Muhammad Ali

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Muhammad Ali: One of the greatest boxers of all time

Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)

Jerry Quarry (right) during his 1970 fight against Muhammad Ali

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Muhammad Ali summary

Muhammad Ali

Q: What is Muhammad Ali known for?

Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers in history, the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions. In addition, he was known for his social message of black pride and black resistance to white domination and for refusing induction into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War .

Q: What awards did Muhammad Ali win?

Muhammad Ali was a member of the inaugural class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom .

Q: What were Muhammad Ali’s achievements?

Muhammad Ali achieved renown as a boxer through his speed, superb footwork, ability to take a punch, and tremendous courage. His final record of 56 wins and 5 losses with 37 knockouts has been matched by others, but the quality of his opponents and his overwhelming success during his prime placed him among boxing’s immortals.

American boxer

Also known as: Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.

Written by Thomas Hauser

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 • Article History

Muhammad Ali

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Category: History & Society

Original name:: Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.

Born:: January 17, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

Died:: June 3, 2016, Scottsdale, Arizona (aged 74)

Awards And Honors:: Olympic Games; Golden Gloves; Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005)

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What is Muhammad Ali known for?

What awards did Muhammad Ali win?

What were Muhammad Ali’s achievements?

Muhammad Ali (born January 17, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.—died June 3, 2016, Scottsdale, Arizona) was an American professional boxer and social activist. Ali was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions; he successfully defended this title 19 times. (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica essay on boxing.) Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., grew up in the American South in a time of segregated public facilities. His father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., supported a wife and two sons by painting billboards and signs. His mother, Odessa Grady Clay, worked as a household domestic. When Clay was 12 ...(100 of 1831 words)

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