bibliography
NNDB
This is a beta version of NNDB
Search: for

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad AliAKA Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.

Born: 17-Jan-1942
Birthplace: Louisville, KY
Died: 3-Jun-2016
Location of death: Scottsdale, AZ
Cause of death: Respiratory failure
Remains: Buried, Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY

Gender: Male
Religion: Muslim
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Boxing

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Floated like butterfly, stung like bee

Someone stole Cassius Clay's bicycle when he was 12, and he groused to a policeman that he'd whup the culprit. The cop told him he'd better learn to fight first. The kid never got his bike back, but he did win six Kentucky Golden Glove titles, two National Golden Gloves, two Amateur Athletic Union championships, a Gold Medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Rome Olympic games, and the world professional heavyweight championship -- three times.

As a pro, Clay was 18-0 before meeting the "invincible" heavyweight champ, Sonny Liston. Clay talked tough wherever there was a microphone before the match, promising to whup Liston, and created a hype boxing had never seen before. Then he beat Liston by knock-out, and immediately announced he'd joined the Nation of Islam and dropped his "slave name". His new name was Muhammad Ali, but the media generally continued calling him Cassius Clay (except during interviews).

In 1967, America was at war with Vietnam. When Ali got his draft notice, he arrived as instructed for the physical exam, and cooperated politely until it was time to take the Army oath. He refused, saying, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong". A month later an all-white jury found him guilty of draft evasion, and Ali was imprisoned. His boxing license was revoked, and he was stripped of his world championship. Almost four years later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction, and decided that under the tenets of Islam Ali was a conscientious objector, not a criminal.

Ali fought for the heavyweight championship again in 1971, losing to Joe Frazier, but in a 1974 rematch, he knocked out Frazier. He KO'd George Foreman in Zaire to win his second heavyweight championship. In 1978, he lost the title to Leon Spinks, and at 36, it was widely believed that Ali's fighting career was over. Seven months later he KO'd Spinks, and Ali held the title until announcing his retirement in 1979. Even after that, Ali tried one more comeback, but it got ugly fast. Nobody beats the calendar.

His bravado made Ali more popular than any boxer before or since, and he has pronounced himself "the greatest fighter of all time". Ali's autobiography, titled The Greatest, was filmed in 1977, with Muhammad Ali playing himself. More recently Will Smith played the role in Ali (2001). Parkinson's disease, probably brought on by taking so many blows to the head, has left Ali virtually unable to talk. He remains beloved worldwide, and still makes many public appearances.

For years, Ali said he had angrily thrown his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio river after an encounter with white racists. More recently, he simply says the medal "came up missing". He was given a replacement medal at the 1996 Atlanta games, where he also lit the ceremonial torch.

Father: Marcellus Clay (sign painter, piano player)
Mother: Odessa Grady Clay (maid)
Wife: Sonji Roi (cocktail waitress, m. 14-Aug-1964, div. 1966, d. 11-Oct-2005)
Wife: Belinda Boyd ("Khalilah", m. 1967, div. 1977)
Wife: Veronica Porche (m. 1977, div. 1986)
Wife: Yolanda Williams ("Lonnie", m. 1986)
Daughter: Laila Ali (pro boxer, women's middleweight champ, b. 30-Dec-1977)

    World Heavyweight Champion 25-Feb-1964 - 19-Jun-1964 (undisputed)
    World Heavyweight Champion 19-Jun-1964 - 6-Feb-1967 (World Boxing Council)
    World Heavyweight Champion 6-Feb-1967 - 29-Apr-1967 (undisputed)
    World Heavyweight Champion 29-Apr-1967 - 8-Mar-1969 (World Boxing Council)
    World Heavyweight Champion 30-Oct-1974 - 15-Feb-1978 (undisputed)
    World Heavyweight Champion 15-Sep-1978 - 27-Apr-1979 (World Boxing Association)
    Afghanistan World Foundation Celebrity Committee
    American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Advisory Board
    Nation of Islam
    Overcoming Obstacles Board of Advisors
    Olympic Gold Medal Light Heavyweight (1960)
    US Olympic Hall of Fame
    Hickok Belt 1974
    Associated Press Athlete of the Year (male) 1974
    Kentucky Colonel
    Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year 1974
    Arthur Ashe Courage Award 1997
    Library of Congress Living Legend 2000
    Presidential Medal of Freedom 9-Nov-2005
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 6801 Hollywood Blvd
    Endorsement of IBM
    Endorsement of Pizza Hut 1997
    Converted to Islam
    Hernia Operation (Nov-1964)
    Draft Deferment: Vietnam 1-Y (1964, rescinded 1966)
    Draft Evasion 1967 (convicted, overturned by the Supreme Court 1971)
    Traveled to the USSR 12-Jun-1978
    Visited Disneyland 2-Jul-1991
    Risk Factors: Parkinson's, Dyslexia, Aviophobia

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    The Beatles: Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years (15-Sep-2016) · Himself
    O.J.: Made in America (22-Jan-2016) · Himself
    I Am Ali (10-Oct-2014) · Himself
    The Trials of Muhammad Ali (5-May-2013) · Himself
    America: A Tribute to Heroes (21-Sep-2001) · Himself
    Fidel (2-Aug-2001) · Himself
    When We Were Kings (25-Oct-1996) · Himself
    Champions Forever (1989) · Himself
    Doin' Time (19-May-1985) · Himself
    Body and Soul (Oct-1981) · Himself
    Freedom Road (29-Oct-1979)
    The Greatest (19-May-1977) · Himself
    a.k.a. Cassius Clay (3-Nov-1970) · Himself
    Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (21-Nov-1969) · Himself
    Requiem for a Heavyweight (16-Oct-1962) · Boxer

Official Website:
http://www.ali.com/


New!
NNDB MAPPER
Create a map starting with Muhammad Ali
Requires Flash 7+ and Javascript.

Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile



Copyright ©2019 Soylent Communications