Muhammad+Ali

__ Muhammad Ali __

**__ Date of birth __**
Muhammad Ali was born in **January 17, 1942**. His birth place was in Louisville, Kentucky and his name at birth was Cassius Marcellus Clay.

**__ boxing career __**
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. 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 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. During the weigh-in on the previous day, the ever-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."

Muhammad Ali is back
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 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 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. The fight, known as '"The Fight of the Century", was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard left hook in the 15th and final round and won on points. Frazier eventually won the fight and retained the title with a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss. Ali may have still been suffering from the effects of "ring rust" due to his long layoff. 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 (who had lost the title to George Foreman) on points in their 1974 rematch, to earn another title shot.

**__ Retirement of Muhammad Ali __**
Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 1980s, following which his motor functions began a slow decline. he was ultimately diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome. By late 2005 it was reported that Ali's condition was notably worsening. , 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. Muhammad Ali has retired from boxing from that day. __Religion__ After winning the championship from Liston in 1964, Clay revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam. The nation gave him the name Cassius X. Elijah Muhammad played over the radio that Clay would be renamed as Muhammad (one who is worth of praise) Ali. Sportswriters say that Ali’s brother Rudy clay converted to a Muslim first. Ali says he would sneak into Nation of Islam meetings. He was afraid that if others knew he wouldn't be able to fight for his title. Ali converted from Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam in 1975. __Vietnam War__ In 1964 Ali failed the U.S Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling didn’t meet the standards of performance. However in 1966 the tests were revised, and Ali was classified as 1A. Meaning he was eligible for draft in the U.S Army, during the Vietnam war. When Ali was notified he refused to serve them. Ali stated that “ war is against the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. We are not to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or the Messengers. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of unbelievers.” Ali spoke at Howard University, where he gave his popular "Black Is Best" speech to 4000 cheering students and community intellectuals. Later on April 28, 1967, in Houston he refused to step forward three times. An officer warned if he didn’t step forward he would be committing a felony. Ali still refused, and they arrested him. His trial was only 21 minutes long before being guilty, also his boxing license was suspended, and was stripped of his title. On June 28, 1971 they reversed his conviction.

__Muhammad Ali's relationship.__

 * 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)

__Muhammad Ali's Record__

 * ** Total fights ** || 61 ||
 * ** Wins ** || 56 ||
 * ** Wins by KO ** || 37 ||
 * ** Losses ** || 5 ||
 * ** Draws ** || 0 ||
 * ** No contests ** || 0 ||

