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What is Muhammad Ali known for?

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Muhammad Ali

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Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers in history, the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions. In addition, he was known for his social message of black pride and black resistance to white domination and for refusing induction into the  U.S. Army  during the  Vietnam War .

What awards did Muhammad Ali win?

Muhammad Ali was a member of the inaugural class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2005 he was awarded the  Presidential Medal of Freedom .

Muhammad Ali achieved renown as a boxer through his speed, superb footwork, ability to take a punch, and tremendous courage. His final record of 56 wins and 5 losses with 37 knockouts has been matched by others, but the quality of his opponents and his overwhelming success during his prime placed him among boxing’s immortals.

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Muhammad Ali (born January 17, 1942, Louisville , Kentucky , U.S.—died June 3, 2016, Scottsdale , Arizona) was an American professional boxer and social activist. Ali was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions; he successfully defended this title 19 times.

(Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica essay on boxing.)

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., grew up in the American South in a time of segregated public facilities. His father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., supported a wife and two sons by painting billboards and signs. His mother, Odessa Grady Clay, worked as a household domestic.

When Clay was 12 years old, he took up boxing under the tutelage of Louisville policeman Joe Martin. After advancing through the amateur ranks, he won a gold medal in the 175-pound division at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and began a professional career under the guidance of the Louisville Sponsoring Group, a syndicate composed of 11 wealthy white men.

In his early bouts as a professional, Clay was more highly regarded for his charm and personality than for his ring skills. He sought to raise public interest in his fights by reading childlike poetry and spouting self-descriptive phrases such as “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” He told the world that he was “the Greatest,” but the hard realities of boxing seemed to indicate otherwise. Clay infuriated devotees of the sport as much as he impressed them. He held his hands unconventionally low, backed away from punches rather than bobbing and weaving out of danger, and appeared to lack true knockout power. The opponents he was besting were a mixture of veterans who were long past their prime and fighters who had never been more than mediocre . Thus, purists cringed when Clay predicted the round in which he intended to knock out an opponent, and they grimaced when he did so and bragged about each new conquest.

On February 25, 1964, Clay challenged Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world. Liston was widely regarded as the most intimidating, powerful fighter of his era. Clay was a decided underdog. But in one of the most stunning upsets in sports history, Liston retired to his corner after six rounds, and Clay became the new champion. Two days later Clay shocked the boxing establishment again by announcing that he had accepted the teachings of the Nation of Islam . On March 6, 1964, he took the name Muhammad Ali, which was given to him by his spiritual mentor, Elijah Muhammad .

For the next three years, Ali dominated boxing as thoroughly and magnificently as any fighter ever had. In a May 25, 1965, rematch against Liston, he emerged with a first-round knockout victory. Triumphs over Floyd Patterson , George Chuvalo , Henry Cooper, Brian London , and Karl Mildenberger followed. On November 14, 1966, Ali fought Cleveland Williams. Over the course of three rounds, Ali landed more than 100 punches, scored four knockdowns, and was hit a total of three times. Ali’s triumph over Williams was succeeded by victories over Ernie Terrell and Zora Folley.

Then, on April 28, 1967, citing his religious beliefs, Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army at the height of the war in Vietnam . This refusal followed a blunt statement voiced by Ali 14 months earlier: “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.” Many Americans vehemently condemned Ali’s stand, though one of Ali’s earliest defenders was famed sports broadcaster Howard Cosell , who had covered and praised the fighter since the beginning of his career as Cassius Clay. Ali’s position was especially controversial because it came at a time when most people in the United States still supported the war in Southeast Asia . Moreover, although exemptions from military service on religious grounds were available to qualifying conscientious objectors who were opposed to war in any form, Ali was not eligible for such an exemption, because he acknowledged that he would be willing to participate in an Islamic holy war .

Ali was stripped of his championship and precluded from fighting by every state athletic commission in the United States for three and a half years. In addition, he was criminally indicted and, on June 20, 1967, convicted of refusing induction into the U.S. armed forces and sentenced to five years in prison. Although he remained free on bail, four years passed before his conviction was unanimously overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on a narrow procedural ground.

Meanwhile, as the 1960s grew more tumultuous , Ali’s impact upon American society was growing, and he became a lightning rod for dissent. Ali’s message of Black pride and Black resistance to white domination was on the cutting edge of the civil rights movement . Having refused induction into the U.S. Army, he also stood for the proposition that “unless you have a very good reason to kill, war is wrong.” As Black activist Julian Bond later observed, “When a figure as heroic and beloved as Muhammad Ali stood up and said, ‘No, I won’t go,’ it reverberated through the whole society.”

In October 1970, Ali was allowed to return to boxing, but his skills had eroded. The legs that had allowed him to “dance” for 15 rounds without stopping no longer carried him as surely around the ring. His reflexes, while still superb , were no longer as fast as they had once been. Ali prevailed in his first two comeback fights, against Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena. Then, on March 8, 1971, he challenged Joe Frazier , who had become heavyweight champion during Ali’s absence from the ring. It was a fight of historic proportions, billed as the “Fight of the Century.” Frazier won a unanimous 15-round decision.

Following his loss to Frazier, Ali won 10 fights in a row, 8 of them against world-class opponents. Then, on March 31, 1973, a little-known fighter named Ken Norton broke Ali’s jaw in the second round en route to a 12-round upset decision. Ali defeated Norton in a rematch. After that he fought Joe Frazier a second time and won a unanimous 12-round decision. From a technical point of view, the second Ali-Frazier bout was probably Ali’s best performance in the ring after his exile from boxing.

On October 30, 1974, Ali challenged George Foreman , who had dethroned Frazier in 1973 to become heavyweight champion of the world. The bout (which Ali referred to as the “ Rumble in the Jungle ”) took place in the unlikely location of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo ). Ali was received by the people of Zaire as a conquering hero, and he did his part by knocking out Foreman in the eighth round to regain the heavyweight title. It was in this fight that Ali employed a strategy once used by former boxing great Archie Moore . Moore called the maneuver “the turtle” but Ali called it “ rope-a-dope .” The strategy was that, instead of moving around the ring, Ali chose to fight for extended periods of time leaning back into the ropes in order to avoid many of Foreman’s heaviest blows.

Over the next 30 months, at the peak of his popularity as champion, Ali fought nine times in bouts that showed him to be a courageous fighter but a fighter on the decline. The most notable of these bouts occurred on October 1, 1975, when Ali and Joe Frazier met in the Philippines , 6 miles (9.5 km) outside Manila, to do battle for the third time. In what is regarded by many as the greatest prizefight of all time (the “ Thrilla in Manila ”), Ali was declared the victor when Frazier’s corner called a halt to the bout after 14 brutal rounds.

The final performances of Ali’s ring career were sad to behold. In 1978 he lost his title to Leon Spinks , a novice boxer with an Olympic gold medal but only seven professional fights to his credit. Seven months later Ali regained the championship with a 15-round victory over Spinks. Then he retired from boxing, but two years later he made an ill-advised comeback and suffered a horrible beating at the hands of Larry Holmes in a bout that was stopped after 11 rounds. The final ring contest of Ali’s career was a loss by decision to Trevor Berbick in 1981.

Ali’s place in boxing history as one of the greatest fighters ever is secure. His final record of 56 wins and 5 losses with 37 knockouts has been matched by others, but the quality of his opponents and the manner in which he dominated during his prime placed him on a plateau with boxing’s immortals. Ali’s most-tangible ring assets were speed, superb footwork, and the ability to take a punch. But perhaps more important, he had courage and all the other intangibles that go into making a great fighter.

Ali’s later years were marked by physical decline. Damage to his brain caused by blows to the head resulted in slurred speech, slowed movement, and other symptoms of Parkinson syndrome . However, his condition differed from chronic encephalopathy , or dementia pugilistica (which is commonly referred to as “punch drunk” in fighters), in that he did not suffer from injury-induced intellectual deficits.

Ali’s religious views also evolved over time. In the mid-1970s he began to study the Qurʾān seriously and turned to Orthodox Islam . His earlier adherence to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad (e.g., that white people are “devils” and there is no heaven or hell) were replaced by a spiritual embrace of all people and preparation for his own afterlife. In 1984 Ali spoke out publicly against the separatist doctrine of Louis Farrakhan , declaring, “What he teaches is not at all what we believe in. He represents the time of our struggle in the dark and a time of confusion in us, and we don’t want to be associated with that at all.”

Ali married his fourth wife, Lonnie (née Yolanda Williams), in 1986. He had nine children, most of whom avoided the spotlight of which Ali was so fond. One of his daughters, however, Laila Ali , pursued a career as a professional boxer during which she went undefeated in 24 bouts between 1999 and 2007 while capturing a number of titles in various weight classes.

In 1996 Ali was chosen to light the Olympic flame at the start of the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta , Georgia. The outpouring of goodwill that accompanied his appearance confirmed his status as one of the most-beloved athletes in the world. The dramatic period of his life from 1964 to 1974 was the basis of the film Ali (2001), in which Will Smith starred as the boxer. His life story is told in the documentary film I Am Ali (2014), which includes audio recordings that he made throughout his career and interviews with his intimates . He also was the subject of the docuseries What’s My Name (2019) and Muhammad Ali (2021), the latter of which was codirected by Ken Burns . Ali was a member of the inaugural class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom .

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali was a three-time heavyweight boxing champion with an impressive 56-win record. He was also known for his public stance against the Vietnam War.

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Quick Facts

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Muhammad Ali was a boxer, philanthropist, and social activist who is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Ali became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. Following his suspension for refusing military service in the Vietnam War, Ali reclaimed the heavyweight title two more times during the 1970s, winning famed bouts against Joe Frazier and George Foreman along the way. Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted much of his time after to philanthropy. He earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

FULL NAME: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. BORN: January 17, 1942 DIED: June 3, 2016 BIRTHPLACE: Louisville, Kentucky SPOUSES: Sonji Roi (1964-1965), Belinda Boyd (1967-1977), Veronica Porché (1977-1986), and Yolanda Williams (1986-2016) CHILDREN: Maryum, Jamillah, Rasheda, Muhammad Jr., Miya, Khaliah, Hana, Laila Ali , and Asaad ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn

Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. His birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.

At an early age, young Clay showed that he wasn’t afraid of any bout—inside or outside of the ring. Growing up in the segregated South, he experienced racial prejudice and discrimination firsthand.

At the age of 12, Clay discovered his talent for boxing through an odd twist of fate. After his bike was stolen, Clay told police officer Joe Martin that he wanted to beat up the thief. “Well, you better learn how to fight before you start challenging people,” Martin reportedly told him at the time. In addition to being a police officer, Martin also trained young boxers at a local gym.

Clay started working with Martin to learn how to spar and soon began his boxing career. In his first amateur bout in 1954, he won the fight by split decision. Clay went on to win the 1956 Golden Gloves tournament for novices in the light heavyweight class. Three years later, he won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, as well as the Amateur Athletic Union’s national title for the light heavyweight division.

Clay attended mostly Black public schools, including Central High School in Louisville from 1956 to 1960. Clay often daydreamed in class and shadowboxed in the halls—he was training for the 1960 Olympics at the time—and his grades were so bad that some of his teachers wanted to hold him back from graduation. However, the school’s principal Atwood Wilson could see Clay’s potential and opposed this, sarcastically asking the staff, “Do you think I’m going to be the principal of a school that Cassius Clay didn’t finish?”

In 1960, Clay won a spot on the U.S. Olympic boxing team and traveled to Rome to compete. At 6 feet, 3 inches tall, Clay was an imposing figure in the ring, but he also became known for his lightning speed and fancy footwork. After winning his first three bouts, Clay defeated Zbigniew Pietrzkowski of Poland to win the light heavyweight Olympic gold medal.

After his Olympic victory, Clay was heralded as an American hero. He soon turned professional with the backing of the Louisville Sponsoring Group and continued overwhelming all opponents in the ring.

Clay met charismatic Nation of Islam minister Malcolm X at a rally in Detroit in June 1962. Floored by Malcolm X’s fearlessness as an orator, the two developed a friendship and Clay became more involved in the Black Muslim group. Malcolm X even assigned an associate to help manage Clay’s day-to-day affairs.

In 1964, Malcolm X brought his family to visit Clay while he trained in Florida for his February 25 title fight against Sonny Liston . Clay’s victory over Liston earned him his first world heavyweight boxing championship. Following the win, the two held an evening of reflection in a hotel room with Jim Brown and Sam Cooke that became the inspiration for the One Night in Miami stage play and 2020 drama film.

The next morning, on February 26, Clay announced his affiliation with the Nation of Islam. At first, he called himself Cassius X before settling on the name Muhammad Ali. Surprisingly, his allegiances were with supreme leader Elijah Muhammad and not the exiled Malcolm X. Ali and Malcolm’s friendship quickly fractured, and the two went their separate ways by that spring.

Ali showed little remorse upon Malcolm X’s murder on February 21, 1965, but admitted in his 2005 memoir Soul of a Butterfly : “Turning my back on Malcolm was one of the mistakes that I regret most in my life.”

The boxer eventually converted to orthodox Islam during the 1970s.

Ali started a different kind of fight with his outspoken views against the Vietnam War. Drafted into the military in April 1967, he refused to serve on the grounds that he was a practicing Muslim minister with religious beliefs that prevented him from fighting. He was arrested for committing a felony and almost immediately stripped of his world title and boxing license.

The U.S. Justice Department pursued a legal case against Ali and denied his claim for conscientious objector status. He was found guilty of violating Selective Service laws and sentenced to five years in prison in June 1967 but remained free while appealing his conviction.

Unable to compete professionally in the meantime, Ali missed more than three prime years of his athletic career. Following his suspension, Ali found refuge on Chicago’s South Side, where he lived from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. He continued training, formed amateur boxing leagues, and fought whomever he could in local gyms.

Finally granted a license to fight in 1970 in Georgia, which did not have a statewide athletic commission, Ali returned to the ring at Atlanta’s City Auditorium on October 26 with a win over Jerry Quarry. A few months later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction in June 1971, allowing Ali to fight on a regular basis.

Ali had a career record of 56 wins, five losses, and 37 knockouts before his retirement in 1981 at the age of 39.

Often referring to himself as “The Greatest,” Ali was not afraid to sing his own praises. He was known for boasting about his skills before a fight and for his colorful descriptions and phrases. In one of his more famously quoted descriptions, Ali told reporters that he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” in the boxing ring.

A few of his more well-known bouts include the following:

Sonny Liston

After winning gold at the 1960 Olympics, Ali took out British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in 1963. He then knocked out Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964, to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

Joe Frazier

On March 8, 1971, Ali took on Joe Frazier in what has been called the “Fight of the Century.” Frazier and Ali went toe-to-toe for 14 rounds before Frazier dropped Ali with a vicious left hook in the 15th. Ali recovered quickly, but the judges awarded the decision to Frazier, handing Ali his first professional loss after 31 wins.

After suffering a loss to Ken Norton, Ali beat Frazier in a rematch on January 28, 1974.

In 1975, Ali and Frazier locked horns again for their grudge match on October 1 in Quezon City, Philippines. Dubbed the “Thrilla in Manila,” the bout nearly went the distance, with both men delivering and absorbing tremendous punishment. However, Frazier’s trainer threw in the towel after the 14th round, giving the hard-fought victory to Ali.

George Foreman

Another legendary Ali fight took place on October 30, 1974, against undefeated heavyweight champion George Foreman . Billed as the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the bout was organized by promoter Don King and held in Kinshasa, Zaire.

For once, Ali was seen as the underdog to the younger, massive Foreman, but he silenced his critics with a masterful performance. He baited Foreman into throwing wild punches with his “rope-a-dope” technique, before stunning his opponent with an eighth-round knockout to reclaim the heavyweight title.

Leon Spinks

After losing his title to Leon Spinks on February 15, 1978, Ali defeated him months later in a rematch on September 15. Ali became the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times.

Larry Holmes

Following a brief retirement, Ali returned to the ring to face Larry Holmes on October 2, 1980, but was overmatched against the younger champion.

Following one final loss in 1981, to Trevor Berbick, the boxing great retired from the sport at age 39.

Ali was married four times and had nine children, including two children—daughters Miya and Khaliah—he fathered outside of marriage.

Ali married his first wife, Sonji Roi, in 1964. They divorced a little more than one year later when she refused to adopt the Nation of Islam dress and customs.

Ali married his second wife, 17-year-old Belinda Boyd, in 1967. Boyd and Ali had four children together: Maryum, born in 1969; Jamillah and Rasheda, both born in 1970; and Muhammad Ali Jr., born in 1972. Boyd and Ali’s divorce was finalized in 1977.

At the same time Ali was married to Boyd, he traveled openly with Veronica Porché, who became his third wife in 1977. The pair had two daughters together, Hana and Laila Ali . The latter followed in Ali’s footsteps by becoming a champion boxer. Porché and Ali divorced in 1986.

Ali married his fourth and final wife Yolanda, who went by Lonnie, in 1986. The pair had known each other since Lonnie was just 6 and Ali was 21; their mothers were best friends and raised their families on the same street. Ali and Lonnie had one son together, Asaad, and remained married until Ali’s death.

Grandchildren

Rasheda’s son Nico Walsh Ali became a boxer like his grandfather and aunt. In 2021, he signed a deal with legendary Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promoted 27 of Muhammad Ali’s bouts. He won his first eight professional fights, according to database BoxRec.

Nico’s brother, Biaggio Ali Walsh, was a star football running back, helping lead national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas to the top of the USA Today rankings from 2014 through 2016. He played collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before becoming an amateur mixed martial artist.

The brothers have drawn the attention of social media celebrity Jake Paul, a novice boxer who has said he’d like to fight both and “erase” them.

One of Ali’s other grandsons, Jacob Ali-Wertheimer, competed in NCAA track and field at Harvard University and graduated in 2021.

In 1984, Ali announced that he had Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological condition. Despite the progression of Parkinson’s and the onset of spinal stenosis, he remained active in public life.

Ali raised funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix, Arizona. And he was on hand to celebrate the inauguration of the first Black president in January 2009, when Barack Obama was sworn into office.

In his retirement, Ali devoted much of his time to philanthropy. Over the years, Ali supported the Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, among other organizations. In 1996, he lit the Olympic cauldron at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, an emotional moment in sports history.

Ali traveled to numerous countries, including Mexico and Morocco, to help out those in need. In 1998, he was chosen to be a United Nations Messenger of Peace because of his work in developing nations.

In 2005, Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush .

Ali also received the President’s Award from the NAACP in 2009 for his public service efforts. Other recipients of the award have included include Ella Fitzgerald , Venus and Serena Williams , Kerry Washington , Spike Lee , John Legend , Rihanna , and LeBron James .

Ali opened the Muhammad Ali Center , a multicultural center with a museum dedicated to his life and legacy, in his hometown of Louisville in 2005.

“I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given,” he said. “Many fans wanted to build a museum to acknowledge my achievements. I wanted more than a building to house my memorabilia. I wanted a place that would inspire people to be the best that they could be at whatever they chose to do, and to encourage them to be respectful of one another.”

Ali lived the final decade of his live in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, Arizona.

A few years before his death, Ali underwent surgery for spinal stenosis, a condition causing the narrowing of the spine, which limited his mobility and ability to communicate. In early 2015, he battled pneumonia and was hospitalized for a severe urinary tract infection.

Ali died on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona, after being hospitalized for what was reportedly a respiratory issue. He was 74 years old.

Years before his passing, Ali had planned his own memorial services, saying he wanted to be “inclusive of everyone, where we give as many people an opportunity that want to pay their respects to me,” according to a family spokesman.

The three-day event, which took place in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, included an “I Am Ali” public arts festival, entertainment and educational offerings sponsored by the city, an Islamic prayer program, and a memorial service.

Prior to the memorial service, a funeral procession traveled 20 miles through Louisville, past Ali’s childhood home, his high school, the first boxing gym where he trained, and along Ali Boulevard as tens of thousands of fans tossed flowers on his hearse and cheered his name.

The champ’s memorial service was held at the KFC Yum Center arena with close to 20,000 people in attendance. Speakers included religious leaders from various faiths: Attallah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s eldest daughter; broadcaster Bryant Gumbel; former President Bill Clinton ; comedian Billy Crystal; Ali’s daughters Maryum and Rasheda; and his widow, Lonnie.

“Muhammad indicated that when the end came for him, he wanted us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people, for his country, and for the world,” Lonnie said. “In effect, he wanted us to remind people who are suffering that he had seen the face of injustice—that he grew up during segregation and that during his early life he was not free to be who he wanted to be. But he never became embittered enough to quit or to engage in violence.”

Clinton spoke about how Ali found self-empowerment: “I think he decided, before he could possibly have worked it all out, and before fate and time could work their will on him, he decided he would not ever be disempowered. He decided that not his race, nor his place, the expectations of others—positive, negative, or otherwise—would strip from him the power to write his own story.”

Crystal, who was a struggling comedian when he became friends with Ali, said of the boxing legend: “Ultimately, he became a silent messenger for peace, who taught us that life is best when you build bridges between people, not walls.”

Pallbearers included Will Smith , who once portrayed Ali on film, and former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Ali is buried at the Cave Hill National Cemetery in Louisville.

Ali’s stature as a legend continues to grow even after his death. He is celebrated not only for his remarkable athletic skills but for his willingness to speak his mind and his courage to challenge the status quo.

Ali played himself in the 1977 film The Greatest , which explored parts of his life such as his rise to boxing fame, conversion to Islam, and refusal to serve in Vietnam.

The 1996 documentary When We Were Kings explores Ali’s training process for his 1974 fight against George Foreman and the African political climate at the time. Directed by Leon Gast, the film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Actor Will Smith played Ali in the biopic film Ali, released in 2001. For the performance, Smith received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Ali’s relationship with Malcolm X is explored in the fictionalized 2020 drama One Night in Miami and the 2021 documentary Blood Brothers: Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali .

• The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
• It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.
• I’m gonna float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.
• I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given.
• I’m the champion of the world. I’m the greatest thing that ever lived. I’m so great I don’t have a mark on my face. I shook up the world! I shook up the world!
• If Clay says a mosquito can pull a plow, don’t ask how—Hitch him up!
• You get the impression while watching him fight that he plays cat and mouse, then turns out the light.
• The real enemy of my people is here. I will not disgrace my religion, my people, or myself by becoming a tool to enslave those who are fighting for their own justice, freedom, and equality.
• Religions all have different names, but they all contain the same truths. I think the people of our religion should be tolerant and understand people believe different things.
• It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.
• I set out on a journey of love, seeking truth, peace, and understanding. l am still learning.
• Truly great people in history never wanted to be great for themselves.
• At night when I go to bed, I ask myself, “If I don’t wake up tomorrow, would I be proud of how I lived today?”
• This is the story about a man with iron fists and a beautiful tan.

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Muhammad Ali

By: History.com Editors

Updated: February 27, 2024 | Original: December 16, 2009

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) was an American former heavyweight champion boxer and one of the greatest sporting figures of the 20th century. An Olympic gold medalist and the first fighter to capture the heavyweight title three times, Ali won 56 times in his 21-year professional career. Ali’s outspokenness on issues of race, religion and politics made him a controversial figure during his career, and the heavyweight’s quips and taunts were as quick as his fists.

Born Cassius Clay Jr., Ali changed his name in 1964 after joining the Nation of Islam. Citing his religious beliefs, he refused military induction and was stripped of his heavyweight championship and banned from boxing for three years during the prime of his career. Parkinson’s syndrome severely impaired Ali’s motor skills and speech, but he remained active as a humanitarian and goodwill ambassador.

Muhammad Ali’s Early Years and Amateur Career

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., the elder son of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. (1912-1990) and Odessa Grady Clay (1917-1994), was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky . It was a red-and-white Schwinn that steered the future heavyweight champion to the sport of boxing. When his beloved bicycle was stolen, a tearful 12-year-old Clay reported the theft to Louisville police officer Joe Martin (1916-1996) and vowed to pummel the culprit. Martin, who was also a boxing trainer, suggested that the upset youngster first learn how to fight, and he took Clay under his wing. Six weeks later, Clay won his first bout in a split decision.

Did you know? Muhammad Ali has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated 38 times, second only to basketball great Michael Jordan.

By age 18 Clay had captured two national Golden Gloves titles, two Amateur Athletic Union national titles and 100 victories against eight losses. After graduating high school, he traveled to Rome and won the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Clay won his professional boxing debut on October 29, 1960, in a six-round decision. From the start of his pro career, the 6-foot-3-inch heavyweight overwhelmed his opponents with a combination of quick, powerful jabs and foot speed, and his constant braggadocio and self-promotion earned him the nickname “Louisville Lip.”

Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Champion of the World

After winning his first 19 fights, including 15 knockouts, Clay received his first title shot on February 25, 1964, against reigning heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (1932-1970). Although he arrived in Miami Beach, Florida, a 7-1 underdog, the 22-year-old Clay relentlessly taunted Liston before the fight, promising to “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and predicting a knockout. When Liston failed to answer the bell at the start of the seventh round, Clay was indeed crowned heavyweight champion of the world. In the ring after the fight, the new champ roared, “I am the greatest!”

At a press conference the next morning, Clay, who had been seen around Miami with controversial Nation of Islam member Malcolm X (1925-1965), confirmed the rumors of his conversion to Islam. On March 6, 1964, Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) bestowed on Clay the name of Muhammad Ali.

Ali solidified his hold on the heavyweight championship by knocking out Liston in the first round of their rematch on May 25, 1965, and he defended his title eight more times. Then, with the Vietnam War raging, Ali showed up for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967. Citing his religious beliefs, he refused to serve. Ali was arrested, and the New York State Athletic Commission immediately suspended his boxing license and revoked his heavyweight belt.

Convicted of draft evasion, Ali was sentenced to the maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, but he remained free while the conviction was appealed. Many saw Ali as a draft dodger, and his popularity plummeted. Banned from boxing for three years, Ali spoke out against the Vietnam War on college campuses. As public attitudes turned against the war, support for Ali grew. In 1970 the New York State Supreme Court ordered his boxing license reinstated, and the following year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a unanimous decision.

Muhammad Ali’s Return to the Ring

After 43 months in exile, Ali returned to the ring on October 26, 1970, and knocked out Jerry Quarry (1945-1999) in the third round. On March 8, 1971, Ali got his chance to regain his heavyweight crown against reigning champ Joe Frazier (1944-2011) in what was billed as the “Fight of the Century.” The undefeated Frazier floored Ali with a hard left hook in the final round. Ali got up but lost in a unanimous decision, experiencing his first defeat as a pro.

Ali won his next 10 bouts before being defeated by Ken Norton (1943-). He won the rematch six months later in a split decision and gained further revenge in a unanimous decision over Frazier in a non-title rematch. The victory gave the 32-year-old Ali a title shot against 25-year-old champion George Foreman (1949-). The October 30, 1974, fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, was dubbed the “Rumble in the Jungle.” Ali, the decided underdog, employed his “rope-a-dope” strategy, leaning on the ring ropes and absorbing a barrage of blows from Foreman while waiting for his opponent to tire. The strategy worked, and Ali won in an eighth-round knockout to regain the title stripped from him seven years prior.

Ali successfully defended his title in 10 fights, including the memorable “Thrilla in Manila” on October 1, 1975, in which his bitter rival Frazier, his eyes swollen shut, was unable to answer the bell for the final round. Ali also defeated Norton in their third meeting in a unanimous 15-round decision.

On February 15, 1978, an aging Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks (1953-) in a 15-round split decision. Seven months later, Ali defeated Spinks in a unanimous 15-round decision to reclaim the heavyweight crown and become the first fighter to win the world heavyweight boxing title three times.

After announcing his retirement in 1979, Ali launched a brief, unsuccessful comeback. However, he was overwhelmed in a technical knockout loss to Larry Holmes (1949-) in 1980, and he dropped a unanimous 10-round decision to Trevor Berbick (1954-2006) on December 11, 1981. After the fight, the 39-year-old Ali retired for good with a career record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts.

Muhammad Ali’s Later Years and Legacy

In 1984 Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, possibly connected to the severe head trauma suffered during his boxing career. The former champion’s motor skills slowly declined, and his movement and speech were limited. In spite of the Parkinson’s, Ali remained in the public spotlight, traveling the world to make humanitarian, goodwill and charitable appearances. He met with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) in 1990 to negotiate the release of American hostages, and in 2002 he traveled to Afghanistan as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Ali had the honor of lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In 1999 Ali was voted the BBC’s “Sporting Personality of the Century,” and Sports Illustrated named him “Sportsman of the Century.” Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a 2005 White House ceremony, and in the same year the $60 million Muhammad Ali Center, a nonprofit museum and cultural center focusing on peace and social responsibility, opened in Louisville.

Ring Magazine named Ali “Fighter of the Year” five times, more than any other boxer, and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. He married his fourth wife, Yolanda, in 1986. Ali died at the age of 74 on June 3, 2016.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Muhammad Ali — The Life Of Muhammad Ali And His Impact On The World

The Life of Muhammad Ali and His Impact on The World

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Published: Dec 16, 2021

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The life of muhammad ali and his significant impact on society, muhammad ali as a humanitarian and a philanthropist, works cited.

• Butterfield, F. (2015). The greatest: Muhammad Ali. Scholastic Inc.
• Hauser, T. (1992). Muhammad Ali: His life and times. Simon & Schuster.
• Hirsch, J. S. (2016). Ali: A life. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Kram, M. (2001). Ghosts of Manila: The Fateful Blood Feud between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. HarperCollins.
• Lewis, D. L., & Smith, S. M. (2017). The African American athlete: Social myths and stereotypes. Lexington Books.
• Manning, H. (2016). Muhammad Ali: The people's champion. Abdo Publishing.
• Remnick, D. (1999). King of the world: Muhammad Ali and the rise of an American hero. Vintage.
• Roberts, R. (2016). A history of boxing in America: The heroic age, 1840-1900. McFarland.
• Schaap, J. (2016). Ali: A life in pictures. Sport Magazine.
• Smith, J., & Smith, R. (2010). The champ: The story of Muhammad Ali. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

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Muhammad Ali

Introduction.

Early Years

Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. His original name was Cassius Marcellus Clay. At the age of 18 Clay won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rome. He became the world heavyweight champion in 1964.

Loss of Title

In 1964 Clay joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. At the time, the United States was fighting the Vietnam War . In 1967 Ali refused to join the armed forces because of his religion. He was convicted of breaking the law. His title was taken from him, and he was not allowed to box.

Return to Boxing

Ali was allowed to return to boxing in 1970, and the next year the United States Supreme Court overturned his conviction. In March 1971 Ali challenged Joe Frazier to a fight. Frazier was the current heavyweight champion. Ali lost that match but later defeated Frazier. By then, however, Frazier had lost the title to George Foreman. In a match against Foreman in 1974, Ali regained the world heavyweight title. He held the title until 1978. In 1979 Ali announced that he would retire.

Later Years

Ali came out of retirement for matches in 1980 and 1981, and he was defeated both times. In later years he suffered from Parkinson’s disease . Despite his illness Ali remained active in several activities. He traveled widely as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005. He died on June 3, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Muhammad ali (1942–2016).

Visit of Muhammad Ali to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of History and Technology, now the National Museum of American History, March 17, 1976. During his visit he donated a pair of gloves and a robe to the museum for the “Nations of Nations” exhibition. Featured in TORCH, April 1976/Smithsonian Institution Archives. Click photo for article. (Photo by Richard K. Hofmeister)

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”–Muhammad Ali

Risk taker, sports figure and fearless social icon, Muhammad Ali, who died on June 4, is ever alive in the hearts of those who know him as the greatest boxer of the 20th century. His quotes and observations, like the one above, are legion. A quote by Shakespeare “To thine own self be true,” fits him well. The path he choose not only immortalized him to sports fans but endeared him to the general public. It was a path that led through the Smithsonian.

In 1976, the Smithsonian acquired Ali’s boxing gloves and robe for an exhibition on the American Bicentennial, “A Nation of Nations.” At the donation ceremony, before a crowd of reporters and cheering spectators, Ali predicted that his Everlast gloves would become “the most famous thing in this building.”

The Smithsonian’s Ali objects artifacts and portraits are a testament to Ali’s life. Muhammad Ali rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most famous men in the world. Ali’s complexity matched the spirit of the tumultuous 1960s. He was at once a boxing titan, a civil rights warrior, an anti-war protester, and a charismatic celebrity.

Over the years the National Portrait Gallery, the National Postal Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture have collected images and memorabilia of the boxer.

On the Portrait Gallery’s third-floor mezzanine is a 1981 painting of Ali from the museum’s permanent collection, “Cat’s Cradle,” by Henry C. Casselli, Jr.

As a tribute to the man on the day of his passing, the Portrait Gallery installed a likeness that makes a statement about Ali the man. The boxer’s image, taken by photographer Yousuf Karsh in 1970, can be found near the north entrance on the first floor.

The charismatic Ali appeared on television, in commercials, and in a film about his life, and he used his worldwide fame for humanitarian efforts as well. Much more than an outstanding boxer, the media star became a symbol of courage, independence, and determination.

A few of many Muhammad Ali-related images and items at the Smithsonian include:

• - Art & Design
• - History & Culture
• - Science & Nature
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57 Interesting Facts About Muhammad Ali

Last updated on February 10th, 2022

T he achievements of one of the greatest boxers, Muhammad Ali, are not just confined to the ring, but extend beyond considerable lengths and breadths of the planet. He lead his life with confidence, conviction, and dedication, and even after his passing away, he is remembered by millions across the world. With these 57 facts about Muhammad Ali, we try to recollect his childhood, adulthood, boxing career, and the work he did for his fellow human being.

1. Son of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay, childhood Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) was born on 17 January 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky , United States . He was an American professional boxer, philanthropist, entertainer, and activist. Famous for his boxing prowess, he was later nicknamed “The Greatest.”

2. His mother was a domestic helper and his father was a billboard painter. Despite the fact that Cassius Senior was a Methodist, he permitted his wife to bring up Cassius Jr. and his younger brother, Rudolph Clay as Baptists. Cassius Clay, a dyslexic, went to Central High School in Louisville.

3. Because of his medical condition, he faced problems in reading and writing in school and much for the rest of his life. Cassius and his family grew up in the midst of racial discrimination. There was an occasion when a storekeeper denied him a drink of water because of his color.

4. He started boxing at the tender age of 12 in a random manner. After someone stole his bike, a tearful clay told a police officer, Joe Martin , that he wanted to pummel the culprit. The officer advised him to learn how to fight, and took the young kid under his wing.

5. The police officer (Joe Martin) was a boxing trainer at a local gym and used to teach people how to box. Cassius started visiting the gym and picked up the basics of boxing. It was not long before he started to compete and six weeks later won his first bout in a split decision.

6. Clay had captured two national Amateur Athletic Union titles, two national Golden Glove titles, and 100 victories against eight losses by the time he was 18. He traveled to Rome after graduating high school, and won the light heavyweight gold medal in the Summer Olympics of 1960.

7. On October 29, 1960, Clay won his professional boxing debut in a six-round decision. The 6′ 3″ heavyweight boxer, overwhelmed his opponents from the start of his pro career. His opponents were overwhelmed by his combination of foot speed along with a combination of quick and powerful jabs.

8. On February 25, 1964, Clay received his first title shot against Sonny Liston, the then reigning heavyweight champion. Prior to this he won his first 19 fights, which included 15 knockouts. Clay kept on taunting Liston during the fight, and even went to the extent of predicting a knockout.

9. While entering the ring he promised to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” At the start of the seventh round, Liston failed to answer the bell. Consequently, Clay was crowned world boxing heavyweight champion. Following his victory he roared at the crowd “I am the greatest.”

10. In 1964 he changed his name to Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam . As a result, he rejected induction in the military, stating that he would not enlist because of his religious beliefs. He was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title because of this and received a three-year ban from boxing.

11. The rumors that Clay had converted to Islam were confirmed at a press conference the next morning. For quite some time Clay was seen around Miami with Malcolm X , a member of the controversial Nation of Islam. Ejijah Muhammad (his spiritual mentor) bestowed the name of Muhammed Ali on March 6, 1964.

12. Ali played his first match against Floyd Patterson on 22 November, 1965 for the WBC/Ring/lineal world heavyweight championship. They played the second match for the North American Boxing Federation on 20 September 1972. Ali won both fights on technical knockouts.

13. Following the Patterson fight, Ali formed his own promotion company — Main Bout . The company handled the boxer’s pay per view closed circuit broadcasts as well as handled Ali’s boxing promotions. Mainly fellow Nation of Islam members were its stockholders.

14. By knocking out Sonny in the first round of their rematch on 25 May 1965, Ali solidified his hold on the heavyweight championship. 

15. Ali refused to serve, citing his religious beliefs. He was later arrested. Following this, the New York State Athletic Commission revoked his heavyweight belt as well as suspended his boxing license. Ali was not perturbed by this decision.

16. Convicted of evasion of draft, Ali was imposed with a fine of $10,000 and to the maximum of five years in prison. Nevertheless, Ali remained free while the conviction was being appealed. He spoke out against the Vietnam War on college campuses after being banned from boxing for three years.

17. Ali’s popularity plummeted and many saw him as a draft dodger. However, support for Ali grew as public attitudes turned against the war. The New York State Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of his boxing license in the year 1970.

18. Ali returned to the ring on October 26, 1970, after spending 43 months in exile, and knocked out Jerry Quarry in the third round. The opportunity for Ali to regain his heavyweight crown against Joe Frazier, the reigning champion came on 8 March, 1971.

19. In what was billed as the “Fight of the Century” Ali was floored by the then undefeated Frazier in the final round. Although Ali got up, he lost in a unanimous decision, and experienced his first defeat as a pro.

20. Unperturbed, Ali won the next ten bouts before being defeated by Ken Norton. Six months later he won the rematch in a split decision as well as gained additional revenge in a unanimous decision over Frazier in a non-title match.

21. Thanks to this victory, Ali was provided an opportunity to take on champion George Foreman. The match held in Kinshasa, Zaire on 30 October, 1974 allowed Ali to employ his special strategy to wear out his opponent.

22. During the fight Ali would lean on the ropes of the ring, all the while absorbing a bombardment of blows from the fist of Foreman while taking his sweet time for his opponent to get tired. The strategy was successful and Ali won in the 8th round knockout. He regained the title stripped from him seven years ago.

23. Ali faced no problems defending his title in the next 10 bouts, which included the unforgettable “Thrilla in Manila” on 1 October, 1975. In this bout , Frazier, Ali’s bitter rival, was unable to answer the bell for the final round.

24. An ageing Ali lost his title to Leon Spinks in a 15 round split decision. The match was held on the 15th of February, 1978. Ali defeated Spinks seven months later to reclaim his heavyweight crown.

25. Following his victory against Spinks, Ali became the first boxer to win the world heavyweight boxing titles three times. Ali launched a brief, albeit unsuccessful comeback after announcing his retirement in 1979. Unfortunately, he was overcome in a technical KO loss to Larry Holmes in 1980.

26. On 11 December, 1981, he dropped a unanimous 10 round fight to Trevor Berbick. The 39 year old Ali retired for good after this fight with a career record of 37 Kos and 56 wins. His body was bruised and battered and he could fight no more.

27. Photographer Howard Bingham was Ali’s best friend for 35 years. During this period he traveled the globe, meeting presidents and princes. He would not have been able to do so were it not for his selfless devotion to his buddy, Muhammad Ali.

28. Some of his other close friends include Alicia Keys, Denzel Washington, Howard Bingham, Magic Johnson, Heidi Klum, Madonna, Will Smith, Angela Jolie, Brad Pitt, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Billy Crystal, Tom Cruise, Jada Pinkett Smith, Halle Berry, and many more.

29. Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. His four wives include Sonji Roi ( m. 1964; div. 1966), Belinda Boyd (m. 1967; div. 1977)​, Veronica Porche Ali (m. 1977; div. 1986), and Yolanda Williams (m. 1986)​ — the latter being his last wife.

30. Ali, whose height was 1.91 meters and who had a reach of 198 centimeters had nine children. They are Laila, Maryum, Asaad, Rasheda, Hana, Jamillah, Miya, Khaliah, and Muhammad Ali Jr. He also had a brother, Rahman Ali.

31. Apart from being a boxing champion, Muhammad Ali was also a champion of equality, justice, and peace. His life fighting in or out of the box epitomizes an icon that people love to emulate and use as a role model. Apart from being quick to admit his mistake he reminded us the need to stay humble.

32. Ali was a leader by character. He lived by working, living, and leading in alignment with his core principles, purpose, values, and beliefs. The lifeline of life is guided by values. Ali lived his values of compassion, justice, and fairness by refusing to go to Vietnam to fight for the U.S.

33. Life was not a bouquet of roses for Ali. Apart from serving five years in prison, he began showing signs of slurred speech and slowness when he was in his mid-30s. Later on, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome ate the age of 42.

34. With 716.4 points, BoxRec ranks Ali as the fourteen greatest boxer, pound for pound of all time. During his professional career, he is the highest ranked fighter to have only faced heavyweights. The Ring (a boxing magazine) ranked him number 1 in a ranking of the greatest heavyweights from all eras.

35. Ali remained in public spotlight, despite suffering from Parkinson’s. He traveled the world to spread goodwill, and make humanitarian and charitable appearances.

36. Few people know that Ali met Iraqi leader , Saddam Hussain in the year 1990 to negotiate the release of American hostages.

37. During the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, Ali had the honor of lighting the cauldron . BBC voted Ali as the “Sporting Personality of the Century” in 1999.

38. In a 2005 White House ceremony, Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The same year saw the opening of the $60 million Muhammad Ali Center . This cultural center and nonprofit museum focuses on social responsibility and peace. It was opened in Louisville.

39. Muhammad Ali was declared by Ring Magazine as “the Fighter of the Year” on five occasions. This figure is much more than any other boxer has received. In 1990 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

40. Despite his money and popularity, he remained a humble, religious and down to earth person. He was the first one to come out and donate money for a worthy cause. This fact alone speaks volumes about his character.

41. Thanks to his popularity, several movies were made about Ali including: A.K.A. Cassius Clay, I am Ali, Ali: An American Hero, The Greatest and many more. See the table at the end of the article for more information.

42. Ali was also a famous philanthropist, an individual who uses their money to help the public. Apart from supporting the “make a wish” foundation as well as the Special Olympics, he also founded his own organization, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center .

43. Muhammad Ali relished hot buttered rolls, spinach, macaroni and cheese, green peas, baked chicken, and dressing.

44. Many people believe that Ali would have lived a normal life and would not have suffered from Parkinson’s disease had he not taken to boxing. However, the legend states that the punches he took during his boxing career had nothing to do with his case of Parkinson’s disease.

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The Two-Way

Muhammad ali, the boxing poet who inspired liquid prose.

Bill Chappell

With a quick jab and even quicker gab, Muhammad Ali was a force to reckon with in the ring. Some of America's best sports writing has been devoted to the boxer, who's seen here in 1963. Kent Gavin/Getty Images hide caption

With a quick jab and even quicker gab, Muhammad Ali was a force to reckon with in the ring. Some of America's best sports writing has been devoted to the boxer, who's seen here in 1963.

Maybe it was the way his life transected areas that define America – race and religion; war and sports – or perhaps it was his own love for words. Whatever the reason, Muhammad Ali's life and career inspired writing that was nearly as captivating as the man himself.

With Ali – The Greatest – now dead at age 74 , here's a list of some of the best stories written about him. Ali's large personality was perfectly suited to books, such as Norman Mailer's The Fight . For this subjective list, we're looking at shorter pieces. Feel free to share your favorites in the comment section.

'Lawdy, Lawdy, He's Great' – Mark Kram in Sports Illustrated, 1975

"True to his plan, arrogant and contemptuous of an opponent's worth as never before, Ali opened the fight flat-footed in the center of the ring, his hands whipping out and back like the pistons of an enormous and magnificent engine. Much broader than he has ever been, the look of swift destruction defined by his every move, Ali seemed indestructible. Once, so long ago, he had been a splendidly plumed bird who wrote on the wind a singular kind of poetry of the body, but now he was down to earth, brought down by the changing shape of his body, by a sense of his own vulnerability, and by the years of excess. Dancing was for a ballroom; the ugly hunt was on. Head up and unprotected, Frazier stayed in the mouth of the cannon, and the big gun roared again and again."

My Dinner With Ali — Davis Miller in the Louisville Courier-Journal, 1989; republished in Deadspin. 2013

" 'I know why this has happened,' Ali said. 'God is showing me, and showing you' —he pointed his shaking index finger at me and widened his eyes—'that I'm just a man, just like everybody else.'

"We sat a long, quiet time then, and watched his flickering image on the television screen. It was now 1971 and there was footage of him training for the first Frazier fight. Our Most Public Figure was then The World's Most Beautiful Man and The Greatest Athlete of All Times, his copper skin glowing under the fluorescents, secret rhythms springing in loose firmness from his fingertips.

" 'Champ, I think it's time for me to go,' I said again and made an effort to stand.

" 'No, stay. You my man,' he says, and pats my leg. He has always been this way, always wanted to be around people. I take his accolade as one of the greatest compliments of my life."

Showing Muhammad Ali as a Martyr for Refusing to Fight in a Bad War — photographer George Lois writes about his 1968 Esquire cover.

" 'Hey George, this cat's a Christian!'

"I blurted back, 'Holy Moses, you're right, Champ!'

"I explained to Ali that St. Sebastian was a Roman soldier who survived execution by arrows for converting to Christianity. He was then clubbed to death, and has gone down in history as the definitive martyr. Before we could affix any arrows to Ali, he got on the phone with his religious leader, Elijah Mummad. Ali explained the painting in excruciating detail. He was concerned about the propriety of using a Christian source for the portrayal of his martyrdom. He finally put me, a non-practicing Greek Orthodox, on the phone. After a lengthy theological discussion, Elijah gave his okay."

Muhammad Ali in Excelsis — Peter Richmond in GQ, 1998

"I'd expected the disease to have robbed him of the vitality that once exploded from him. I'd expected the disease to represent the ultimate cruel triumph of the world that had always wanted the black boy from Louisville, Kentucky, to shut the hell up."

"But up close, I am discovering that his affliction has taken nothing away, none of the energy, none of the wit, none of the pride; it has only bound all of it, captured and constricted it, with the entirely unexpected result that, as an aeon of geologic forces can compress a large vein of coal into a very small diamond, whatever was the essence of Muhammad Ali is now somehow magnified. He is at last what he always pretended to be but never was: the Greatest. For it must be axiomatic that if someone calls himself the Greatest, as Ali did for years, he cannot possibly be; the Greatest would never have to label himself as such. Only when he was forced to stop proclaiming his greatness did it become possible."

The Outsized Life of Muhammad Ali -- David Remnick in The New Yorker, 2016

"Cassius's father was a man of thwarted dreams. He distrusted whites, and felt he was prevented from becoming a painter of canvasses rather than of signs and billboards. He drank too much, and his bitterness sometimes tipped into chaos. He was, one of Ali's friends said, the source of a great deal of pain in the family. His mother, Odessa, was usually the object of Cassius, Sr.,'s fury and fists, and she was the boy's comfort. Odessa was the first to know that her son was hyperverbal and quick with a left hand. As she once recalled, 'He was always a talker. He tried to talk so hard when he was a baby. He used to jabber so, you know? And people'd laugh and he'd shake his face and jabber so fast. I don't see how anybody could talk so fast, just like lightning. And he never sat still. He was in the bed with me at six months old, and you know how babies stretch? He had little muscle arms and he hit me in the mouth when he stretched and it loosened my front tooth and it affected my other front tooth and I had to have both of them pulled out. So I always say his first knockout punch was in my mouth.' "

Muhammad Ali, who riveted the world as 'The Greatest,' dies – the AP's Tim Dahlberg, 2016

" 'I don't call him the best boxer of all time, but he's the greatest human being I ever met,' Foreman said. 'To this day he's the most exciting person I ever met in my life.'

"Born Cassius Marcellus Clay on Jan. 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Ali began boxing at age 12 after his new bicycle was stolen and he vowed to policeman Joe Martin that he would 'whup' the person who took it.

"He was only 89 pounds at the time, but Martin began training him at his boxing gym, the beginning of a six-year amateur career that ended with the light heavyweight Olympic gold medal in 1960."

Of writing the obituary of a man who both reshaped and transcended the world of boxing, the AP's Dahlberg says via Twitter that it was "a labor of love. Very sad to see him go."

• Muhammad Ali