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"Cassius Clay" redirects here. For the abolitionist, see Cassius Marcellus Clay (politician).
This article is about the American boxer. For other people named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation).
Muhammad Ali | Ali in 1967 | Statistics | Nickname(s) | The Greatest
The People 's Champion
The Louisville Lip | Rated at | Heavyweight | Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | Reach | 80 in (203 cm) | Nationality | American | Born | (1942-01-17) January 17, 1942 (age 71)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | Stance | Orthodox | Boxing record | Total fights | 61 | Wins | 56 | Wins by KO | 37 | Losses | 5 | Draws | 0 | No contests | 0 | Medal record[hide] Men 's boxing | Competitor for the USA | Summer Olympics | Gold | 1960 Rome | Light heavyweight | |
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer,[1] philanthropist[2] and social activist.[2] Considered a cultural icon, Ali has both been idolized and vilified.[3][4]
Originally known as Cassius Clay, at the age of 22 he won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston. Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975. In 1967, three years after Ali had won the heavyweight championship, he was publicly vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali was eventually arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges; he was stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was eventually successful.
Ali would go on to become the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion.
Nicknamed "The Greatest", Ali was
References: Ali being interviewed by WBAL-TV 's Curt Anderson, 1978, Baltimore, Maryland. The Muhammad Ali Center, alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville 's riverfront On November 19, 2005 (Ali 's 19th wedding anniversary), the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville