October 22 2013 Retrieved February 20 2013 Different versions of Stand By Me Secondhandsongs com Retrieved February 20 2013 Tinsley Justin June 8 2016 The Grammy nominated Cassius Clay Andscape Muhammad Ali Famed Pugilist Was Also Hip Hop Pioneer Rolling Stone June 4 2016 Archived from the original on May 15 2018 Retrieved August 22 2017 A quote by Muhammad Ali www goodreads com Retrieved April 19 2019 30 of Muhammad Ali s best quotes USA Today Retrieved April 19 2019 Berry Ben June 9 2016 The 10 Best Muhammad Ali References In Hip Hop The Source Retrieved April 19 2019 Muhammad Ali The original rapper Legendary emcee Chuck D of Public Enemy talks Ali s impact on hip hop Andscape June 9 2016 Retrieved September 4 2016 a b Jay Z Eminem and more hip hop luminaries remember Muhammad Ali CBS News June 9 2016 Retrieved September 4 2016 Muhammad Ali Boxing a Monsoon Boxing Hall of Fame boxinghalloffame com December 29 2012 Archived from the original on September 16 2015 Retrieved June 9 2016 Burkett Harry ed 2007 Historical Cards WrestleMania I 03 31 1985 PWI 2007 Wrestling Almanac amp Book of facts Blue Bell Pennsylvania London Publishing p 84 ISBN 978 25274 00389 Academy Awards Show Ratings TV By The Numbers February 18 2009 Archived from the original on October 8 2016 Hauser Thomas 2012 Muhammad Ali His Life and Times Anova Books p 431 ISBN 9781907554902 Diff rent Strokes The Complete Second Season DVD Review Sitcoms Online Retrieved September 1 2018 a b c Hajeski Nancy J 2013 Ali The Official Portrait of The Greatest of All Time Simon and Schuster p 293 ISBN 9781607109839 Toff Benjamin August 25 2008 Olympics Ratings Set Record The New York Times Heroes Telethon Raises 150 Million Billboard September 25 2001 Retrieved March 29 2021 Weekly top 30 programmes Broadcasters Audience Research Board January 7 2007 Retrieved September 1 2018 a b Annual Report 2016 PDF Muhammad Ali Center January 2017 Art by Muhammad Ali boxing icon sells for close to 1 million in New York auction Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved October 7 2021 Villa Angelica October 6 2021 Muhammad Ali s Little Known Art Becomes a Hit at Auction ARTnews com Retrieved October 7 2021 Calfas Jennifer October 6 2021 Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali s Art Sells for Nearly 1 Million in Auction The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved October 7 2021 A new biography of Muhammad Ali The Economist October 26 2017 Ali Leaves Hospital Vowing to take better care of himself and get more sleep The New York Times September 22 1984 Retrieved March 9 2009 Friedman J H 1989 Progressive parkinsonism in boxers Southern Medical Journal 82 5 543 546 doi 10 1097 00007611 198905000 00002 PMID 2655100 WrestleMania I Celebrities Wwe com March 31 1985 Archived from the original on June 5 2011 Retrieved January 29 2012 McAvennie Mike January 17 2007 Happy Birthday to The Greatest WWE com Retrieved February 16 2009 a b Muhammad Ali Handed Humanitarian Honour Sky News September 14 2012 A Tribute To Muhammad Ali The Athlete Philanthropist And Legend Odyssey June 6 2016 Muhammad Ali Biography com January 18 2018 a b Christopher Paul J Smith Alicia Marie 2006 Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times North American Edition Encouragement Press LLC p 20 ISBN 9781933766096 Ezra Michael 2009 Muhammad Ali s Main Bout African American Economic Power and the World Heavyweight Title Muhammad Ali The Making of an Icon Temple University Press p 82 ISBN 9781592136612 In pictures Muhammad Ali s love affair with Africa BBC News June 9 2016 a b Zirin Dave June 8 2016 Andrew Cuomo Would Have Blacklisted Muhammad Ali The Nation Retrieved September 4 2016 Rahman Mizan June 6 2016 Muhammad Ali s forgotten land in Bangladesh Gulf Times Retrieved September 4 2016 Schilling Vincent June 4 2016 The Greatest Muhammad Ali Walks On Indian Country Today Media Network Archived from the original on August 21 2016 Retrieved September 4 2016 Fuqua Antoine director 2019 What s My Name Muhammad Ali Part II Motion picture HBO Hauser 2004 p 397 Muhammad Ali s Strange Failed Diplomatic Career by Michael Ezra Politico Magazine June 5 2016 Retrieved April 1 2019 Cuddihy Martin June 9 2016 Muhammad Ali Africa remembers the boxing legend ABC News Australia Retrieved September 4 2016 Levin Josh June 4 2016 The Time Muhammad Ali Stopped a Man From Leaping to His Death Slate Ali Talks Would Be Jumper Off Ninth Floor Fire Escape The Blade Associated Press January 20 1981 CAMPAIGN NOTES Muhammad Ali Switches His Support to Reagan The New York Times UPI October 3 1984 Retrieved September 4 2016 Muhammad Ali Steps into Ring Jewish Telegraphic Agency June 28 1985 Retrieved September 4 2016 a b Muhammad Ali 2012 Liberty Medal Ceremony National Constitution Center Archived from the original on January 18 2018 Retrieved January 17 2018 Khaled Ali June 4 2016 How Muhammad Ali became a sporting hero to the Arab world Al Arabiya Retrieved September 4 2016 Bresnahan John Muhammad Ali and Orrin Hatch An unlikely friendship POLITICO Shenon Philip November 27 1990 MIDEAST TENSIONS At Baghdad s Bazaar Everyone Wants Hostages The New York Times Retrieved June 19 2021 Brian Becker June 10 2016 I was with Muhammad Ali on his hostage release trip to Iraq and the media has it all wrong ANSWER Coalition Retrieved July 1 2018 UN Messenger of Peace Muhammad Ali arrives in Afghanistan UN News Centre December 13 2002 Archived from the original on December 13 2002 Retrieved January 29 2012 Muhammad Ali visits Kabul Getty Images Archived from the original on March 16 2010 Retrieved May 20 2008 McDonald Brian August 12 2009 Fightin talk as Ennis awaits Muhammed Ali sic Irish Independent Retrieved August 26 2009 Wilson Stan July 28 2012 Muhammad Ali returns to the Olympic stage once again in London CNN Retrieved July 29 2012 Corporal Spinks you re the greatest The Age February 17 1978 a b c Muhammad Ali s Finances A Puzzle To News Media I m Broke He Quips Jet Johnson Publishing Company 54 4 53 April 13 1978 a b His Lifestyle His Ex Wives His Expensive Entourage They Explain Why Ali Took An 8 Million Beating People October 20 1980 li, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.