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Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.
Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay Jr., was born in Louisville, Kentucky on Janurary 17, 1942. Clay first became interested in boxing at the age of 12 when his bicycle was stolen and he wanted to be able to defend himself so no one would ever mess with him. -
Cassius Clay wins Olympic Gold Medal
On September 5, 1960, 18 year-old Cassius Clay traveled to Rome, Italy to compete in the Olympics for Boxing. He ended up winning the light heavyweight division gold medal by defeating Polish boxer Ziggy Pietrzykowski -
Cassius Clay and Malcom X
Some weeks before his big fight against Heavyweight World Champion Sonny Liston, Cassius Clay was introduced to Malcom X, who introduced and converted Clay to the Nation of Islam. Soon after his fight with Liston, Cassius Clay announced that he was a member of the Nation of Islam and his new name was Muhammad Ali, in honor of his new religion. Just weeks after this anouncement, Malcom X left the Nation of Islam and their friendship ended. -
Clay vs Liston
On Feburary 25, 1964, Cassius Clay was secheduled to fight Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Title. Liston had more experience and more wins then Clay but wasnt able to give Clay a quick knockout like he thought he could due to Clays speed and manuverablity. The fight ended when Liston refused to come out for the seventh round due to a ¨shoulder injury,¨ making Clay the winner. The picture above is of the rematch between Clay and Liston in 1965, with Clay knocking out Liston in 2 minutes. -
Ali refuses Army Induction
Ali on not going to War
On April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali was arrested for refusing to be drafted into the U.S. Army and his boxing license was suspended and he was stripped of his heavyweight title. He was found gulity but the Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ali did not box for almost 4 years and during this time he spoke at colleges about his stance on Vietnam and the draft. -
Ali vs Frazier
Soon after Ali was granted a license to box and he had fought in a few uneventful matches, Ali was set to fight Joe Frazier. The fight was called ¨The Fight of the Century¨ do to the fact that neither Ali nor Frazier had ever lost a match. Ali had a difficult fight and was knocked down in the final round by Frazier. The judges gave the win to Frazier, making it the first loss of Alis career. -
Clay vs U.S.
On June 28, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Alis conviction after Ali refused to report for induction into the United States Army based on religious reasons. -
Ali vs Foreman
On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman. Considered one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, Foreman was the Heavyweight champion after stealing the title from Joe Frazier. Muhammad Ali ended up winning the fight by a knockout in the eighth round, which earned him the Heavyweight title for the second time. -
Ali diagnosed with Parkinsons
In 1984, at the age of 42, Muhammad Ali announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons syndrome, a degenerative neurological condition. The diease was a result Alis years of boxing. -
Muhammad Ali Center Established
In 2005, Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie established the Muhammad Ali Center in Alis hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The purpose of the foundation is to promote kindness and respect towards people of other cultures and backgrounds and is also a place to honor Alis boxing legacy.
