Muhammad Ali Biography

Cassius Clay, popularly known as Muhammad Ali, was renowned for his impressive record in the heavyweight boxing championships. The name Muhammad Ali is synonymous with greatness, especially but not limited to boxing. Besides being a phenomenal boxer and athlete, Muhammad Ali was also a social activist and philanthropist. The Olympic gold medalist is also remembered for publicly taking a bold stance against the Vietnam War. These many attributes of the greatest boxer that ever lived make for an interesting Cassius Clay, the boxer’s biography.

As we learn more about Muhammad Ali, the boxer in his biography, we will also explore some interesting Muhammad Ali facts such as Muhammad Ali’s record, life story, records achieved, birth, death, etc. 

Birth and Early Years

Muhammad Ali’s birthday is 17 January 1962. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA and was named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr at birth. Cassius Clay’s parents were Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa O'Grady Clay. From a very early age, Cassius was daunting by nature. He also mentioned being witness to discrimination and racism firsthand, in the years growing up. 

It was through a twist of fate that Cassius’s talent for boxing was discovered when he told police officer Joe Martin that he wanted to rough up the thief who had stolen his bike. Martin, who in addition to being a police officer, also trained aspiring boxers reportedly told Cassius to learn how to fight before starting to challenge people. This ingrained the start of his boxing career for Cassius who began his training with Martin and learning how to spar. 

Muhammad Ali Fights

Muhammad Ali’s first amateur bout was in 1954 where he was declared victorious by a split decision. In 1956, Cassius won the Golden Gloves tournament held for novices in the category of light heavyweight. Fast forward to 3 years, in 1959, Clay emerged as the winner in the national title for Amateur Athletic Union under the light heavyweight division and the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

Olympic Championship 

Cassius managed to secure a position in the Olympic boxing team of the USA in 1960 and had travelled to Rome, Italy for the competition. Besides his tall stature which made him a striking figure in the ring, Clay also displayed fancy footwork and lightning speed which made him famous. Cassius went on to become an Olympic gold medalist in the light heavyweight category after defeating Poland’s Zbigniew Pietrzkowski. With the Olympic victory in his pocket, Clay became an American hero. This catapulted him into being a professional boxer where he was backed by the Louisville Sponsoring Group and he continued his victories in the ring. 

Post his Olympic victory, in 1963 Cassius defeated Henry Cooper, the British heavyweight champion. In the following year, Clay went on to become the world heavyweight champion by defeating Sonny Liston. 

Muhammad Ali’s first loss professionally, after winning 31 matches consecutively, came in the year 1971 when he went against Joe Frazier in what has been termed as the ‘Fight of the Century’. Ali, however, defeated Frazier in 1974 in a rematch albeit he had suffered a loss to Ken Norton. 

In another legendary fight organised in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire by Don King, Muhammad Ali went up against George Foreman, the undefeated heavyweight champion. The fight was dubbed as ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ where Ali was able to defeat his opponent, George Foreman, with his masterful techniques. 

In the year 1978, Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks and thus, became the first boxer to have won the heavyweight championship title three times. Ali had initially lost to Sprinks in 1978 February but defeated him in the rematch held in 1978 September. 

After a brief period of retirement, Ali returned to the ring in 1980 only to be defeated by Larry Holmes. This was followed by one final loss to Trevor Berbick in 1981, post which the legendary boxer retired at the age of 39. 

Personal Life

Cassius was born in a Christian household but in the year 1964, he joined the Black Muslim Group Nation of Islam. Although he initially referred to himself as Cassius X, he eventually settled on the name Muhammad Ali and then in the 1970s converted fully to orthodox Islam. 

Muhammad Ali had four marriages and a total of nine children. Of the 9 Muhammad Ali’s children, two were born outside of marriage. He first got married in 1964 to Sonji Roi but that marriage lasted only a year and the couple divorced as Roi was not accepting of the customs and dress norms outlined by the Nation of Islam.  

Mohd Ali’s second marriage was to Belinda Boyd in the year 1967, who was only 17 years old at the time. They had four children together - Maryum in 1969, Jamillah and Liban in the year 1970. Mohammad Ali’ son Muhammad Ali Jr was also out of this marriage and he was born in 1972. However, Md. Ali’s marriage to Boyd also did not last long and the couple ended up getting divorced in 1976. 

Ali, all the while being married to Boyd, was also seen courting Veronica Porche openly, who eventually ended up being his third wife. The couple married in 1977 and had two daughters which included Laila Ali, who like her father went on to become a champion boxer later. Ali and Porche remained married until 1986 and then got divorced. 

Muhammad Ali’s fourth as well as final marriage was in 1986 to Yolanda, also known as Lonnie. Ali and Lonnie were childhood friends and were raised in the same locality. The couple had one son together whom they named Asaad. Despite a glaring age difference, the pair remained together until Muhammad Ali died. 

Qualms with Law

Muhammad Ali was quite spoken in his views against the Vietnam War. He was drafted to military service in 1967 April. Ali refused to fight on the grounds that his religious beliefs being a practising Muslim minister did not allow him to fight. This led to him being arrested for committing a felony leading to his boxing license and world title being stripped immediately. 

A legal case was pursued against him by the U.S. Department of Justice and was found guilty of violating the laws of Selective Service. He was sentenced to prison for five years in 1967 June but all the while during his conviction remained free. During this time Muhammad Ali was unable to compete professionally and missed around three years of his career as an athlete. The conviction against Muhammad Ali was finally overturned by the USA Supreme Court in 1971 June. 

Philanthropy and Awards

Following his retirement, Muhammad Ali devoted a majority of his time towards philanthropy. Among the various organisations that he supported include the  Make-A-Wish Foundation and Special Olympics. He also visited a number of countries such as Morocco and Mexico for helping out those indeed. Because of his work in developing nations, Muhammad Ali was chosen as a UN Messenger of Peace in 1998. He also raised funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix in the state of Arizona. In 2005, he opened the Muhammad Ali Centre in his native town of Louisville, Kentucky.

In what is recognised as an emotional moment in the history of sports, he ignited the Olympic cauldron in the 1996  Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta. President George W. Bush has awarded Muhammad Ali the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. He is also the recipient of the President's Award given by the NAACP for his efforts in public service. 

Final Years

Health and Parkinson's Diagnosis

Muhammad Ali announced in 1984 that he was suffering from Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder. As Parkinson’s progressed, spinal stenosis, a condition that causes the spine to narrow began showing symptoms in him. Despite this, he remained active in the public sphere of his life. He even underwent surgery for spinal stenosis which limited his communication ability as well as his motility. 

In his final years, Muhammad Ali battled pneumonia in 2015 Muhammad Ali breathed his last on 3rd June 2016. He was in Phoenix Arizona at the time of his death after he was hospitalized for a respiratory issue. Muhammad Ali’s age at death was 74. His memorial service which was a three-day event was organised in Louisville, Kentucky, his home town. This included an ‘I Am Ali’ festival of entertainment, public arts and educational offerings. 

Muhammad Ali often referred to himself as ‘the Greatest’ and was often reported as the one who could ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’. A heavyweight boxing champion, he holds an impressive record of 56 wins and was equally known for his strong views against the Vietnam war. Even after his death, Ali’s legendary stature is ever-growing. His courage in challenging the status quo, unabatingly speaking his mind combined with his noteworthy athletic skills is celebrated world over.