15 Facts About Muhammad Ali (R.I.P. Legendary Boxer)

1- Ali first stepped in the ring at a young age of 12 in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., after his bicycle was stolen and a police officer suggested he learn how to box.

It was a 1954 story. His bike was nicked from outside the Columbia Auditorium. Muhammad Ali got furious and found a policeman and told him he wanted to “whup” whoever the thief was. As a matter of fact, the Policeman, Joe Martin was a boxing trainer. He took young Cassius Clay under his wing.

2- Born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Junior on January 17, 1942, the legendary boxer changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964 after joining Nation of Islam.

3-Bob Dylan sang about Clay in his 1964 song, “I Shall Be Free, No. 10,” writing in (and mocking?) the style of the boxer’s famous poetic pronouncements:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ehf3w

4- At the age of 22, he had made a name for himself and won the World Heavyweight Championship in 1964 by defeating Sonny Liston in seven rounds, in what is believed to be one of the biggest sporting upsets ever.

5- Ali won 100 out of 108 amateur fights and also won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. There were several reports later that he allegedly chucked the medal into a river after a waitress at a soda fountain in Louisville refused to serve him because he was black.

6- Muhammad Ali was banned from boxing for three years when he refused to serve the U.S. military for religious reasons during the Vietnam War in 1967. The heavyweight champion was arrested and his boxing license was immediately suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission.

7- His most famous bouts included the one in which he won in an eight-round knockout against the undefeated 25-year-old champion George Foreman in 1974 to regain the heavyweight title that had been stripped from him during his suspension in 1967. The fight was known as ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.

8- Ali is a three-time heavyweight champion (1964, 1974, 1978).

9- He Was Diagnosed With Parkinson’s in 1984

Ali began showing symptoms of Parkinson’s when he retired in 1981, although he wasn’tdiagnosed until three years later when he was 42 years old.

It has been speculated that his condition was a result of injuries to the brain during his boxing career.

10- Muhammad Ali practiced his speed by dodging rocks

It sounds crazy enough but it’s true. He used to ask his fella to throw rocks at him. The crazy Muhammad Ali dodged every single rocks threw at him. His younger brother, Rudy, the rock thrower said,

11- Muhammad Ali was a singer and an actor and a poet, too

You know him better as a boxer, but he is a singer, an actor and a poet too. In 1963, Muhammad Ali released an album, “I AM The Greatest“, just six months before he defeated Sonny Liston to claim the World Heavyweight Title for the first time in his boxing career. His album included a cover of Ben E. King’s famous song “Stand by me” and it was sung all by himself. As an actor, Muhammad Ali also starred in titled Buck White and Broadway musical, which was closed after 5 nights.

12- Ali once convinced Saddam Hossein to free 15 innocent hostages:

When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hossein invaded Kuwait in 1990, he kept 2,000 foreigners as hostages. Muhammad Ali flew to Baghdad to meet the Iraqi leader with a hope that his status as the world’s most famous Muslim might help him to negotiate. It took 50 minutes to get released 15 captive Americans.

13- Ali retired in 1981 after losing to Trevor Berbick in his 61st career bout.

He finished his career in 1981 with a record of 56 wins (including 37 by knockout) and five losses.

14- In 1999, BBC crowned Ali as “Sports Personality of the Century”, whereas the three-time heavyweight champion was named “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated.