Cassius Clay

Muhammad Ali
Ali in 1967
Born	Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (1942-01-17)January 17, 1942 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	June 3, 2016(2016-06-03) (aged 74) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Cause of death	Septic shock
Resting place	Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Monuments	Muhammad Ali Center Muhammad Ali Mural, Los Angeles, CA
Other names	The Greatest The People's Champion The Louisville Lip
Education	Central High School (1958)
Criminal charge	Draft evasion
Criminal penalty	Five years in prison (not served), fined $10,000 and banned from boxing for three years
Criminal status	Conviction overturned
Spouse(s)	Sonji Roi (m. 1964; div. 1966) Belinda Boyd (m. 1967; div. 1977) Veronica Porché Ali (m. 1977; div. 1986) Yolanda Williams (m. 1986; his death 2016)
Children	9, including Laila Ali
Parent(s)	Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. Odessa Grady Clay
Awards	List of awards 6-time Ring magazine Fighter of the Year 3-time Ring heavyweight champion (1964–71, 1974–78, 1978–79) 3-time lineal heavyweight champion (1964–68, 1974–78, 1978–79) 2-time WBC heavyweight champion (1964–69, 1974–78) 3-time WBA heavyweight champion (1964–68, 1974–78, 1978–79) 3-time NABF heavyweight champion (1970–71, 1971–73, 1973–74) 2-time AAU champion (1959, 1960) 2-time National Golden Gloves champion 6-time Kentucky Golden Gloves champion (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960) Olympic light heavyweight champion (1960) Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (1974) Associated Press Athlete of the Year (1974) International Press Athlete of the Year (1974) 6-time Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (1963, 1965, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1978) 3-time BWAA Fighter of the Year (1965, 1974, 1975) Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Century BBC Sports Personality of the Century CSHL Double Helix Medal Honoree (2006) Martin Luther King Memorial Award (1970) Presidential Citizens Medal Presidential Medal of Freedom International Boxing Hall of Fame Hollywood Walk of Fame
Website	muhammadali.com
Boxing career
Statistics
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Reach	78 in (198 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	61
Wins	56
Wins by KO	37
Losses	5
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games 1960 Rome Light heavyweight

External video

"Muhammad Ali Memorial Service", C-SPAN

Muhammad Ali (/ɑːˈliː/; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. From early in his career, Ali was known as an inspiring, controversial, and polarizing figure both inside and outside the ring.

Cassius Clay was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and turned professional later that year. At age 22 in 1964, he won the WBA, WBC, and lineal heavyweight titles from Sonny Liston in a big upset. Clay then converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name", to Muhammad Ali. He set an example of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali further antagonized the white establishment by refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. He was eventually arrested, found guilty of draft evasion charges, and stripped of his boxing titles. He successfully appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, by which time he had not fought for nearly four years and thereby lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation.

...
Wikipedia