Muhammad Ali Biography- wiki, age, career, Awards and Achievements

Muhammad Ali Biography- Nicknamed The Greatest, Muhammad Ali was one of the legends of the sport of professional boxing. At 6 feet 3 inches in length, he was an impressive figure in the ring, known for his sharp footwork and powerful jabs. (Muhammad Ali Bio)

What set him apart from his contemporaries were the values ​​he upheld throughout his life. A staunch believer of religious freedom and racial justice, Ali converted to Islam and also changed his name from his former identity, Cassius Marcellus Clay. One of the most recognized sporting figures of the past 100 years, Muhammad Ali made waves in the field of professional boxing at the age of 22 by defeating then-heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. Since then, there has been no looking back for this mighty fighter, who beat each and every one of his rivals to win the title. (Muhammad Ali Biography)

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Throughout his career, Ali recorded 56 victories, of which 37 came by knockout and 5 by defeat. The most historic matches were against Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. He became the first and only three-time Lineal World Heavyweight Champion. Interestingly, apart from being powerful and dominating, Ali was also extremely outspoken and started the ritual of commenting on his opponent long before the controversy.

Childhood and Early Life

• Interestingly, a Louisville police officer changed young Clay’s fortunes. The latter is furious at a thief who robbed his bicycle and the police officer, who tells Martin that he wants to flog the robber. That’s when Martin suggested him to learn boxing first. (Muhammad Ali Biography)
• Martin served as their starting coach, teaching them the technicalities of the game. In the last four years of his amateur career, he was coached by cutman Chuck Bodak.

Career

• In his first fight, which took place in 1954, he won by a split decision. Subsequently, he won the 1956 Golden Gloves Tournament for Beginners in the Light Heavyweight category.
• His outstanding achievements in his amateur years earned him a seat on the US Olympic boxing team in 1960. He won the first three matches to face Zbigniew Pietrzkowski of Poland. Crushing the latter, he earned his first gold in the event. The Olympic victory earned him hero status. (Muhammad Ali Bio)
• His heroic victories, most of which were via knockouts, made him the top contender for Sunny Liston’s title. As such, a fight was scheduled between the two in Miami in February 1964.
• While Liston was the reigning champion, Clay seemed weak in the event, more so because Jones and his last fights against Cooper displayed a lack of skill. (Muhammad Ali Biography)
• Even before the fight began, the two turned the pre-fight weigh-in into a circus, humiliating and defaming each other, an incident that was the first of its kind in boxing history. Enraged by the derogatory remarks, Liston sought a quick knockout, but lost the match in the sixth round. (Muhammad Ali Biography)
• By defeating Liston, he became the youngest boxer to hold the title from a current heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, in 1964, he changed his name from Cassius Marcellus Clay to Muhammad Ali, converting to Islam.
• After the conversion, a rematch was arranged between Muhammad Ali and Liston. However, the result of the second match remained the same except for the fact that it lasted almost two minutes.
• His second title defense was against Floyd Patterson, who had lost twice to Liston in first-round knockouts. The match continued for 12 rounds, in which he was declared the winner.
• In later years, Muhammad Ali won one match each against George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Brian London and Carl Mildenburger. His match against Cleveland Williams at the Houston Astrodome made headlines, which he won via technical knockout (TKO) in the third round. (Muhammad Ali Bio)
• In 1967, he pitted against Terrell, who was the unbeaten heavyweight champion for five years. The fight lasted for 15 rounds, in which both the players displayed tremendous skill and skill. However, Muhammad Ali won the battle by unanimous decision.
• Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title because he refused to serve in the army during the Vietnam War. Not only was his boxing license suspended, but he was also sentenced to three and a half years in prison along with a fine. (Muhammad Ali Biography)

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• After a period of imprisonment, he returned with a fight against Jerry Quarry on October 26, 1970.
• Muhammad Ali was chosen as the top contender against heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Nicknamed the Fight of the Century, it created a stir as the two undefeated rivals pitted against each other. The battle took place on 8 March 1971. Although the early rounds were face-to-face, Frazier later took an advantageous lead and eventually won the competition. This was Ali’s first defeat since his professional debut.
• In 1973, Ali lost the second fight of his career to Ken Norton, which broke his jaw. In his second bout, Ali won a controversial decision against Norton, earning the right to fight against Joe Frazier, who had recently lost his title to George Foreman. (Muhammad Ali Bio)
• The Ali-Frazier rematch took place on January 28, 1974, and Ali won the match.
• Frazier’s defeat led to a title fight between Ali and heavyweight champion George Foreman. The fight took place on October 30, 1974, and Ali was recognized as a downtrodden. However, the result of the match went in Muhammad Ali’s favor as Foreman failed to make the count at the end of the eighth round.
• The year 1975 witnessed one of the toughest battles as Ali fought against Frazier in a match called Thrilla in Manila. Lasted 14 rounds, the former was declared the winner.
• After the fight against Frazier, Ali’s career graph saw a decline as he lost to Leon Spinks and was knocked out by Larry Holmes. (Muhammad Ali Bio)

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Awards and Achievements

• Muhammad Ali was honored with several titles, including The Greatest, Fighter of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Sportsman of the Century and Sports Personality of the Century.
• He was the proud recipient of the Presidential Citizen’s Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received from then-President George W. Bush in 2005. (Muhammad Ali Biography)
• He has even been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal life and Legacy

• Muhammad Ali performed four marriages during his lifetime. His partners were Sonji Roy, Belinda Boyd, Veronica Porsche and Yolanda. In all, he had seven daughters and two sons from their alliance. Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh is also a boxer.
• He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984. The disease was mainly a result of head injuries that he had suffered during his boxing career. (Muhammad Ali Biography)
• He died of respiratory complications on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

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Trivia

• Nicknamed The Greatest, Muhammad Ali was the most notable professional boxing heavyweight champion and the first and only three-time world heavyweight champion. He converted to Islam.

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