   #copyright

Muhammad Ali

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Sports and games people

   Muhammad Ali

                       Statistics
       Name     Muhammad Ali
    Birth name  Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. (Ca-see-us)
     Nickname   The Greatest, Louisville Lip
      Weight    Heavyweight
   Nationality  American
    Ethnicity   African American
    Birth date  January 17, 1942
   Birth place  Louisville, Kentucky, USA
      Style     Orthodox
                      Boxing record
   Total fights 61
       Wins     56
    Wins by KO  37
      Losses    5
      Draws     0
   No contests  0
        Olympic medal record
               boxing
   Gold 1960 Rome Light heavyweight

   Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on January 17, 1942) is
   a retired American boxer. In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the
   Century" by Sports Illustrated. He won the World Heavyweight Boxing
   championship three times, and won the North American Boxing Federation
   championship as well as an Olympic gold medal.

   Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He was named after his father,
   Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., (who was named for the 19th century
   abolitionist and politician Cassius Clay). Ali later changed his name
   after joining the Nation of Islam and subsequently converted to
   orthodox Sunni Islam in 1975.

Biography

Early boxing career

   Standing at 6' 3" (1.91 m), Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a
   heavyweight boxer. He carried his hands at his sides, rather than the
   normal boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face.
   Instead, he relied on his ability to avoid a punch. In Louisville,
   October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. He won
   a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of
   Fayetteville, West Virginia. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter
   amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated such boxers as
   Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson (who weighed 160 pounds when he fought
   Clay), Donnie Fleeman (who had broken ribs going into the fight but
   fought Clay anyway), Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff,
   Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug
   Jones, and Henry Cooper. Among Clay's victories were versus Sonny Banks
   (who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the
   aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous
   fights, and who had been Clay's trainer prior to Angelo Dundee).

   Clay then won a disputed 10 round decision over Doug Jones, who,
   despite being lighter than Clay, staggered Clay as soon as the fight
   started with a right hand, and beat Clay to the punch continually
   during the fight. The fight was named "Fight of the Year" for 1963.
   Clay's next fight was against Britain's Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay
   down with a left hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was
   stopped in the 5th round due to a deep cut on Cooper's face.

   Despite these close calls against Doug Jones and Henry Cooper, he
   became the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. In spite of Clay's
   impressive record, he was not expected to beat the champ. The fight was
   to be held on February 25, 1964 in Lewiston, Maine. During the weigh-in
   on the previous day, the never-bashful Ali—who frequently taunted
   Liston during the buildup by dubbing him "the big ugly bear", among
   other things—declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting
   like a bee," and, in summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's
   assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

First title fight

   Clay, however, had a plan. Misreading Clay's exuberance as nervousness,
   Liston was over-confident, and was unprepared for any result but a
   quick stoppage. In the opening rounds, Clay's speed kept him away from
   Liston's powerful head and body shots, as he used his height advantage
   to effectively beat Liston to the punch with his jab. By the third,
   Clay was on top, and had opened a cut under Liston's eye. Liston
   regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a foreign
   substance. It is unknown whether this was something used to close
   Liston's cuts, or applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose.
   Partially-sighted, Clay passively sought to escape Liston's offensive.
   He was able to keep out of range until his sweat cleaned the ointment
   from his eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of
   the fifth round. By the sixth, he was looking for a finish and
   dominated Liston. Then Liston shocked the world when he didn't come out
   for the seventh round to continue the fight; he later claimed to have
   injured his shoulder. Clay overcame all odds to become heavyweight
   champion of the world.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. changes his name to Muhammad Ali

   Ali at an address by Elijah Muhammad
   Enlarge
   Ali at an address by Elijah Muhammad

   Following his ascension to champion, he also became famous for other
   reasons: he revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam (often
   called the Black Muslims at the time) and Malcolm X proved Clay with
   the name Cassius X, discarding his surname as a symbol of his
   ancestors' enslavement, as had been done by other Nation members such
   as Malcolm X. Friday, March 6, 1964 Malcolm X took Cassius Clay on a
   guided tour of the United Nations building (for a second time). Malcolm
   X announced that Cassius Clay would be be granted his "X." That same
   night Elijah Muhammad recorded a statement over the phone to be played
   over the radio that Cassius Clay would be renamed Muhammad (the
   original prophet of Islam) Ali (fourth rightly guided caliph). Only a
   few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time.
   The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a Black
   Muslim, and he retained the name even after he later became a Sunni
   Muslim.

Vietnam puts a pause in Ali's career

   In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his
   writing and spelling skills were subpar. However, in early 1966, the
   tests were revised and Ali was reclassified 1A. He refused to serve in
   the United States Army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious
   objector, because "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm
   not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no
   wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in
   Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali also famously said "I
   ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong" and "no Vietcong ever called
   me nigger."

   Ali refused to respond to his name being read out as Cassius Clay,
   stating, as instructed by his Muslim mentors, that Clay was the name
   given to his slave ancestors by the white man. By refusing to respond
   to this name, Ali's personal life was filled with controversy. Ali was
   essentially banned from fighting in the United States and forced to
   accept bouts abroad for most of 1966.

   From his rematch with Liston in May of 1965, to his final defense
   against Zora Folley in March of 1967, he defended his title nine times.
   Few other heavyweight champions in history have fought so much in such
   a short period.

   Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell in a unification
   bout in Toronto on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out and Ali won a
   fifteen round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He
   then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper and Brian London by
   stoppage on cuts. Ali's next defense was against German southpaw Karl
   Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max
   Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his
   opponent in round 12.

   Ali returned to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland
   "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome. A year and a half before
   the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point blank range
   by a Texas policeman. As a result, Cleveland Williams went into the
   fight missing one kidney, ten feet of his small intestine, and with a
   shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams
   in three rounds. Many boxing analysts consider this fight to be Ali's
   greatest performance from a technical point of view.

   On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight
   Ernie Terrell, in what was to be one of the uglier fights in boxing.
   Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to
   punish him for this insult, and during the fight Ali kept shouting at
   his opponent "What's my name, Uncle Tom...what's my name". Terrell
   suffered fifteen rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 of 15 rounds on
   two judges' scorecards, but Ali was unable to knock him out. This
   caused many to question even more strongly Ali's "phantom punch
   knockout" over Liston. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a
   wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of
   cruelty."

   Ali's actions in refusing military service and aligning himself with
   the Nation of Islam, made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning
   the outspoken but popular former champion into one of that era's most
   recognizable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with
   Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to
   him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion — if
   not actual hostility — made Ali a target of outrage, and suspicion as
   well. Ali seemed at times to even provoke such reactions, with
   viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright
   support of separatism.

   Near the end of 1967, Ali was stripped of his title by the professional
   boxing commission and would not be allowed to fight professionally for
   more than three years. He was also convicted for refusing induction
   into the army. Over the course of those years in exile, Ali fought to
   appeal his conviction. He stayed in the public spotlight and supported
   himself by giving speeches primarily at rallies on college campuses
   that opposed the Vietnam War.

   In 1970 Ali was allowed to fight again and in late 1971 the Supreme
   Court reversed his conviction.

The comeback

   In 1970, Ali was finally able to get a boxing license. With the help of
   a State Senator, he was granted a license to box in Georgia because it
   was the only state in America without a boxing commission. In October
   of 1970, he returned to stop Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds.
   Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled
   that Ali was unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight
   in New York, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in
   December of 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the
   15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier.

The Fight of the Century

   Ali and Frazier fought each other on March 8, 1971 at Madison Square
   Garden. This fight, known as The Fight of the Century, is one of the
   most famous and was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all
   time, since it featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom
   had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown. The fight lived up to
   the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a
   hard left hook in the final round and won on points. Frank Sinatra -
   unable to acquire a ringside seat - took photos of the match for Life
   Magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing
   aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which
   reached millions of people.

   Frazier eventually won the fight and retained the title with a
   unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss. Despite an
   impressive performance, Ali may have still been suffering from the
   effects of "ring rust" due to his long layoff. Additionally this match
   also made evident that over the course of 3 1/2 years in exile Ali had
   lost considerable amounts of speed and sharpness, assets that were once
   responsible for his dominance in the ring. From this point onward Ali
   was forced to show increased endurance as his speed continued to
   gradually slow over the years. He would take more punishment in the
   ring than ever before, proving his reputation as one of boxing's great
   fighters.

   In 1973, after a string of victories over top Heavyweight opposition in
   a campaign to force a rematch with Frazier, Ali split two bouts with
   Ken Norton (in the bout that Ali lost to Norton, Ali suffered a broken
   jaw), before beating Frazier on points in their 1974 rematch, to earn
   another title shot.

The Rumble in the Jungle

   Ali regained his title on October 30, 1974 by defeating champion George
   Foreman in their bizarre bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. Hyped as "The Rumble
   In The Jungle", the fight was promoted by Don King, who had served time
   in prison for killing his partner in the numbers racket.

   Almost no one, not even Ali's long-time supporter Howard Cosell, gave
   the former champion a chance of winning. Analysts pointed out that Joe
   Frazier and Ken Norton had given Ali four tough battles in the ring and
   won two of them while Foreman had destroyed both in the second round.

   The fight became a political symbol - Ali was taken to represent Black
   consciousness and the fight against white power, Foreman taken to
   represent US arrogance. Ali was massively popular in Zaïre and it is
   likely that the enthusiastic support of the crowd assisted him
   considerably in his victory.

   In the fight, Ali took advantage of the young champion's one weakness:
   staying power. Foreman had won 37 of his 40 bouts by knockout, most
   within three rounds or less, with Foreman's eight previous bouts not
   going past the second round. Ali saw an opportunity to outlast Foreman,
   and capitalized on it.

   Commentators expected Ali to box Foreman at distance using his superior
   speed and footwork but, instead, during the second round Ali retreated
   to the ropes inviting Foreman to hit him, while counterpunching and
   verbally taunting the younger man. Ali's plan was to enrage Foreman and
   absorb his best blows in order to exhaust him mentally and physically.
   While Foreman threw wide shots to Ali's body, Ali countered with
   stinging straight punches to Foreman's head. The champion threw
   hundreds of punches in seven rounds but with decreasing technique and
   effect. This was later termed " The Rope-A-Dope".

   By the end of the eighth round Foreman was clearly flagging and Ali
   made his move, turning Foreman off the ropes and executing a beautiful
   combination for the knockout. Foreman failed to make the count, and Ali
   had regained the title.

Ali becomes a Sunni Muslim

   Ali converted from the Nation of Islam to orthodox Sunni Islam in 1975.
   In a 2004 autobiography, written with daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali,
   Muhammad Ali attributes his conversion to the shift towards Sunni Islam
   made by W.D. Muhammad after he gained control of the Nation of Islam
   upon the death of his father, Elijah Muhammad in 1975.

Rocky

   On March 24, 1975, Ali fought Chuck Wepner in Cleveland, a fight that
   was to inspire the Academy Award winning movie " Rocky". Ironically,
   however, it was Ali's opponent who provided the inspiration for
   history's most famous fictional pugilist. Wepner was a journeyman
   fighter who had been earning his living as a liquor salesman and
   security guard. Wepner had been dubbed "The Bayonne Bleeder" and,
   although he was ranked, he was considered hapless. Wepner, however,
   trained for two months and although he lost on a technical knock-out,
   he survived all 15 rounds and even managed to knock Ali down with a
   body shot. Sylvester Stallone saw the match on television and the
   concept of Rocky Balboa — an unknown club fighter who goes 15 rounds
   with the heavyweight champion — was born. Heavyweight champion Apollo
   Creed, the character portrayed by Carl Weathers, was loosely based on
   Ali.

The Thrilla in Manila

   In 1975, Ali was again slated to fight Joe Frazier. The anticipation
   for the fight was enormous for the final clash between these two great
   heavyweights. Ali's frequent insults, slurs and poems increased the
   anticipation and excitement for the fight. After 14 grueling rounds,
   Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch refused to allow Frazier to continue.
   Frazier felt betrayed and never talked to Futch again. Ali was quoted
   after the fight as saying "This must be what death feels like". Ring
   Magazine called this bout 1975's Fight of the Year, the fifth year an
   Ali fight had earned that distinction. This fight has been called the
   greatest fight of all time by many. Ali won many of the early rounds,
   but Frazier staged a comeback in the middle rounds. By the late rounds,
   however, Ali had re-asserted control, and the fight was stopped due to
   Frazier's eyes being closed.

   Neither fighter was ever the same again. Frazier would permanently
   retire after two more fights, and a declining Ali would struggle with
   many opponents from then on, aided by some controversial victories.

   1976 saw him knock out two largely unknown opponents, Belgian
   stonecutter Jean-Pierre Coopman and English boxer Richard Dunn. On
   April 30, 1976 Ali faced Jimmy Young in Landover, Maryland. Young
   seemed to out point Ali, who had come in at 230 lbs, the heaviest of
   his career to that point. At the end of the match, the judges, chosen
   by Don King, gave Ali a decision, causing many to call it one of the
   worst decisions in the history of boxing. In September, Ali faced Ken
   Norton in their third fight, held at Yankee Stadium. Although it was
   highly disputed by some observers, the champion won by unanimous
   decision.

   In 1977 Ali's ring doctor, Freddie Pacheco, left Ali's entourage
   claiming that Ali was damaging himself by continuing to fight for too
   long, and that he did not wish to be held responsible. Pacheco had
   advised Ali to retire after beginning to see signs of Ali's reflexes
   slowing down.

   Ali would retain his title until a February 1978 loss to 1976 Olympic
   champion Leon Spinks. In losing to the novice Spinks, Ali became the
   first heavyweight champion in the entire history of boxing to lose his
   title to a novice who had had only seven professional fights. In the
   September rematch in New Orleans at the Superdome, Spinks' cornerman
   Georgie Benton walked out of the ring after the 6th round, later
   commenting that he did not think the fight was on the level. Ali was
   given a 15 round decision over the disoriented Spinks. Then on June 27,
   1979, he announced his retirement and vacated the title.

Final comeback and retirement

   That retirement was short-lived, however, and on October 2, 1980, he
   challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC's version of the world Heavyweight
   title. Looking to set another record, as the first boxer to win the
   Heavyweight title four times, Ali lost by technical knockout in round
   eleven, when Dundee would not let him come out for the round. The
   Holmes fight, promoted as "The Last Hurrah", was a fight many fans and
   experts view with disdain, because it was a fight that saw a
   "deteriorated version" of Ali. Holmes was Ali's sparring partner when
   Holmes was a budding fighter; thus, some viewed the result of the fight
   as a symbolic "passing of the torch." Holmes even admitted later that,
   although he dominated the fight, he held his punches back a bit out of
   sheer respect for his idol, and former employer. It was revealed after
   the fight that Ali had been examined at the Mayo Clinic, and the
   results were shocking. He had admitted to tingling in his hands, and
   slurring of his speech. The exam revealed he actually had a hole in the
   membrane of his brain. However, Don King withheld this report, and
   allowed the fight to go on.

   Despite the apparent finality of his loss to Holmes and his
   increasingly suspect medical condition, Ali would fight one more time.
   On December 11, 1981, he fought rising contender and future world
   champion Trevor Berbick, in what was billed as "The Drama in the
   Bahamas." Because Ali was widely viewed as a damaged fighter, few
   American venues expressed much interest in hosting the bout, and few
   fans expressed much interest in attending or watching it. Compared to
   the mega-fights Ali fought in widely known venues earlier in his
   career, the match took place in virtual obscurity, in Nassau. Although
   Ali performed marginally better against Berbick than he had against
   Holmes fourteen months earlier, he still lost a 10-round unanimous
   decision to Berbick, who at 27 was twelve years younger.

   Following this loss, Ali retired permanently in 1981, with a career
   record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses, and as a three-time
   World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

Ali's legacy

   The torch Ali used to light the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics
   Enlarge
   The torch Ali used to light the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics

   Muhammad Ali defeated almost every top Heavyweight in his era, an era
   which has been called the Golden Age of Heavyweight boxing. Ali was
   named "Fighter of the Year" by Ring Magazine more times than any other
   fighter, and was involved in more Ring Magazine "Fight of the Year"
   bouts than any other fighter. He is an inductee into the International
   Boxing Hall of Fame and holds wins over seven other Hall of Fame
   inductees. He is also one of only three boxers to be named " Sportsman
   of the Year" by Sports Illustrated. He is regarded as one of the best
   pound for pound boxers in history. He was a masterful self-promoter,
   and his psychological tactics before, during, and after fights, were
   very effective. It was his supreme skill, however, that enabled him to
   scale the heights and sustain his position. It is widely believed that
   he was the most famous athlete who ever lived and at one point was the
   most famous person alive.

In retirement

   Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 1980s,
   following which his motor functions began a slow decline. Although
   Ali's doctors disagreed during the 1980s and 1990s about whether his
   symptoms were caused by boxing and whether or not his condition was
   degenerative, he was ultimately diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson's
   syndrome. By late 2005 it was reported that Ali's condition was notably
   worsening. According to the documentary When We Were Kings, when Ali
   was asked about whether he has any regrets about boxing due to his
   disability, he responded that if he didn't box he would still be a
   painter in Louisville, Kentucky.
   Enlarge

   Despite the disability, he remains a beloved and active public figure.
   In 1985, he served as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania
   event. In 1987 he was selected by the California Bicentennial
   Foundation for the U.S. Constitution to personify the vitality of the
   US Constitution and Bill of Rights in various high profile activities.
   Ali rode on a float at the 1988 Tournament of Roses, launching the U.S.
   Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration. He also published an oral
   history, Muhammad Ali:His Life and Times with Thomas Hauser, in 1991.
   Ali received a Spirit of America Award calling him the most recognized
   American in the world. In 1995 the debut album of the band Ben Folds
   Five included a song about Ali and his retirement called "Boxing". Ben
   Folds has said that his dad was a fan of Ali. In 1996, he had the
   honour of lighting the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,
   Georgia.
   The Muhammad Ali Center, alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville's
   riverfront
   Enlarge
   The Muhammad Ali Centre, alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville's
   riverfront

   He has appeared at the 1998 AFL Grand Final, where Anthony Pratt
   recruited him to watch the game. He also greets runners at the start
   line of the Los Angeles Marathon every year.

   In 1999, Ali received a special one-off award from the BBC at its
   annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony, which was the
   BBC Sports Personality of the Century Award. His daughter Laila Ali
   also became a boxer in 1999, despite her father's earlier comments
   against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the
   breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right
   here [patting his chest]. Get hit in the breast... hard... and all
   that."
   Ali's Presidential Medal of Freedom on display at the Ali Center
   Enlarge
   Ali's Presidential Medal of Freedom on display at the Ali Centre

   The $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Centre opened in downtown
   Louisville, Kentucky on November 19, 2005 (his 19th wedding
   anniversary). In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the
   centre focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect,
   and personal growth. Muhammad Ali currently lives on a small farm near
   Berrien Springs, Michigan with his fourth wife, Yolanda 'Lonnie' Ali.

   According to the Muhammad Ali Centre website, "Since he retired from
   boxing, Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavors around the
   globe. He is a devout Sunni Muslim, and travels the world over, lending
   his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting
   education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging
   people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated
   that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the
   hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year."

   In 2001, a biographical film, entitled Ali, was made, with Will Smith
   starring as Ali. The film received mixed reviews, with the positives
   generally attributed to the acting, as Smith and supporting actor Jon
   Voight earned Academy Award nominations. Prior to making the Ali movie,
   Will Smith rejected the part of Ali until Muhammad Ali came and told
   him to take the part.

   He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony
   on November 9, 2005, and the prestigious "Otto Hahn peace medal in
   Gold" of the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for
   his work with the US civil rights movement and the United Nations
   (December 17 2005).

   A youth club in Ali's home town, a species of rose (Rosa Ali) and a
   small child have all been named after him.

Personal life

   Muhammad Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and
   two sons.
   Wife's name Marriage date Divorce date Children
   Yolanda 'Lonnie' Ali November 19, 1986 Assad (adopted)
   Veronica Porsche Ali June 19, 1977 July 1986 Hana, Laila.
   Khalilah 'Belinda' Ali August 17, 1967 1977 Maryum, Rasheeda, Jamilla,
   Muhammad Jr.
   Sonji Roi August 14, 1964 January 10, 1966 (none)

   Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital
   relationships.

Radio

     * Actor Giancarlo Esposito recorded a public service announcement for
       Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign, encouraging reading of
       books about Muhammad Ali

Books

     * The Greatest-My Own Story by Muhammad Ali with Richard Durham -
       1975.
     * Mohammad Ali and a fictional son Mohammad Ali Jr. are portrayed in
       the Japanese manga series "New Grappler Baki - In search of our
       strongest hero"

Ali onscreen

   When We Were Kings, a 1996 Academy Award winner documentary film about
   Ali's fight in Zaire, including original footage of it, and many photos
   and interviews is probably the most famous film to depict him.

   Several individuals have portrayed Ali in film biographies, including
   Ali himself:
     * Future Amazing Race winner Chip McAllister, in the 1977 film, The
       Greatest (portraying a young adult Cassius Clay)
     * Muhammad Ali, in the 1977 film, The Greatest
     * Darius McCrary, in the 1997 HBO TV movie, Don King: Only in America
     * Terrence Howard, in the 2000 ABC TV movie, King of the World
     * Aaron Meeks, in the 2000 Fox TV movie, Ali: An American Hero
       (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
     * David Ramsey, in the 2000 Fox TV movie, Ali: An American Hero
     * Will Smith, in the 2001 film, Ali

   Additionally, Ali has appeared as himself in numerous scripted films
   and television series, including the films Requiem for a Heavyweight
   (1962), Body and Soul (1981 version, starring Leon Isaac Kennedy), and
   Doin' Time (1985); and the television series Vega$ (1979), Diff'rent
   Strokes (1979), and Touched by an Angel (1999).

   Ali portrayed a former slave in Reconstruction-era Virginia who is
   elected to the United States Senate in the 1979 NBC TV movie Freedom
   Road, which was based upon the 1944 novel by Howard Fast.

   Ali provided the voice for the titular character in the 1977 NBC
   animated series, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali.

Championship accomplishments

        Previous champion
        Leotis Martin    NABF Heavyweight 2nd Champion

                         December 17, 1970 - 1971
                                                      Next champion
                                                      George Foreman

         Previous champion
         George Foreman   NABF Heavyweight 4th Champion

                          July 26, 1971 - 1973
                                                       Next champion
                                                       Ken Norton

         Previous champion
         Ken Norton       NABF Heavyweight 6th Champion

                          September 10, 1973 - 1974
                                                       Next champion
                                                       Ken Norton

      Previous champion
      Sonny Liston     WBA World Heavyweight 17th Champion

                       February 25, 1964 - June 19, 1964
                                                          Next champion
                                                          Ernie Terrell

      Previous champion
      Ernie Terrell    WBA World Heavyweight 19th Champion

                       February 6, 1967 - May 9, 1967
                                                          Next champion
                                                          Jimmy Ellis

     Previous champion
     George Foreman   WBA World Heavyweight 23rd Champion

                      October 30, 1974 - February 15, 1978
                                                          Next champion
                                                          Leon Spinks

   Previous champion
   Leon Spinks       WBA World Heavyweight 25th Champion

                    September 15, 1978 – April 27, 1979
                                                           Next champion
                                                         John Tate (boxer)

      Previous champion
      Sonny Liston     WBC World Heavyweight 2nd Champion

                       February 25, 1964 - May 9, 1967
                                                         Next champion
                                                         Jimmy Ellis

     Previous champion
     George Foreman    WBC World Heavyweight 6th Champion

                      October 30, 1974 - February 15, 1978
                                                          Next champion
                                                          Leon Spinks

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