Who Was Muhammad Ali?

Muhammad Ali is a very famous and successful, retired, American boxer. He was born January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky.  His originally birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay. He changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he joined the Nation of Islam.

Muhammad Ali is known as the greatest heavyweight boxer of the 1960s and 1970s. He began his boxing career by winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. After the Olympics, he went into professional boxing and won the heavyweight championship three times over a fifteen year span.

He did spend some time in prison back in the early 1970s because he refused to join the military draft during the Vietnam War. He claimed that his Islamic religion did not permit him to go to war.

Some of his famous fights were the fights with Joe Frazier and with George Foreman. He won fights against both of these competitors.

He retired from boxing in 1981. Now, he suffers from Parkinson's disease. In 1996 he was selected to light the ceremonial flame at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Muhammad Ali was GIVEN his name by the Honorable Elijah, his noble teacher.