Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr
(Muhammad Ali) 
Born
Childhood
Career
Later...
January 17, 1942
Parents
Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.
Odessa Grady Clay
He began training as an amateur boxer at age 12.
Ali was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.
Cassius Jr. attended Central High School in Louisville. He was dyslexic, which led to difficulties in reading and writing, at school and for much of his life.
Amateur Career
Clay made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 against local amateur boxer Ronnie O'Keefe. He won by split decision.
He went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union national title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. 
Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses.
He threw his gold medal into the Ohio River after he and a friend were refused service at a "whites-only" restaurant
Professional
Cassius Clay snatched his belt to the heavyweight world champion, Sonny Liston, in seven rounds.
He converted to Islam in that same year and adopted the name of Muhammad Ali.
After 20 professional fights he beat Sonny Liston becoming the world champion of his category
In 1967 he refused to join the army claiming to be a Muslim and therefore a conscientious objector.
Accused of deserter, boxing authorities declared his title vacant. He returned to the ring in 1970 and won two fights, but lost the title match against Joe Frazier in March 1971.
That same year the Supreme Court of the United States revoked his sentence.
He reappeared in 1974, defeated Frazier in January and regained the heavyweight title by knocking out the champion, George Foreman, in October in Kinshasa, Zaire.
Four years later, in February 1978, he lost the title to Leon Spinks in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ali last fought on December 11, 1981 in Nassau losing to Trevor Berbick.
However, in September of the same year he managed to recover it by winning Spinks in a 15-round bout in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Retired in 1979, he returned the following year to challenge Larry Holmes in the world championship losing to his opponent.
The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) ranked it among the 10 best heavyweights in history.
Muhammad died on June 4, 2016, at 74 years old, at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was admitted for respiratory problems.
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