American · Louisville, Kentucky · Born 17 January 1942 · Died 2016-06-03Muhammad Ali became the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship on three separate occasions across a storied career.
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. — Muhammad Ali — was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942 and won Olympic gold as a light heavyweight in Rome in 1960 before turning professional that year. His professional record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses across a 21-year career (1960–1981) encompasses three reigns as undisputed heavyweight champion. He won the title for the first time in February 1964, stopping the fearsome Sonny Liston as a 7-1 underdog. He was stripped of the title in 1967 for refusing military induction — "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong" — and banned from boxing for three years in the prime of his career. He returned in 1970, lost to Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century in 1971, then reclaimed the title in Kinshasa in 1974 by knocking out George Foreman — the Rumble in the Jungle — using his rope-a-dope strategy. The Thrilla in Manila against Frazier in 1975 — 14 brutal rounds in 100-degree heat — is considered the greatest heavyweight fight in history. He won a third title by defeating Leon Spinks in 1978. He fought 61 professional bouts across 21 years, winning 56, with 37 knockouts. His speed, footwork and psychological mastery of opponents — Ali Shuffle, rope-a-dope, trash talk — combined with his political courage make him the most significant athlete in the history of sport.
Three-time world heavyweight champion; 'The Greatest'
He predicted the round in which he would knock out ten of his opponents — and was correct in each case.
Did You Know?How They Played
Fast footwork, exceptional hand speed, psychological warfare
Lasting Impact
Widely regarded as greatest heavyweight boxer of all time
Career Honours
- IBHOF inaugural class 1990
- SI Sportsman of the Century
- Presidential Medal of Freedom 2005
American Athletes