View source for Muhammad Ali

{{Short description|American boxer and activist (1942–2016)}}
{{Other uses|Muhammad Ali (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Cassius Clay|other people|Cassius Marcellus Clay (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|I am the greatest|other uses|I Am the Greatest (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = <!-- defaults to article title when left blank -->
| image              = Muhammad Ali NYWTS.jpg <!--See talk page before changing image-->
| caption            = Ali in 1967
| birth_name         = Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1942|1|17}}
| birth_place        = [[Louisville, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2016|6|3|1942|1|17}}
| death_place        = [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Cave Hill Cemetery]], Louisville
| monuments          = {{plainlist|
* [[Ali Mall]]
* [[Muhammad Ali Boulevard]]
* [[Muhammad Ali Center]]
* [[Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport]]
* Muhammad Ali Statue in [[Lewiston, Maine]]<ref name="shaedle">{{cite web |url=https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/05/31/citys-new-guardian-statue-of-muhammad-ali-challenges-encourages-reflects-lewiston/ |title=Lewiston's new guardian: Muhammad Ali statue 'challenges,' 'encourages' and 'reflects' city |work=Sun Journal |last=Shaedle |first=Zoe |date=May 31, 2025 |access-date=June 5, 2025 |archive-date=June 2, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250602125135/https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/05/31/citys-new-guardian-statue-of-muhammad-ali-challenges-encourages-reflects-lewiston/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
| education          = [[Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky)|Central High School]] (1958)
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Boxer
* activist
* actor
* singer
* poet
* philanthropist
* author
* orator
}}
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Sonji Roi|1964|1966|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|[[Belinda Boyd]]|1967|1976|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|Veronica Porché|1977|1986|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|Yolanda "Lonnie" Williams|1986|<!--Omission per template instructions-->}}
}}
| partner            = 
| children           = 9, including [[Laila Ali|Laila]] {{See below|[[#Personal life|below]]}}
| citizenship        = {{plainlist|
* United States
* Bangladesh (honorary)
}}
| parents            = {{plainlist|
* [[Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.]]
* [[Odessa Grady Clay]]
}}
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
* [[Rahaman Ali]] (brother)
* [[Archer Alexander]] (great-great-great grandfather)
* [[Nico Ali Walsh]] (grandson)
}}
| awards             = [[List of career achievements by Muhammad Ali|Full list]]
| website            = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20181112191859/http://muhammadali.com:80/|muhammadali.com}}
| module             = {{Infobox boxer
| embed = yes
| name = Muhammad Ali
| height = 6 ft 3 in<ref name=BoxRec>{{boxrec|180}}. Retrieved June 5, 2016.</ref>
| reach = 78 in<ref name=BoxRec />
| weight = [[Heavyweight]]
| style = [[Orthodox stance|Orthodox]]<!-- This is a boxing term, not a religious one -->
| total = 61
| wins = 56
| KO = 37
| losses = 5
| nickname = {{plainlist|
*The Greatest
*The People's Champion
*The Louisville Lip
}}
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's amateur boxing}}
{{MedalCountry | {{Flagu|United States}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1960 Rome]] | [[Boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Light heavyweight|Light-heavyweight]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[United States Olympic Trials|US Olympic Trials]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1960 San Francisco | Light-heavyweight}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Intercity Golden Gloves]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1959 Chicago | [[List of US national Golden Gloves light heavyweight champions|Light-heavyweight]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1960 New York | [[List of US national Golden Gloves heavyweight champions|Heavyweight]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Chicago Golden Gloves]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1959 Chicago | Light-heavyweight}}
{{MedalGold | 1960 Chicago | Light-heavyweight}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[United States national amateur boxing championships|US National Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1959 Toledo | [[List of United States national amateur boxing light heavyweight champions|Light-heavyweight]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1960 Toledo | Light-heavyweight}}
}}
| signature          = Muhammad Ali signature.svg
}}

'''Muhammad Ali''' ({{IPAc-en|ɑː|ˈ|l|iː}} {{respell|ah|LEE}};<ref>{{cite LPD|3|Ali |quote=the former boxer Muhammad Ali pronounces {{IPA|ɑːˈliː}}}}</ref> born '''Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.'''; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American [[professional boxer]] and activist.{{efn|"boxing champion and '''activist'''";<ref>{{Cite news |last=Diaz |first=Johnny |date=June 4, 2024 |title=Muhammad Ali's Childhood Home Goes on the Market |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/sports/muhammad-ali-childhood-home-sale.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604214318/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/sports/muhammad-ali-childhood-home-sale.html |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |access-date=December 1, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> "one of the country's most recognized anti-war '''activists'''"<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gorsevski |first1=Ellen W. |last2=Butterworth |first2=Michael L. |date=February 1, 2011 |title=Muhammad Ali's Fighting Words: The Paradox of Violence in Nonviolent Rhetoric |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00335630.2010.536563 |journal=Quarterly Journal of Speech |volume=97 |issue=1 |page=57 |doi=10.1080/00335630.2010.536563 |issn=0033-5630 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |access-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202204951/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00335630.2010.536563 |url-status=live }}</ref> "professional boxer and social '''activist'''";<ref>{{Cite EBO|title=Muhammad Ali|author-link=Thomas Hauser|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-Ali-boxer|access-date=December 1, 2024|first=Thomas|last=Hauser}}</ref> "the professional boxer and '''activist'''";<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Shanzeh |date=February 22, 2024 |title=Daughter of Muhammad Ali celebrates suburban mosque's 50th anniversary with a ceremony to honor the boxing legend |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/02/22/islamic-foundation-muhammad-ali/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301165803/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/02/22/islamic-foundation-muhammad-ali/ |archive-date=March 1, 2024 |access-date=December 1, 2024 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> "Muhammad Ali serves as reminder that radical '''activist''' athletes can become mainstreamed."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Townsend |first1=Stephen |last2=Osmond |first2=Gary |last3=Phillips |first3=Murray G. |date=July 24, 2018 |title='Where Cassius Clay Ends, Muhammad Ali Begins': Sportspeople, Political Activism, and Methodology |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2018.1523146 |journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport |volume=35 |issue=11 |page=1150 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2018.1523146 |issn=0952-3367 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |access-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204013905/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2018.1523146 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "'''the Greatest'''", he is often regarded as the greatest [[heavyweight]] boxer of all time. He held the ''[[The Ring (magazine)|Ring]]'' magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970, was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, and was the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] and ''Ring'' heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named [[Sports Illustrated#Sportsman of the Century|Sportsman of the Century]] by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' and the [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year#Sports Personality of the Century Award|Sports Personality of the Century]] by the [[BBC]].

Born in [[Louisville, Kentucky]], he began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. At 18, he won a gold medal in the [[light heavyweight]] division at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] and turned professional later that year. He joined the [[Nation of Islam]] in the early 1960s, but later disavowed it in the mid-1970s. He won the world heavyweight championship, defeating [[Sonny Liston]] in [[Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay|a major upset]] on February 25, 1964, at age 22. During that year, he denounced his birth name as a "[[slave name]]" and formally changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1967, Ali refused to be drafted into the military, owing to [[Religious views of Muhammad Ali|his religious beliefs]] and ethical [[opposition to the Vietnam War]], and was found guilty of [[draft evasion]] and stripped of his boxing titles. He stayed out of prison while [[Clay v. United States|appealing the decision]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]], where his conviction was overturned in 1971. He did not fight for nearly four years and lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a [[conscientious objector]] to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger [[counterculture of the 1960s]] generation, and he became a prominent, high-profile figure of racial pride for [[African Americans]] during the [[civil rights movement]] and throughout his career.

Ali fought in several highly publicized boxing matches, including fights with Liston, [[Joe Frazier]] (including the [[Fight of the Century]], to that point the biggest boxing event and the [[Thrilla in Manila]]), and [[George Foreman]] in [[The Rumble in the Jungle]]. At a time when many boxers let their managers do the talking, Ali became renowned for his provocative and outlandish persona. He was famous for [[trash talk]]ing, often [[Freestyle rap|free-styled]] with rhyme schemes and [[spoken word]] poetry, and is identified as a pioneer in [[hip-hop]]. He often predicted in which round he would knock out his opponent. As a boxer, Ali was known for his unorthodox movement, footwork, head movement, and [[rope-a-dope]] technique, among others.

Outside boxing, Ali performed as a [[spoken word]] artist, releasing two studio albums: ''[[I Am the Greatest (Cassius Clay album)|I Am the Greatest!]]'' (1963) and ''[[The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay]]'' (1976). Both albums received [[Grammy Award]] nominations. He also featured as an actor and writer, releasing two autobiographies. Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and focused on religion, philanthropy, and activism. In 1984, he made public his diagnosis of [[Parkinson's syndrome]], which some reports attributed to boxing-related injuries, though he and his specialist physicians disputed this. He remained an active public figure, but in his later years made fewer public appearances as his condition worsened, and was cared for by his family.

==Early life==
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.<ref>{{cite web |last=Peter |first=Josh |date=July 11, 2016 |title=Why Muhammad Ali never legally changed name from Cassius Clay |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/07/11/muhammad-ali-name-change-cassius-clay/86956544/ |access-date=July 12, 2016 |work=USA Today |archive-date=July 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711220529/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/07/11/muhammad-ali-name-change-cassius-clay/86956544/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|ʃ|ə|s}}) was born on January 17, 1942, in [[Louisville, Kentucky]]<ref name="greatath" /> to [[Odessa Grady Clay]] and [[Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.]]<ref name="mgcszma" /><ref>{{cite news |date=October 15, 1997 |title=Barber Can Relax Hair |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB32F2545452CEB&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025011348/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB32F2545452CEB&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=September 4, 2009 |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref><ref name="Timesobit">{{cite news |date=February 10, 1990 |title=Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., Former Champion's Father, 77 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDA1230F933A25751C0A966958260 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223019/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/10/obituaries/cassius-marcellus-clay-sr-former-champion-s-father-77.html |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |access-date=September 4, 2009 |work=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Clay Sr. was named after the 19th-century [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politician and [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] [[Cassius Marcellus Clay (politician)|Cassius Marcellus Clay]]. He was a descendant of slaves of the [[antebellum South]], and was predominantly of African descent, with Irish<ref name="Great-grandfather emigrated from Ennis, County Clare, Ireland">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36452554 |title=Muhammad Ali: Boxer's ancestral Irish town pays tribute after death |publisher=BBC |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607080346/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36452554 |url-status=live }}</ref> and English heritage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/1810535.stm |title=Ali has Irish ancestry |work=BBC News |date=February 9, 2002 |access-date=August 5, 2009 |archive-date=June 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607104040/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/1810535.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Reitwiesner |first=Williams Addams |title=Ancestry of Muhammad Ali |url=http://www.wargs.com/other/ali.html |author-link=William Addams Reitwiesner |access-date=May 1, 2011 |archive-date=October 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022045918/http://wargs.com/other/ali.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[DNA testing]] performed in 2018 showed that Clay was a descendant of the former slave [[Archer Alexander]], the model of a freed man for the ''[[Emancipation Memorial]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/02/dna-evidence-links-muhammad-ali-heroic-slave-family-says/ |title=DNA evidence links Muhammad Ali to heroic slave, family says |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=October 3, 2018 |archive-date=April 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404082516/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/02/dna-evidence-links-muhammad-ali-heroic-slave-family-says/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

His father was a sign and billboard painter,<ref name="greatath">{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Rafer |title=Great Athletes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnIAPwAACAAJ |edition=revised |volume=1 |year=2002 |publisher=Salem Press |isbn=978-1-58765-008-6 |pages=38–41 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223020/https://books.google.com/books?id=TnIAPwAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=mgcszma>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GzlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AOkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4588%2C3444376 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |last=Grimsley |first=Will |title=Muslims gull Clay, says mother |date=May 25, 1965 |page=14 |archive-date=March 15, 2025 |access-date=March 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250315211624/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GzlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AOkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4588%2C3444376 |url-status=live }}</ref> and his mother a domestic helper. Although Cassius Sr. was a [[Methodist]], he allowed Odessa to bring up both Cassius Jr. and his younger brother Rudy (later renamed [[Rahaman Ali]]), as [[Baptists]].<ref name=mgcszma/><ref name="Hauser 2004 p14">{{Harvnb|Hauser|2004|p=14}}</ref> Clay Jr. attended [[Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky)|Central High School]] in Louisville and was [[dyslexic]], which led to difficulties in reading and writing.<ref name="Eig">{{cite book |last=Eig |first=Jonathan |title=Ali: A Life: Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017 |date=2017 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-4711-5596-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzjeDQAAQBAJ |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223021/https://books.google.com/books?id=JzjeDQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

He grew up amid [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]]. His mother recalled one occasion when he was denied a drink of water at a store because of his race, saying it "really affected him."<ref name="HauserThomas">{{cite web |last1=Hauser |first1=Thomas |title=The Importance of Muhammad Ali |url=http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/civil-rights-movement/essays/importance-muhammad-ali |website=Gilder Lehrman Institute |date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=June 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608035157/http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/civil-rights-movement/essays/importance-muhammad-ali |url-status=live }}</ref> He was also strongly affected by the 1955 murder of [[Emmett Till]], taking out his frustration by vandalizing a local rail yard with a friend. He later told his daughter Hana, "Nothing would ever shake me up (more) than the story of Emmett Till."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hampton |first1=Henry |author-link1=Henry Hampton |last2=Fayer |first2=Steve |last3=Flynn |first3=Sarah |date=1990 |title=Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s |page=[https://archive.org/details/voicesoffreedom00henr_0/page/321 321] |publisher=[[Bantam Books]] |isbn=978-0-553-05734-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/voicesoffreedom00henr_0/page/321}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Gorn, Elliott |date=1998 |title=Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ |pages=76–77 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-06721-1}}</ref>

==Amateur career==
[[File:JoeEMartinCassiusClay1960.jpg|left|thumb|Cassius Clay and his trainer [[Joe E. Martin]], January 1960]]
[[File:Zbigniew Pietrzykowski and Muhammad Ali 1960.jpg|thumb|upright|Clay defeated veteran Pole [[Zbigniew Pietrzykowski]] to win gold in the [[1960 Summer Olympics]].]]
Clay was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach [[Joe E. Martin]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Boxing-Legend---Muhammad-Ali/938509 |title=Boxing Legend – Muhammad Ali |last=Kandel |first=Elmo |date=April 1, 2006 |work=Article Click |publisher=Elmo Kandel |access-date=March 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611174640/http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Boxing-Legend---Muhammad-Ali/938509 |archive-date=June 11, 2008}}</ref> who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over a thief having taken his bicycle. He told the officer he was going to "whup" the thief. The officer told Clay he had better learn how to box first.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=May 20, 2008 |url=http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring05/Shaffer/clay.html |title=Muhammad Ali |website=[[University of Florida]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531151410/http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring05/Shaffer/clay.html|archive-date=May 31, 2008}}</ref> Initially, Clay did not take up Martin's offer, but after seeing amateur boxers on a local television boxing program called ''[[Tomorrow's Champions]]'', Clay was interested in the prospect of fighting.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey |date=2013 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |page=18}}</ref> He then began to work with trainer Fred Stoner, whom he credits with giving him the "real training", eventually molding "my style, my stamina and my system". For the last four years of Clay's amateur career he was trained by boxing [[cutman]] [[Chuck Bodak]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ringtalk.com.lhost9.atlantic.net/index.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=1553 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414160235/http://ringtalk.com.lhost9.atlantic.net/index.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=1553 |archive-date=April 14, 2015 |title='Godfather' Of Cutmen-Chuck Bodak Suffers Stroke |website=RingTalk |access-date=April 14, 2015 |date=September 2, 2007 |author=Fernandez, Pedro Fernandez}}</ref>

Clay made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 against local amateur boxer Ronnie O'Keefe. He won by split decision.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gray |first=Geoffey |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/how-muhammad-ali-became-a-boxer.html |title=How Muhammad Ali Became a Boxer – Daily Intelligencer |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 26, 2016 |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609200130/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/how-muhammad-ali-became-a-boxer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He went on to win six Kentucky [[Golden Gloves]] titles, two Chicago Golden Gloves, two national Golden Gloves titles, two [[Amateur Athletic Union]] national titles, the [[United States Olympic trials|U.S. Olympic Trials]], and the [[light heavyweight]] gold medal in the [[Boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome.<ref name="Ward">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/5/2006_5_48.shtml |first=Nathan |last=Ward |title=A Total Eclipse of the Sonny |magazine=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |date=October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111061103/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/5/2006_5_48.shtml |archive-date=January 11, 2007}}</ref> Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses. In his 1975 autobiography he recalled that shortly after his return from the Rome Olympics, he threw his gold medal into the [[Ohio River]] after he and a friend were refused service at a "whites-only" restaurant and fought with a white gang. The story was later disputed, and several of his friends, including [[Drew Bundini Brown|Bundini Brown]] and photographer [[Howard Bingham]], denied it. Brown told ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Mark Kram, "[[Honkies]] sure bought into that one!" [[Thomas Hauser]]'s biography of Ali stated that Ali was refused service at the diner but that he lost his medal a year after he won it.<ref name="Hauser 2004">{{Harvnb|Hauser|2004}}</ref> Ali received a replacement medal at the [[Georgia Dome]] during the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics in Atlanta]], where he lit the torch to start the Games.

==Professional career==
{{Main|Boxing career of Muhammad Ali}}

===Early career===
[[File:1961 Cassius Clay vs. Donnie Fleeman On-Site Poster.jpg|thumb|upright|On-site poster for [[Cassius Clay vs. Donnie Fleeman|Cassius Clay's]] fifth professional bout]]
Clay made his professional debut on October 29, 1960, winning a six-round decision over [[Tunney Hunsaker]]. From then until the end of 1963, Clay amassed a record of 19–0 with 15 wins by knockout. He defeated boxers including Tony Esperti, [[Jim Robinson (boxer)|Jim Robinson]], Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, [[LaMar Clark]], [[Doug Jones (boxer)|Doug Jones]], and [[Henry Cooper]]. Clay also beat his former trainer and veteran boxer [[Archie Moore]] in a 1962 match.<ref>{{cite news |last=Calkins |first=Matt |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2014/nov/17/archie-moore-the52-boxing-heavyweight/ |title=Archie Moore was the KO king |work=[[U-T San Diego]] |date=November 17, 2014 |access-date=June 15, 2016 |archive-date=August 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811005535/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2014/nov/17/archie-moore-the52-boxing-heavyweight/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url={{GBurl|id=mgDK3q6GWI8C}} |title=Ali in Action: The Man, the Moves, the Mouth |first=Les |last=Krantz |year=2008 |publisher=Globe Pequot |access-date=June 15, 2016 |via=Google Books |isbn=978-1-59921-302-6}}</ref>

These early fights were not without trials. Clay was knocked down by both [[Sonny Banks]] and Cooper. In the Cooper fight, Clay was floored by a left [[Hook (boxing)|hook]] at the end of round four and was saved by the bell, going on to win in the predicted fifth round due to Cooper's severely cut eye. The fight with Doug Jones on March 13, 1963, was Clay's toughest fight during this stretch. The number two and three heavyweight contenders respectively, Clay and Jones fought on Jones' home turf at New York's [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]]. Jones staggered Clay in the first round, and the unanimous decision for Clay was greeted by boos and a rain of debris thrown into the ring. Watching on closed-circuit TV, heavyweight champ [[Sonny Liston]] quipped that if he fought Clay he (Liston) might get locked up for murder. The fight was later named "Fight of the Year" by ''The Ring'' magazine.<ref>{{cite news |last=Velin |first=Bob |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2016/06/04/muhammad-ali-fight-by-fight-career/85341622/ |title=Fight by fight: Muhammad Ali's legendary career |work=[[USA Today]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 15, 2016 |archive-date=June 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615060046/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2016/06/04/muhammad-ali-fight-by-fight-career/85341622/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In each of these fights, Clay vocally belittled his opponents and vaunted his abilities. He called Jones "an ugly little man" and Cooper a "bum". He said he was embarrassed to get in the ring with Alex Miteff and claimed that Madison Square Garden was "too small for me".<ref name=Mee>Bob Mee, ''Ali and Liston: The Boy Who Would Be King and the Ugly Bear'', 2011.</ref> Ali's [[trash talk]] was inspired by [[professional wrestler]] [[Gorgeous George|"Gorgeous George" Wagner]]'s, after he saw George's talking ability attract huge crowds to events.<ref name="SI">{{cite magazine |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1114630/index.htm |title=King Strut |first=John |last=Capouya |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |access-date=March 14, 2017 |date=December 12, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603232105/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1114630/index.htm |archive-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> In a 1969 interview he stated that he met with George in Las Vegas in 1961, that George told him that talking a big game would earn paying fans who either wanted to see him win or wanted to see him lose, thus Clay transformed himself into a self-described "big-mouth and a bragger".<ref name=georgali>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbssports.com/general/news/how-muhammad-alis-fascination-with-pro-wrestling-fueled-his-career-inspired-mma/ |title=How Muhammad Ali's fascination with pro wrestling fueled his career, inspired MMA |first=Denny |last=Burkholder |work=CBS Sports |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=October 2, 2016 |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807202007/https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/how-muhammad-alis-fascination-with-pro-wrestling-fueled-his-career-inspired-mma/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1960, Clay left Moore's camp, partially due to Clay's refusal to do chores such as washing dishes and sweeping. To replace Moore, Clay hired [[Angelo Dundee]] to be his trainer. Clay had met Dundee in February 1957 during Clay's amateur career.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/7470417/muhammad-ali-was-continues-greatest |work=ESPN |title=Dundee: Ali was, still is 'The Greatest' |date=January 17, 2012 |access-date=January 17, 2012 |first1=Carlos |last1=Irusta |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119214342/http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7470417/muhammad-ali-was-continues-greatest |url-status=live }}</ref> Around this time, Clay sought longtime idol [[Sugar Ray Robinson]] to be his manager, but was rebuffed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Haygood |first=Wil |author-link=Wil Haygood |title=Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_nfLUMzlM0C&pg=PA378 |page=378 |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |year=2011 |access-date=June 24, 2016 |isbn=978-1-56976-864-8 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223022/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_nfLUMzlM0C&pg=PA378#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

===World heavyweight champion===
====First Fight against Liston====
{{Main|Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay}}
[[File:Ali dodges punch from Liston 1964 AP photo.jpg|thumb|right|Clay dodges a punch from Liston]]
By late 1963, Clay had become the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. The fight was set for February 25, 1964, in [[Miami Beach]]. Liston was an intimidating personality, a dominating fighter with a criminal past and ties to the mob. Based on Clay's uninspired performance against Jones and Cooper in his previous two fights, and Liston's destruction of former heavyweight champion [[Floyd Patterson]] in two first-round knockouts, Clay was an 8:1 underdog.<ref name="Liston">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Lipsyte |title=Clay Wins Title in Seventh-Round Upset As Liston Is Halted by Shoulder Injury |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/ali-upset.html |work=The New York Times |date=February 26, 1964 |access-date=December 27, 2008 |archive-date=April 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410085134/http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/ali-upset.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite this, Clay taunted Liston during the pre-fight buildup, dubbing him "the big ugly bear", claiming "Liston even smells like a bear" and "I'm gonna give him to the local zoo after I whup him."<ref>{{cite book|last=Remnick|first=David|title=King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero|date=2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Liston+even+smells+like+a+bear%22&pg=PA147|page=147|isbn=9780804173629|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|access-date=April 23, 2024|archive-date=December 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215224259/https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA147&dq=%22Liston+even+smells+like+a+bear%22|url-status=live}}</ref> Clay turned the pre-fight weigh-in into a circus, shouting at Liston that "someone is going to die at ringside tonight." Clay's pulse rate was measured at 120, more than double his normal 54.<ref name="Liston" />

The outcome of the fight was a major upset. At the opening bell, Liston rushed at Clay, seemingly angry and looking for a quick knockout. However, Clay's superior speed and mobility enabled him to elude Liston, making the champion miss and look awkward. At the end of the first round, Clay opened up his attack and hit Liston repeatedly with jabs. Liston fought better in round two, but at the beginning of the third round Clay hit Liston with a combination that buckled his knees and opened a cut under his left eye. This was the first time Liston had ever been cut. At the end of round four, Clay was returning to his corner when he began experiencing blinding pain in his eyes and asked his trainer, [[Angelo Dundee]], to cut off his gloves. Dundee refused. It has been speculated that the problem was due to ointment used to seal Liston's cuts, perhaps deliberately applied by his corner to his gloves.<ref name="Liston" /> Though unconfirmed, boxing historian [[Bert Sugar]] said that two of Liston's opponents also complained about their eyes "burning".<ref>{{cite book |last=Sugar |first=Bert Randolph |title=Bert Sugar on Boxing: The Best of the Sport's Most Notable Writer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R8hivgAACAAJ |year=2003 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=978-1-59228-048-3 |page=196 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103145011/https://books.google.com/books?id=R8hivgAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston I AP.jpg|thumb|left|Clay whips a right to the head of Liston]]
Despite Liston's attempts to knock out a blinded Clay, Clay was able to survive the fifth round until sweat and tears rinsed the irritation from his eyes. In the sixth, Clay dominated, hitting Liston repeatedly. Liston did not answer the bell for the seventh round, and Clay was declared the winner by [[TKO]]. Liston stated that the reason he quit was an injured shoulder. Following the win, a triumphant Clay rushed to the edge of the ring and, pointing to the ringside press, shouted: "Eat your words!" He added, "I am the greatest! I shook up the world. I'm the prettiest thing that ever lived."<ref>McLeod, Kembrew, ''Pranksters: Making Mischief in the Modern World'', pp. 223–224.</ref>

At ringside post fight, Clay appeared unconvinced that the fight was stopped due to a Liston shoulder injury, saying that the only injury Liston had was "an open eye, a big cut eye!" When told by Joe Louis that the injury was a "left arm thrown out of its socket," Clay quipped, "Yeah, swinging at nothing, who wouldn't?"<ref>{{cite AV media |title= Cassius Clay versus Sonny Liston |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4IKMX-5JLk |date=February 25, 1964 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203100534/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4IKMX-5JLk |archive-date=December 3, 2018 |work=Theatre Network Television |publisher=[[ESPN Classic]] |via=kumite27 (YouTube) |url-status=live}}</ref>

In winning this fight at the age of 22, Clay became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion. However, [[Floyd Patterson]] remained the youngest to win the heavyweight championship, doing so at the age 21 during an elimination bout following [[Rocky Marciano]]'s retirement. [[Mike Tyson]] broke both records in 1986 when he defeated [[Trevor Berbick]] to win the heavyweight title at age 20. The feat also made Clay the fastest boxer to win the championship (non-vacant) in the modern era, doing so in 20 bouts.

Soon after the Liston fight, Clay changed his name to Cassius X, and then later to Muhammad Ali upon converting to the [[Nation of Islam]].

====Rematch with Liston====
{{Main|Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II}}
[[File:Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston.jpg|thumb|190x190px|Ali standing over [[Sonny Liston]] during [[Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II|their second fight]]]]
Ali then faced a rematch with Liston scheduled for May 1965 in [[Lewiston, Maine]]. It had been scheduled for Boston the previous November, but was postponed for six months due to Ali's emergency surgery for a hernia three days before.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cuddy |first=Jack |title=Clay Undergoes Surgery; Fight Is Off Indefinitely |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9544811/the_bridgeport_telegram/ |newspaper=[[The Bridgeport Telegram]] |date=November 14, 1964 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=March 14, 2017 |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174456/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9544811/the_bridgeport_telegram/ |url-status=live }} {{free access}}</ref> The fight was controversial. Midway through the first round, Liston was knocked down by a difficult-to-see blow the press dubbed a "phantom punch". Referee [[Jersey Joe Walcott]] did not begin the count immediately after the knockdown, as Ali refused to retreat to a neutral corner. Liston rose after he had been down for about 20 seconds, and the fight momentarily continued. However a few seconds later Walcott, having been informed by the timekeepers that Liston had been down for a count of 10, stopped the match and declared Ali the winner by knockout.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/NXYwb2C6Hec Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20161006232427/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXYwb2C6Hec&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXYwb2C6Hec |title=Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston I & II – Highlights (Ali Becomes World Champion & Phantom Punch Fight!) |publisher=YouTube |access-date=June 20, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The entire fight lasted less than two minutes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/16/sports/sports-of-the-times-on-his-50th-ali-is-still-the-greatest.html |work=The New York Times |title=Sports of The Times; On His 50th, Ali Is Still 'The Greatest' |date=January 16, 1992 |access-date=January 25, 2012 |first1=Dave |last1=Anderson |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221075405/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/16/sports/sports-of-the-times-on-his-50th-ali-is-still-the-greatest.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

It has since been speculated that Liston purposely dropped to the ground. Proposed motivations include threats on his life from the Nation of Islam, that he had bet against himself and that he "took a dive" to pay off debts. Slow-motion replays show that Liston was jarred by a chopping right from Ali, although it is unclear whether the blow was a genuine knockout punch.<ref>{{cite book |last=Vachss |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Vachss |url=http://www.vachss.com/only_child/index.html |title=Only Child |page=89 |publisher=Vintage |year=2003 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=May 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527140026/http://www.vachss.com/only_child/index.html |url-status=live }} Vachss further explains the way such a fix would have been engineered in {{cite book |url=http://twotrainsrunning.com/ |title=Two Trains Running |pages=160–165, 233 |publisher=Pantheon |year=2005 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=July 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716221347/http://www.twotrainsrunning.com/ }}</ref>

====Fight against Patterson====
{{Main|Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson}}
[[File:Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson I AP.jpg|thumb|right|Ali and Patterson in action|150px]]
Ali defended his title against former heavyweight champion [[Floyd Patterson]] on November 22, 1965. Before the match, Ali mocked Patterson, who was widely known to call him by his former name Cassius Clay, as an "[[Uncle Tom syndrome|Uncle Tom]]", calling him "The Rabbit". Although Ali had the better of Patterson, who appeared injured during the fight, the match lasted 12 rounds before being called on a technical knockout. Patterson later said he had strained his [[sacroiliac]]. Ali was criticized in the sports media for appearing to have toyed with Patterson during the fight.<ref name=Belth>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/37158310/ |title=Ali–Patterson: The Real Story |website=Sports on Earth |date=August 27, 2012 |access-date=June 3, 2016 |first=Alex |last=Belth |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108100358/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/37158310/ }}</ref> Patterson biographer W. K. Stratton claims that the conflict between Ali and Patterson was not genuine but was staged to increase ticket sales and the closed-circuit viewing audience, with both men complicit in the theatrics. Stratton also cites an interview by [[Howard Cosell]] in which Ali explained that rather than toying with Patterson, he refrained from knocking him out after it became apparent Patterson was injured. Patterson later said that he had never been hit by punches as soft as Ali's. Stratton states that Ali arranged the second fight, in 1972, with the financially struggling Patterson to help the former champion earn enough money to pay a debt to the [[IRS]].<ref name=Belth/>

====Main Bout====
[[File:Muhammad Ali 1966.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Ali watches replay of his March 1966 title fight against [[Henry Cooper]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Boxing – Muhammad Ali – Rank Cinema, Wardour Street, London |date=August 16, 2017 |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/muhammad-ali-points-to-the-cut-eye-sequence-when-he-again-news-photo/833299780 |publisher=GettyImages |access-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826144858/https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/muhammad-ali-points-to-the-cut-eye-sequence-when-he-again-news-photo/833299780 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
After the Patterson fight, Ali founded his own promotion company, [[Main Bout, Inc.|Main Bout]]. The company mainly handled Ali's boxing promotions and [[pay-per-view]] [[closed-circuit television]] broadcasts. The company's stockholders were mainly fellow Nation of Islam members, along with several others, including [[Bob Arum]].<ref name="Ezra105">{{cite book |last=Ezra |first=Michael |title=The Economic Civil Rights Movement: African Americans and the Struggle for Economic Power |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-136-27475-6 |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DL41bsCigZcC&pg=PA105 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223028/https://books.google.com/books?id=DL41bsCigZcC&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ali and then-[[World Boxing Association|WBA]] heavyweight champion boxer [[Ernie Terrell]] had agreed to meet for a bout in Chicago on March 29, 1966 (the WBA, one of two boxing associations, had stripped Ali of his title following his joining the Nation of Islam). But in February Ali was reclassified by the Louisville draft board as 1-A from 1-Y, and he indicated that he would refuse to serve, commenting to the press, "I ain't got nothing against no [[Viet Cong]]; no Viet Cong never called me [[nigger]].",<ref>{{cite news |last=Shalit |first=Nevin I. |title=Muhammad Ali: Losing the Real Title |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/7/15/muhammad-ali-losing-the-real-title/ |newspaper=The Harvard Crimson |date=July 15, 1980 |access-date=August 19, 2015 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904070931/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/7/15/muhammad-ali-losing-the-real-title/ |url-status=live }}</ref> although the second part is probably apocryphal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fatsis |first=Stefan |date=June 8, 2016 |title="No Viet Cong Ever Called Me Nigger" |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/culture/2016/06/did-muhammad-ali-ever-say-no-viet-cong-ever-called-me-nigger.html |access-date=March 24, 2023 |issn=1091-2339 |archive-date=March 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322215644/https://slate.com/culture/2016/06/did-muhammad-ali-ever-say-no-viet-cong-ever-called-me-nigger.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Amidst the media and public outcry over Ali's stance, the Illinois Athletic Commission refused to sanction the fight, citing technicalities.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |title=He Could Go To Jail And Still Be Champ |date=August 28, 1967 |first1=Angelo |last1=Dundee |first2=Tex |last2=Maule}}</ref>

[[File:Muhammad Ali vs Karl Mildenberger 1966 AP photo.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali fighting Mildenberger in 1966|Ali fighting Mildenberger in 1966]]
Instead, Ali traveled to Canada and Europe and won championship bouts against [[George Chuvalo]], [[Henry Cooper]], [[Brian London]], and [[Karl Mildenberger]].

Ali returned to the United States to fight [[Cleveland Williams]] at the [[Astrodome]] in [[Houston]] on November 14, 1966. The bout drew a record-breaking indoor crowd of 35,460 people. Williams had once been considered among the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division, but in 1964 he had been shot at point-blank range by a Texas policeman, resulting in the loss of one kidney and {{convert|10|ft|m|disp=flip}} of his small intestine. Ali dominated Williams, winning a third-round technical knockout in what some consider the finest performance of his career.

[[File:Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrell 1967 AP photo.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali punching Terrell|Ali punching Terrell]]

Ali fought Terrell in Houston on February 6, 1967. Terrell, who was unbeaten in five years and had defeated many of the boxers Ali had faced, was billed as Ali's toughest opponent since Liston; he was big, strong and had a three-inch reach advantage over Ali. During the lead up to the bout, Terrell repeatedly called Ali "Clay", much to Ali's annoyance. The two almost came to blows over the name issue in a pre-fight interview with Howard Cosell. Ali seemed intent on humiliating Terrell. "I want to torture him", he said. "A clean knockout is too good for him."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Tex |last=Maule |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079523/1/index.htm |title=Cruel Ali With All The Skills |date=February 13, 1967 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309201457/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079523/1/index.htm |archive-date=March 9, 2013}}</ref> The fight was close until the seventh round, when Ali bloodied Terrell and almost knocked him out. In the eighth round, Ali taunted Terrell, hitting him with jabs and shouting between punches, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... what's my name?" Ali won a unanimous 15-round decision. Terrell claimed that early in the fight Ali deliberately thumbed him in the eye, forcing him to fight half-blind, and then, in a clinch, rubbed the wounded eye against the ropes. Because of Ali's apparent intent to prolong the fight to inflict maximum punishment, critics described the bout as "one of the ugliest boxing fights". [[Tex Maule]] later wrote: "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty." Ali denied the accusations of cruelty but, for Ali's critics, the fight provided more evidence of his arrogance.

After Ali's title defense against [[Zora Folley]] on March 22, he was stripped of his title due to his refusal to be drafted to army service.<ref name="greatath" /> His boxing license was also suspended by the state of New York. He was convicted of draft evasion on June 20 and sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He paid a bond and remained free while the verdict was being appealed.

==Draft resistance==
{{See also|Clay v. United States}}
{{Quote box
| quote = My enemy is the white people, not Viet Cong or Chinese or Japanese. {{em|You}} my opposer when I want freedom. {{em|You}} my opposer when I want justice. {{em|You}} my opposer when I want equality. You won't even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs—and you want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won't even stand up for me here at home?
| source = —Muhammad Ali to a crowd of college students during his exile from boxing<ref name="tribune" />
| align = right
| width = 35em
}}
Ali registered for [[conscription in the United States]] military on his 18th birthday and was listed as [[Class 1-A|1-A]] in 1962.<ref name=foley>{{citation |last=Foley |first=Michael |year=2003 |title=Confronting the War Machine: Draft Resistance during the Vietnam War |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |url=http://uncpress.unc.edu/browse/page/337 |isbn=978-0-8078-5436-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016105806/http://uncpress.unc.edu/browse/page/337 |archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref> In 1964, he was reclassified as Class 1-Y (fit for service only in times of national emergency) after he failed the [[U.S. Armed Forces]] qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub-standard,<ref name=cmbpi>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K7gzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6900,3388922 |newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel |agency=United Press International |title=Clay may be put into 1-A class today |date=February 10, 1967 |page=13 |access-date=September 7, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807202002/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K7gzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6900,3388922 |url-status=live }}</ref> due to his [[dyslexia]].<ref name="Eig" /> (He was quoted as saying, "I said I was the greatest, not the smartest!"<ref name=foley /><ref name=neel />) By early 1966, the army lowered its standards to permit soldiers above the 15th percentile and Ali was again classified as 1-A.<ref name="greatath" /><ref name=foley /><ref name=neel>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/page2/s/neel/011221.html |first=Eric |last=Neel |title=Page2 – Muhammad Ali from A to Z |work=ESPN |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=November 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102230834/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/neel/011221.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U.S. Army at a time when the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam War, a war which put him further at odds with the white establishment.<ref name="Roberts">{{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=Randy |title=Winning is the Only Thing: Sports in America Since 1945 |date=1991 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |pages=171–172}}</ref>

[[File:Muhammad Ali leaving court on June 19, 1967.jpg|left|thumb|Ali leaving court in June 1967]]
When notified of this status, Ali declared that he would refuse to serve in the army and publicly considered himself a [[conscientious objector]].<ref name="greatath" /> Ali stated: "War is against the teachings of the [[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".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Network |first1=Warfare History |title=Vietnam War: Muhammad Ali's Draft Controversy |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/vietnam-war-muhammad-alis-draft-controversy-176177 |website=The National Interest |access-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117132706/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/vietnam-war-muhammad-alis-draft-controversy-176177 |archive-date=January 17, 2021}}</ref> He also said, "We are not to be the aggressor but we will defend ourselves if attacked." He stated: "Man, I ain't got no quarrel with them Vietcong."<ref>{{cite book|last=Remnick|first=David|title=King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA287|date=2014|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|page=287|isbn=9780804173629|access-date=April 23, 2024|archive-date=August 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240813181704/https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA287#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Ali elaborated: "Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?"<ref>{{cite book |last=Haas |first=Jeffrey |title=The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ignjecF9pX4C |year=2009 |publisher=Lawrence Hill Books |isbn=978-1-55652-765-4 |page=27 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223025/https://books.google.com/books?id=ignjecF9pX4C |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali antagonized the white establishment in 1966 by refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="HauserThomas" /><ref name="Roberts" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Hallett |first=Alison |title=Not So Fast |newspaper=Portland Mercury |url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/not-so-fast/Content?oid=10883366 |access-date=December 27, 2013 |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113170912/http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/not-so-fast/Content?oid=10883366 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news |last=Rhoden |first=William C. |date=June 20, 2013 |title=In Ali's Voice From the Past, a Stand for the Ages |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/sports/in-alis-voice-from-the-past-a-stand-for-the-ages.html |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216135621/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/sports/in-alis-voice-from-the-past-a-stand-for-the-ages.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 28, 1967, Ali appeared in Houston for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces, but he refused three times to step forward when his name was called. An officer warned him that he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more, Ali refused to budge when his name was called, and he was arrested. Later that same day, the [[New York State Athletic Commission]] suspended his boxing license and the [[World Boxing Association]] stripped him of his title.<ref>{{cite news|first=B. F.|last=Kellum|title=Appeals Could Take 18 Months|date=April 29, 1967|newspaper=The Asheville Citizen|page=11|agency=AP|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times-cassius-clay-tit/125005902/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=May 20, 2023|archive-date=May 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520095903/https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times-cassius-clay-tit/125005902/|url-status=live}}</ref> Other boxing commissions followed suit. Ali remained unable to obtain a license to box in any state for over three years.<ref>{{cite book |title=More Than a Champion: The Style of Muhammad Ali |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hc9tZ7IfUTEC&q=more%2Bthan%2Ba%2Bchampion%2Bprime |isbn=978-0-375-70005-7 |first=Jean |last=Reemstsma |year=1999 |publisher=Vintage |location=New York |access-date=March 14, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117105540/https://books.google.com/books?id=Hc9tZ7IfUTEC&q=more+than+a+champion+prime |url-status=live }}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2016}} On June 4, 1967, in a first for sports professionals, a group of high-profile African-American athletes—including [[Jim Brown]], [[Bill Russell]], and [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]], as well as one political leader, [[Carl Stokes]]—assembled with Ali at the Negro Industrial Economic Union in Cleveland for what became known as the "[[Cleveland Summit]]" or the "Muhammad Ali Summit". The meeting was organized by Brown for his peers to question Ali about the seriousness of his convictions, and to decide whether to support him, which they ultimately did.<ref>[https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2012/06/gathering_of_stars.html "Remembering Cleveland's Muhammad Ali Summit, 45 years later"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722012500/https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2012/06/gathering_of_stars.html |date=July 22, 2020 }}, Branson Wright for ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' via Cleveland.com, June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2020.</ref>

{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | video1 = [https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_15-59c5c0ps Conversation with Muhammad Ali], includes transcript, July 7, 1968, 28:55, [[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]]<ref name="wgbhf">{{cite web |title=Conversation with Muhammad Ali |publisher=WGBH, Library of Congress, [[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]] (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. |date=July 7, 1968 |url=https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_15-59c5c0ps |access-date=March 15, 2020}}</ref>
}}

At the trial on June 20, 1967, the jury found Ali guilty after only 21{{nbsp}}minutes of deliberation of the criminal offense of violating the [[Military Selective Service Act|Selective Service laws]] by refusing to be drafted.<ref name="greatath" /> After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/403/698 |title=Cassius Marsellus CLAY, Jr. also known as Muhammad Ali, Petitioner, v. United States. |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |access-date=February 8, 2017 |archive-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620090024/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/403/698 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ali remained free in the years between the Appellate Court decision and the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruling. As public opinion began turning against the war and the Civil Rights Movement continued to gather momentum, Ali became a popular speaker at colleges and universities across the country; this itinerary was rare if not unprecedented for a prizefighter. At [[Howard University]], for example, he gave his popular "Black Is Best" speech to 4,000 cheering students and community intellectuals, after he was invited to speak by sociology professor [[Nathan Hare]] on behalf of the Black Power Committee, a student protest group.<ref>{{cite magazine |title="The Greatest" Is Gone |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919377-5,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930083637/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919377-5,00.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |page=5 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 27, 1978 |access-date=August 4, 2007}}</ref>

On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court of the United States in ''[[Clay v. United States]]'' overturned Ali's conviction by a unanimous 8–0 decision (Justice [[Thurgood Marshall]] recused himself, as he had been the [[U.S. Solicitor General]] at the time of Ali's conviction).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/403/698 |title=Cassius Marsellus Clay, Jr. also known as Muhammad Ali, Petitioner, v. United States. &#124; LII / Legal Information Institute |publisher=Law.cornell.edu |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620090024/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/403/698 |url-status=live }}</ref> The decision was not based on, nor did it address, the merits of Ali's claims per se. Rather, the Court held that since the appeal board gave no reason for the denial of a conscientious objector exemption to Ali, it was therefore impossible to determine which of the three basic tests for conscientious objector status (offered in the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s brief) the appeal board relied on, and Ali's conviction must be reversed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1970/1970_783 |title=Clay v. United States &#124; The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law |publisher=Oyez.org |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185638/http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1970/1970_783 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a 1974 interview, Ali said, "If they say stand and salute the flag I do that out of respect, because I'm in the country".<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://tv.cuny.edu/show/dayatnight/PR1010390 |title=Day at Night: Muhammad Ali, legendary boxing champion |time=21:50 |date=February 19, 1974 |publisher=[[CUNY TV]] |access-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308055658/https://tv.cuny.edu/show/dayatnight/PR1010390 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali would later say, "If America was in trouble and real war came, I'd be on the front line if we had been attacked. But I could see that [the Vietnam War] wasn't right."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interview with Muhammad Ali |url=http://digital.wustl.edu/e/eii/eiiweb/ali5427.0743.004marc_record_interviewer_process.html |access-date=September 21, 2020 |website=digital.wustl.edu |archive-date=October 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010203503/http://digital.wustl.edu/e/eii/eiiweb/ali5427.0743.004marc_record_interviewer_process.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He also said, "Black men would go over there and fight, but when they came home, they couldn't even be served a hamburger."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Oprah Talks to Muhammad Ali |language=en-us |work=Oprah.com |url=http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-talks-to-muhammad-ali_1/all |access-date=September 21, 2020 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421183956/https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-talks-to-muhammad-ali_1/all |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Impact of Ali's draft refusal===
Ali's example inspired many black Americans and others. However, initially when he refused induction, he became arguably the most hated man in the country and received many death threats. People who supported Ali during this time were also threatened, including sports journalist [[Jerry Izenberg]], whose columns defended Ali's decision not to serve. He wrote, "Bomb threats emptied our office, making the staff stand out in the snow. My car windshield was smashed with a sledgehammer."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Star-Ledger|first=Jerry Izenberg {{!}} For The|date=June 4, 2016|title=Why I called Muhammad Ali my friend|url=https://www.nj.com/sports/2016/06/former_heavyweight_champ_muhammad_ali_dies_the_gre.html|access-date=September 21, 2020|website=nj.com|language=en|archive-date=November 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123200706/https://www.nj.com/sports/2016/06/former_heavyweight_champ_muhammad_ali_dies_the_gre.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolfson |first=Andrew |title=Muhammad Ali lost everything in opposing the Vietnam War. But in 1968, he triumphed |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/19/1968-project-muhammad-ali-vietnam-war/334759002/ |access-date=September 21, 2020 |website=USA Today |language=en-US |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810121610/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/19/1968-project-muhammad-ali-vietnam-war/334759002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The New York Times'' columnist [[William Rhoden]] wrote, "Ali's actions changed my standard of what constituted an athlete's greatness. Possessing a killer jump shot or the ability to stop on a dime was no longer enough. What were you doing for the liberation of your people? What were you doing to help your country live up to the covenant of its founding principles?"<ref name="nytimes1" />

Recalling Ali's anti-war position, [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] said: "I remember the teachers at my high school didn't like Ali because he was so anti-establishment and he kind of thumbed his nose at authority and got away with it. The fact that he was proud to be a black man and that he had so much talent{{nbsp}}... made some people think that he was dangerous. But for those very reasons I enjoyed him."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digital.wustl.edu/e/eii/eiiweb/abd5427.5952.001kareemabdul-jabbar.html |title=Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |publisher=Digital.wustl.edu |date=March 3, 1989 |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193616/http://digital.wustl.edu/e/eii/eiiweb/abd5427.5952.001kareemabdul-jabbar.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Civil rights figures came to believe that Ali had an energizing effect on the freedom movement as a whole. [[Al Sharpton]] spoke of his bravery at a time when there was still widespread support for the Vietnam War:
{{blockquote|For the heavyweight champion of the world, who had achieved the highest level of athletic celebrity, to put all of that on the line—the money, the ability to get endorsements—to sacrifice all of that for a cause, gave a whole sense of legitimacy to the movement and the causes with young people that nothing else could have done. Even those who were assassinated, certainly lost their lives, but they didn't voluntarily do that. He knew he was going to jail and did it anyway. That's another level of leadership and sacrifice.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali: The man who changed his sport and his country |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36450806 |publisher=BBC |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617171838/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36450806 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Ali was honored with the annual Martin Luther King Award in 1970 by civil rights leader [[Ralph Abernathy]], who called him "a living example of soul power, the [[March on Washington]] in two fists". [[Coretta Scott King]] added that Ali was "a champion of justice and peace and unity".<ref name="Ezra82">{{cite book |last=Ezra |first=Michael |title=Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon |date=2009 |publisher=[[Temple University Press]] |isbn=978-1-59213-661-2 |page=82 |chapter=Muhammad Ali's Main Bout: African American Economic Power and the World Heavyweight Title |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh3rtDyeSAIC&pg=PA82 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223533/https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh3rtDyeSAIC&pg=PA82#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

In speaking of the cost on Ali's career of his refusal to be drafted, his trainer Angelo Dundee said, "One thing must be taken into account when talking about Ali: He was robbed of his best years, his prime years."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/7470417/muhammad-ali-was-continues-greatest |title=Dundee: Ali was, still is 'The Greatest' |work=ESPN |date=January 17, 2012 |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=October 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173453/http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7470417/muhammad-ali-was-continues-greatest |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali's promoter [[Bob Arum]] did not support Ali's choice at the time, but in 2016 Arum stated: "when I look back at his life, and I was blessed to call him a friend and spent a lot of time with him, it's hard for me to talk about his exploits in boxing because as great as they were they paled in comparison to the impact that he had on the world. ... He did what he thought was right. And it turned out he was right, and I was wrong."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-ali-arum/former-ali-promoter-bob-arum-recalls-boxers-impact-on-society-idUSKCN0YR01R?mod=related&channelName= |last=Whitcomb |first=Dan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804082551/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-ali-arum/former-ali-promoter-bob-arum-recalls-boxers-impact-on-society-idUSKCN0YR01R?mod=related&channelName= |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |title=Former Ali promoter Bob Arum recalls boxer's impact on society |work=[[Reuters]] |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Ali's resistance to the draft was covered in the 2013 documentary ''[[The Trials of Muhammad Ali]]''.<ref name="Rapold">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/movies/trials-of-muhammad-ali-traces-alis-battle-over-vietnam.html |title=One of His Biggest Fights Was Outside of the Ring |last=Rapold |first=Nicolas |date=August 22, 2013 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 29, 2016 |archive-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701132100/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/movies/trials-of-muhammad-ali-traces-alis-battle-over-vietnam.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===NSA and FBI monitoring of Ali's communications===
In a secret operation code-named "[[Project MINARET|Minaret]]", the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) intercepted the communications of leading Americans, including Ali, Senators [[Frank Church]] and [[Howard Baker]], Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], prominent U.S. journalists, and others who criticized the U.S. war in Vietnam.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/06/the-hidden-history-of-muhammad-ali/ |title=The Hidden History of Muhammad Ali |first=Dave |last=Zirin |magazine=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=April 17, 2017 |archive-date=February 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224101145/https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/06/the-hidden-history-of-muhammad-ali/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite news |first=Ed |last=Pilkington |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/26/nsa-surveillance-anti-vietnam-muhammad-ali-mlk |title=Declassified NSA files show agency spied on Muhammad Ali and MLK |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=April 16, 2017 |archive-date=September 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926154853/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/26/nsa-surveillance-anti-vietnam-muhammad-ali-mlk |url-status=live }}</ref> A review by the NSA of the Minaret program concluded that it was "disreputable if not outright illegal".<ref name="theguardian.com" />

In 1971, Ali's [[Fight of the Century]] with Frazier was used by an activist group, the [[Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI]], to pull off a burglary at an [[FBI]] office in Pennsylvania; the anticipation for the fight was unlike anything else, so they believed the security would also be focused on the fight. This raid exposed the [[COINTELPRO]] operations that included illegal spying on activists involved with the civil rights and anti-war movements. One of the COINTELPRO targets was Ali, and their activities included the FBI gaining access to his records as far back as elementary school; one such record mentioned him loving art as a child.<ref>{{cite web |last=Medsger |first=Betty |url=https://theintercept.com/2016/06/06/in-1971-muhammad-ali-helped-undermine-the-fbis-illegal-spying-on-americans/ |title=In 1971, Muhammad Ali Helped Undermine the FBI's Illegal Spying on Americans |work=[[The Intercept]] |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=April 17, 2017 |archive-date=April 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427235216/https://theintercept.com/2016/06/06/in-1971-muhammad-ali-helped-undermine-the-fbis-illegal-spying-on-americans/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Exile and comeback==
In March 1966, Ali [[#Draft resistance|refused to be inducted into the armed forces]]. He was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and stripped of his passport. As a result, he did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970 until his conviction was overturned in 1971.

=== Protesting while exiled ===
During this time of inactivity, as [[opposition to the Vietnam War]] began to grow and Ali's stance gained sympathy, he spoke at colleges across the nation, criticizing the Vietnam War and advocating African American pride and racial justice. Ali based himself in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glanton |first=Dahleen |title=Muhammad Ali's exile years in Chicago: 'Learning about life' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-muhammad-ali-chicago-20160604-story.html |access-date=December 1, 2020 |website=Chicago Tribune |date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126200945/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-muhammad-ali-chicago-20160604-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to most close to him, his Chicago years were formative.

At the time, Ali was widely condemned by the [[American media]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tinsley |first1=Justin |title=What if the Muhammad Ali we knew had never existed? |url=https://andscape.com/features/muhammad-ali-birthday-what-if-he-had-never-existed/ |access-date=April 6, 2021 |work=[[Andscape]] |date=January 17, 2018 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817164712/https://andscape.com/features/muhammad-ali-birthday-what-if-he-had-never-existed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with fears that his actions could potentially lead to mass [[civil disobedience]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Case of Muhammad Ali: The Ultimate Civil Disobedience |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20780461/the-austin-american/ |work=[[The Austin American]] |date=May 3, 1967 |page=24 |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615132436/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20780461/the-austin-american/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite this, ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]'' magazine noted in the late 1960s that Ali's popularity had increased during this time, especially among black people.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Secret Honeymoon of the Champ: Muhammad Ali joins Muslim speaking tour with his wedding trip |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=November 1967 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=146–151 (151) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xtsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA151  |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031223535/https://books.google.com/books?id=xtsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA151#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

===''The Super Fight''===
{{Main|The Super Fight}}
While banned from sanctioned bouts, Ali settled a $1&nbsp;million lawsuit against radio producer Murray Woroner by accepting $10,000 to appear in a privately staged fantasy fight against retired champion Rocky Marciano.<ref name="Enterprise News Sep 2009">{{cite news |title=Ali vs. Marciano: Who wins? |url=http://www.enterprisenews.com/article/20090901/News/309019646 |work=The Enterprise |date=September 1, 2009 |access-date=July 19, 2016 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914161353/http://www.enterprisenews.com/article/20090901/News/309019646 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1969 the boxers were filmed sparring for about 75 one-minute rounds; they produced several potential outcomes.<ref name="The Guardian Nov 2012">{{cite news |title=The forgotten story of ... the Rocky Marciano v Muhammad Ali Super Fight |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/nov/13/forgotten-story-rocky-marciano-muhammad-ali |date=November 13, 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=July 19, 2016 |archive-date=July 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725193639/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/nov/13/forgotten-story-rocky-marciano-muhammad-ali |url-status=live }}</ref> A computer program purportedly determined the winner, based on data about the fighters, along with the opinions of approximately 250 boxing experts. Edited versions of the bout were shown in movie theaters in 1970. In the U.S. version Ali lost in a simulated 13th-round knockout, but in the European version Marciano lost due to cuts, also simulated.<ref name="Bingham 218">{{cite book |title=Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs. the United States of America |url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadalisgrea0000bing |url-access=registration |first1=Howard |last1=Bingham |first2=Max |last2=Wallace |publisher=M. Evans |page=[https://archive.org/details/muhammadalisgrea0000bing/page/218 218] |year=2000|isbn=978-0-87131-900-5 }}</ref>

Ali suggested that prejudice determined his defeat in the U.S. version; he was reported to have jokingly said, "That computer was made in [[Alabama]]."<ref name="Enterprise News Sep 2009" />

==Return==
On August 11, 1970, with his case still in appeal, Ali was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission. [[Leroy Johnson (Georgia politician)|Leroy Johnson]], [[Jesse Hill Jr.]] and Harry Pett had used their local political influence and set up the company House of Sports to organize the fight, underlining the influential power of Georgia's black politics in Ali's comeback.<ref>{{Cite magazine |first=David |last=Davis |title=Knockout: An oral history of Muhammad Ali, Atlanta, and the fight nobody wanted |magazine=[[Atlanta (magazine)|Atlanta]] |date=October 1, 2005 |url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/knockout-oral-history-muhammad-ali-atlanta-fight-nobody-wanted/ |access-date=October 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031132439/https://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/knockout-oral-history-muhammad-ali-atlanta-fight-nobody-wanted/ |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali's first return bout was against [[Jerry Quarry]] on October 26, resulting in a win after three rounds after Quarry was cut.

A month earlier, a victory in federal court forced the New York State Boxing Commission to reinstate Ali's license.<ref name=cgnyrl >{{cite news |url=https://palmbeachpost.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/170982339/ |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post |agency=Associated Press |title=Clay granted New York ring license |date=September 15, 1970 |page=B4 |url-access= |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912212056/http://palmbeachpost.newspapers.com/image/132677737/?terms=%22Clay%2Bgranted%2BNew%2BYork%2Bring%2Blicense%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> He fought [[Oscar Bonavena]] at Madison Square Garden in December, an uninspired performance that ended in a dramatic [[technical knockout]] of Bonavena in the 15th round. The win left Ali as a top contender against heavyweight champion [[Joe Frazier]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kang |first=Jay Caspian |author-link=Jay Caspian Kang |date=April 4, 2013 |title=The End and Don King |work=[[Grantland]] |publisher=[[ESPN]] |url=http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9123674/don-king-faces-end-career |access-date=April 4, 2013 |archive-date=April 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406192841/http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9123674/don-king-faces-end-career |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=McDougall |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hEyOBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |title=The Best American Sports Writing 2014 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |isbn=978-0-544-14700-3 |page=149 |author-link=Christopher McDougall |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224237/https://books.google.com/books?id=hEyOBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA149#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Keating |first=Steve |date=March 5, 2021 |title=Ali, Frazier 'Fight of the Century' still packs a punch 50 years on |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-boxing-anniversary-ali-frazier-idUKKCN2AX2IS |access-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-date=March 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306181803/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-boxing-anniversary-ali-frazier-idUKKCN2AX2IS |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Fight against Joe Frazier===
{{Main|Fight of the Century}}
[[File:Joe Frazier standing over Muhammad Ali.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali on the canvas|Ali knocked down by Frazier in the 15th round]]
Ali and Frazier's first fight, held at the Garden, was on March 8, 1971, while Ali's Supreme Court appeal was still pending. It was nicknamed the "Fight of the Century" due to the tremendous excitement surrounding a bout between two undefeated fighters, each with a legitimate claim to be heavyweight champion. Veteran U.S. boxing writer John Condon called it "the greatest event I've ever worked on in my life." The bout was broadcast to 36 countries; promoters granted 760 press passes.<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

Adding to the atmosphere were the considerable pre-fight theatrics and name calling. Before the fight, Frazier called Ali "Cassius Clay," angering Ali who responded by calling Frazier a "dumb tool of the white establishment" and saying "Frazier is too ugly to be champ. Frazier is too dumb to be champ." Ali also frequently called Frazier an "[[Uncle Tom]]". Dave Wolf, who worked in Frazier's camp, recalled that "Ali was saying 'the only people rooting for Joe Frazier are white people in suits, Alabama sheriffs, and members of the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. I'm fighting for the little man in the ghetto.' Joe was sitting there, smashing his fist into the palm of his hand, saying, 'What the fuck does he know about the ghetto?{{' "}}<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

Ali began training at a farm near [[Reading, Pennsylvania]], in 1971 and, finding the country setting to his liking, sought to develop a [[Muhammad Ali's Deer Lake Training Camp|real training camp]] in the countryside. He found a five-acre site on a Pennsylvania country road in the village of [[Deer Lake, Pennsylvania]]. On this site, Ali carved out what was to become his training camp, where he trained for all his fights from 1972 to the end of his career in 1981.

The Monday night fight lived up to its billing. In a preview of their two other fights, a crouching, bobbing and weaving Frazier constantly pressured Ali, getting hit regularly by Ali jabs and combinations, but relentlessly attacking and scoring repeatedly, especially to Ali's body. The fight was even in the early rounds, but Ali was taking more punishment than ever in his career up until that point. On several occasions in the early rounds, he played to the crowd and shook his head "no" after he was hit. In the later rounds—in what was the first appearance of the "[[rope-a-dope]] strategy"—Ali leaned against the ropes and absorbed punishment from Frazier, hoping to tire him. In the 11th round, Frazier connected with a left hook that wobbled Ali, but because it appeared that Ali might be clowning as he staggered backwards across the ring, Frazier hesitated to press his advantage, fearing an Ali counterattack. In the final round, Frazier knocked Ali down with a vicious left hook, which referee [[Arthur Mercante Sr.]] said was as hard as a man can be hit. Ali was back on his feet in three seconds.<ref name="Hauser 2004" /> Nevertheless, Ali lost by unanimous decision, his first professional defeat.

=== After his loss ===
====Chamberlain challenge and Ellis fight====
{{Main|Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis}}
[[File:Ali vs Chamberlain 1967 press photo.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali and Chamberlain at a press conference|Ali and Chamberlain at a press conference|200px]]
In 1971, basketball star [[Wilt Chamberlain]] challenged Ali to a fight, and a bout was scheduled for July 26. Although the seven-foot-one-inch-tall Chamberlain had formidable physical advantages over Ali—weighing 60{{nbsp}}pounds more and able to reach 14{{nbsp}}inches further—Ali was able to influence Chamberlain into calling off the bout by taunting him with calls of "Timber!" and "The tree will fall" during a shared interview. These statements of confidence unsettled his taller opponent, whom [[Los Angeles Lakers]] owner [[Jack Kent Cooke]] had offered a record-setting contract, conditional on Chamberlain agreeing to abandon what Cooke termed "this boxing foolishness",<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali's Remark Ended Wilt's Ring Career |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-15-sp-979-story.html |at=Morning Briefing |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 15, 1989 |access-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603030813/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-15/sports/sp-979_1_wilt-s-ring-career |url-status=live }}</ref> and he did exactly that.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Reilly |first1=Terry |title=Achilles Heel Advertising: Repositioning the Competition |url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/achilles-heel-advertising-repositioning-the-competition-1.3473631 |access-date=August 30, 2018 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=March 3, 2016 |archive-date=March 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328021008/http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/achilles-heel-advertising-repositioning-the-competition-1.3473631 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Meanwhile, on June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court overturned Ali's draft evasion conviction. To replace Ali's opponent, promoter [[Bob Arum]] quickly booked a former sparring partner of Ali's, [[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]], who was a childhood friend from [[Louisville, Kentucky]], to fight him. Ali won the bout through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight in the twelfth round.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/27/archives/victor-at-220-12-in-command-of-houston-bout-ali-stops-ellis-using.html |title=Victor, at 220½, in Command of Houston Bout |work=The New York Times |date=July 27, 1971 |access-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517044730/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/27/archives/victor-at-220-12-in-command-of-houston-bout-ali-stops-ellis-using.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Fights against Quarry, Patterson, Foster, Bugner and Norton====
After Ellis, Ali fought Jerry Quarry, had a second bout with Floyd Patterson, and faced [[Bob Foster (boxer)|Bob Foster]] in 1972, winning a total of six fights that year. During two bouts he had in 1973 with [[Joe Bugner]] and [[Ken Norton]], he wore a "People's Choice" robe given to him by [[Elvis Presley]], who in later years Ali revealed became one of his "close, personal" friends.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boxingnews24.com/2023/04/muhammad-ali-talks-about-his-relationship-with-elvis/|title=Muhammad Ali Talks About His Relationship With Elvis!|first=Ken|last=Hissner|publisher=Boxing News|date=April 21, 2023|accessdate=April 8, 2024|archive-date=April 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408071103/https://www.boxingnews24.com/2023/04/muhammad-ali-talks-about-his-relationship-with-elvis/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/columnists/geoff-calkins/2016/06/04/the-king-and-the-greatest-made-beautiful-music/90559192/|title=The King and The Greatest made beautiful music|publisher=The Commercial Appeal|date=June 4, 2016|accessdate=August 15, 2025|archive-date=June 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607024541/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/columnists/geoff-calkins/2016/06/04/the-king-and-the-greatest-made-beautiful-music/90559192/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1973, before his fight with Norton, Tom Cushman, a boxing writer for the ''Philadelphia Daily News'', said Ali was "gloriously overconfident" and didn't consider Norton "a threat at all".<ref name="Selbe-2020">{{Cite magazine |last=Selbe |first=Nick |date=March 31, 2020 |title=This Day in History: Ken Norton Breaks Muhammad Ali's Jaw |url=https://www.si.com/boxing/2020/03/31/this-day-history-ken-norton-muhammad-ali-broken-jaw |access-date=April 8, 2024 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us |archive-date=April 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408194759/https://www.si.com/boxing/2020/03/31/this-day-history-ken-norton-muhammad-ali-broken-jaw |url-status=live }}</ref> But during the fight, either in the second round according to most press reports, or the final round according to Norton, Norton broke Ali's jaw and inflicted by decision the second loss of his career.<ref name="Selbe-2020" /> After considering retirement, Ali won a controversial decision against Norton in their second bout.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} This led to a rematch with Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 1974; Frazier had recently lost his title to George Foreman.

====Second fight against Joe Frazier====
{{Main|Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II}}
[[File:Gatti, Reutemann, Cap, Clay y Frazier - El Gráfico 2831 3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Ali vs. [[Joe Frazier|Frazier]], promotional photo]]
Ali was strong in the early rounds of the fight, and staggered Frazier in the second round. Referee Tony Perez mistakenly thought he heard the bell ending the round and stepped between the two fighters as Ali was pressing his attack, giving Frazier time to recover. However, Frazier came on in the middle rounds, snapping Ali's head in round seven and driving him to the ropes at the end of round eight. The last four rounds saw round-to-round shifts in momentum between the two fighters. Throughout most of the bout, however, Ali was able to circle away from Frazier's dangerous left hook and to tie Frazier up when he was cornered, the latter a tactic that Frazier's camp complained of bitterly. Judges awarded Ali a unanimous decision.

===World heavyweight champion (second reign)===
====''The Rumble in the Jungle''====
{{Main|The Rumble in the Jungle}}
[[File:Ali knockout foreman.jpg|thumb|left|Foreman falling to the canvas after a hard right straight to the face]]
The defeat of Frazier set the stage for a title fight against heavyweight champion [[George Foreman]] in Kinshasa, [[Zaire]], on October 30, 1974—a bout nicknamed ''[[The Rumble in the Jungle]]''. Foreman was considered one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history. In assessing the fight, analysts pointed out that [[Joe Frazier]] and [[Ken Norton]], who had given Ali four tough battles and won two of them, had both been devastated by Foreman in second-round knockouts. Ali was 32 years old and had lost speed and reflexes since his twenties. Contrary to his later persona, Foreman was at the time a brooding and intimidating presence. Almost no one associated with the sport, not even Ali's long-time supporter Howard Cosell, gave the former champion a chance of winning.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

As usual, Ali was confident and colorful before the fight. He told interviewer [[David Frost]], "If you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whup Foreman's behind!"<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/1aGHpXt_hMc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140202235829/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aGHpXt_hMc Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aGHpXt_hMc |title=Muhammad Ali – The Rumble In The Jungle(Interview) |publisher=YouTube |date=March 22, 1967 |access-date=September 3, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He told the press, "I've done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick."<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/dGk0R63C0eM Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130317021119/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGk0R63C0eM Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGk0R63C0eM |title=Muhammad Ali Inspirational Speech (Cassius Clay Boxing Motivation) |publisher=YouTube |date=September 14, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Ali was wildly popular in Zaire, with crowds chanting "Ali, bomaye" ("Ali, kill him") wherever he went.

Ali opened the fight moving and scoring with right crosses to Foreman's head. Then, beginning in the second round, and to the consternation of his corner, Ali retreated to the ropes and invited Foreman to hit him while covering up, clinching and counterpunching, all while verbally taunting Foreman. The move, which would later become known as the "[[Rope-a-dope]]", so violated conventional boxing wisdom—letting one of the hardest hitters in boxing strike at will—that at ringside writer [[George Plimpton]] thought the fight had to be fixed.<ref name="Hauser 2004" /> Foreman, increasingly angered, threw punches that were deflected and did not land squarely. Midway through the fight, as Foreman began tiring, Ali countered more frequently and effectively with punches and flurries, which electrified the pro-Ali crowd. In the eighth round, Ali dropped an exhausted Foreman with a combination at center ring; Foreman failed to make the count. Against the odds, and amidst pandemonium in the ring, Ali had regained the title by knockout. Reflecting on the fight, George Foreman later said: "I thought Ali was just one more knockout victim until, about the seventh round, I hit him hard to the jaw and he held me and whispered in my ear: 'That all you got, George?' I realized that this ain't what I thought it was."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Foreman |first=George |url=http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/sport/george-foreman-on-ali |title=George Foreman on why Muhammad Ali was so much more than a 'boxer' |magazine=[[ShortList]] |date=January 2012 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611144417/http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/sport/george-foreman-on-ali |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Carter.jpg|thumb|President [[Jimmy Carter]] greets Ali, along with his wife Veronica Porché, at a White House dinner, 1977.]]

It was a major [[Upset (competition)|upset]] victory,<ref name="Herald">{{cite news|first=Bill|last=Lee|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-herald/138782533/|title=Zaire's fight promotion opens new gold mines|newspaper=[[The Morning Herald]]|page=30|date=November 18, 1974|access-date=January 15, 2024|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115100043/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-herald/138782533/|url-status=live}}</ref> after Ali came in as a 4{{ndash}}1 [[underdog]] against the previously unbeaten, heavy-hitting Foreman.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali Regains Title, Flooring Foreman |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1030.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 30, 1974 |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615140040/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1030.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The fight became famous for Ali's introduction of the rope-a-dope tactic.<ref name="guardian">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/29/rumble-in-the-jungle-muhammad-ali-george-foreman-book-extract |title=Rumble in the Jungle: the night Ali became King of the World again |date=October 29, 2014 |work=The Guardian |access-date=October 29, 2014 |archive-date=October 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029183605/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/29/rumble-in-the-jungle-muhammad-ali-george-foreman-book-extract |url-status=live }}</ref> The fight was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1{{nbsp}}billion viewers worldwide.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news |title=Revisiting 'The Rumble in the Jungle' 40 years later |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2014/10/29/muhammad-ali-george-foreman-rumble-in-the-jungle-40th-anniversary/18097587/ |work=[[USA Today]] |date=October 29, 2014 |access-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-date=November 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101103836/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2014/10/29/muhammad-ali-george-foreman-rumble-in-the-jungle-40th-anniversary/18097587/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="jet">{{cite magazine |title=Mike Tyson May Fight George Foreman In Biggest Money Match: $80 Million |magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |date=September 18, 1995 |volume=88 |issue=19 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46   |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224046/https://books.google.com/books?id=fTkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the world's [[List of most-watched television broadcasts|most-watched live television broadcast]] at the time.<ref name="briefly">{{cite news |last=Gitonga |first=Ruth |title=Most-watched television events in the world ever: Top 20 list ranked |url=https://briefly.co.za/facts-lifehacks/top/152256-most-watched-television-events-world-top-20-list-ranked/ |work=briefly.co.za |date=February 7, 2023 |access-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314153340/https://briefly.co.za/facts-lifehacks/top/152256-most-watched-television-events-world-top-20-list-ranked/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Fights against Wepner, Lyle and Bugner====
Ali's next opponents included [[Chuck Wepner]], [[Ron Lyle]], and [[Joe Bugner]]. Wepner, a journeyman known as "The Bayonne Bleeder", stunned Ali with a knockdown in the ninth round; Ali would later say he tripped on Wepner's foot. The fight inspired [[Sylvester Stallone]] to create the acclaimed film ''[[Rocky]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/08/10/rocky-stallone-settlement-cx_rs_0810autofacescan04.html#34f600e166bd |title=Stallone Settles With The 'Real' Rocky |first=R. M. |last=Schneiderman |date=August 10, 2006 |work=Forbes |access-date=October 16, 2019 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224107/https://e.infogram.com/_/PGbi4jGUl7iSfajoEZwo?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2F2006%2F08%2F10%2Frocky-stallone-settlement-cx_rs_0810autofacescan04.html%3Fsh%3D29658a0a66bd&src=embed#34f600e166bd |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Third fight against Joe Frazier====
{{Main|Thrilla in Manila}}
Ali then agreed to a third match with Joe Frazier in [[Manila]]. The bout, known as the "[[Thrilla in Manila]]", was held on October 1, 1975,<ref name="greatath" /> in temperatures approaching {{convert|100|°F|°C}}. In the first rounds, Ali was aggressive, moving and exchanging blows with Frazier. However, Ali soon appeared to tire and adopted the "rope-a-dope" strategy, frequently resorting to clinches. During this part of the bout Ali did some effective counterpunching, but for the most part absorbed punishment from a relentlessly attacking Frazier. In the 12th round, Frazier began to tire, and Ali scored several sharp blows that closed Frazier's left eye and opened a cut over his right eye. With Frazier's vision now diminished, Ali dominated the 13th and 14th rounds, at times conducting what boxing historian Mike Silver called "target practice" on Frazier's head. The fight was stopped when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to answer the bell for the 15th and final round, despite Frazier's protests. Frazier's eyes were both swollen shut. Ali, in his corner, winner by TKO, slumped on his stool, spent.

An ailing Ali said afterwards that the fight "was the closest thing to dying that I know", and, when later asked if he had viewed the fight on videotape, reportedly said, "Why would I want to go back and see Hell?" After the fight he cited Frazier as "the greatest fighter of all times next to me".

After the third fight with Frazier, Ali considered retirement. He said, "I'm sore all over. My arms, my face, my sides all ache. I'm so, so tired. There is a great possibility that I will retire. You might have seen the last of me. I want to sit back and count my money, live in my house and my farm, work for my people and concentrate on my family."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fight-library.com/2019/05/28/history-lesson-thrilla-in-manila/ |title=History Lesson: Thrilla in Manila |publisher=Fight-Library.com |author=Blaine Henry |date=May 18, 2019 |access-date=March 4, 2020 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031065245/https://fight-library.com/2019/05/28/history-lesson-thrilla-in-manila/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Later career===
[[File:Anderson ali.jpg|thumb|Ali being interviewed by [[WBAL-TV]]'s [[Curt Anderson]] in [[Baltimore]], 1978]]
On February 2, 1976, Ali defeated [[Jean-Pierre Coopman]] by 5th round knockout. The WBC Heavyweight title was not on the line for this fight. On April 30, 1976, Ali would fight [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]] and win a controversial unanimous decision. Howard Cosell would remark that he had "never seen Ali so off in his timing" and when asked on his performance against Young in the post-fight interview, Ali stated that he was "getting old" and that he was "preserving his energy" for Ken Norton.<ref>{{Citation |title=Muhammad Ali vs Jimmy Young ABC 1080p 60fps (1976) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR0Wg_XDSoY |language=en |access-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125232742/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR0Wg_XDSoY |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 24, 1976, Ali defeated [[Richard Dunn (boxer)|Richard Dunn]], winning by 5th round technical knockout. The punch used to knock Dunn out was taught to Ali by [[Taekwondo]] [[Grandmaster (martial arts)|Grandmaster]] [[Jhoon Rhee]]. Rhee called that punch the "Accupunch"; he learned it from [[Bruce Lee]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jhoonrhee.com/bio7.html |title=Jhoon Rhee, Father of American Tae Kwon Do |website=jhoonrhee.com |access-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506223915/http://www.jhoonrhee.com/bio7.html }}</ref> The Dunn fight was the last time Ali would knock an opponent out in his boxing career.

Ali fought [[Ken Norton]] for the third time in September 1976. The bout, which was held at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], resulted in Ali winning a controversial decision that ringside commentators had scored in favor of Norton. Afterwards, he announced he was retiring from boxing to practice his faith, having converted to [[Sunni Islam]] after falling out with the Nation of Islam the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=110827611%3Fsec%3DSports |title=Champion Ali Quits Boxing |work=The Paris News |page=12 |access-date=October 19, 2011 |date=October 1, 1976 |archive-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607021747/http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=110827611%3Fsec%3DSports |url-status=live }}</ref>

After returning to beat [[Alfredo Evangelista]] in May 1977, Ali struggled in his next fight against [[Earnie Shavers]] that September, getting pummeled a few times by punches to the head. Ali won the fight by another unanimous decision, but the bout caused his longtime doctor [[Ferdie Pacheco]] to quit after he was rebuffed for telling Ali he should retire. Pacheco was quoted as saying, "the New York State Athletic Commission gave me a report that showed Ali's kidneys were falling apart. I wrote to Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, his wife and Ali himself. I got nothing back in response. That's when I decided enough is enough."<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

In February 1978, Ali faced [[Leon Spinks]] at the Hilton Hotel in [[Las Vegas]]. At the time, Spinks had only seven professional fights to his credit, and had recently fought a draw with journeyman Scott LeDoux. Ali sparred less than two dozen rounds in preparation for the fight and was seriously out of shape by the opening bell. He lost the title by split decision. A rematch occurred in September at the [[Mercedes-Benz Superdome|Superdome]] in New Orleans, Louisiana. 70,000 people attended the bout and paid a total of $6&nbsp;million admission, making it the largest live gate in boxing history at that time.<ref name="Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Peter Finney's column from 1978">[http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/read_peter_finneys_column_from.html Read Peter Finney's column on Ali vs. Spinks 2 at the Superdome in 1978] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419053449/http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/read_peter_finneys_column_from.html |date=April 19, 2018 }}, ''The Times-Picayune'' NOLA.com (New Orleans, LA.), re-posted on June 4, 2016.</ref> Ali won a unanimous decision in an uninspiring fight, with referee Lucien Joubert scoring rounds 10–4, judge Ernie Cojoe 10–4, and judge Herman Preis 11–4. This made Ali the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times.<ref>''Muhammad Ali, The Glory Years'', Felix Dennis and Don Atyeo, p. 258.</ref><ref name="RingsideReport.com, Kevin Kincade, 2016">[http://ringsidereport.com/?p=63321 The Last Flight of the Butterfly: Remembering Ali vs Spinks II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419053533/http://ringsidereport.com/?p=63321 |date=April 19, 2018 }}, RingsideReport.com, Kevin "The Voice" Kincade, September 22, 2016.</ref>

Following this win, on July 27, 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing. His retirement was short-lived, however; Ali announced his comeback to face [[Larry Holmes]] for the WBC belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time. The fight was largely motivated by Ali's need for money. Boxing writer [[Richie Giachetti]] said, "Larry didn't want to fight Ali. He knew Ali had nothing left; he knew it would be a horror."

It was around this time that Ali started struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/us/muhammad-ali-fast-facts |title=Muhammad Ali Fast Facts |work=CNN|access-date=February 20, 2013 |archive-date=March 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327055610/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/us/muhammad-ali---fast-facts |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Nevada Athletic Commission]] (NAC) ordered that he undergo a complete physical in Las Vegas before being allowed to fight again. Ali chose instead to check into the [[Mayo Clinic]], who declared him fit to fight. Their opinion was accepted by the NAC on July 31, 1980, paving the way for Ali's return to the ring.<ref name="LVSun 50">{{cite news |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/muhammad-ali/timeline/ |title=Timeline: Fifty years of Las Vegas memories for Muhammad Ali |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=November 12, 2013 |last=Koch |first=Ed |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112134317/http://www.lasvegassun.com/muhammad-ali/timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Fight stoppage vs. Larry Holmes====
{{main|Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali}}
On October 2, 1980, Ali returned to the ring to fight Holmes at [[Caesars Palace]] in [[Las Vegas]]. Holmes, who fought under the nickname "The [[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]] Assassin", easily dominated Ali. After the tenth round, [[Angelo Dundee]] stepped into the ring and instructed the referee to stop the fight. It was the only time Ali ever lost by [[technical knockout|stoppage]].

Immediately after the fight, Ali was given painkillers and antidepressants, in violation of World Boxing Council rules prohibiting the administration of any drug before the postfight urinalysis.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Bart |title=Ali Faces Ring Suspension |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/10/15/ali-faces-ring-suspension/20b7b27d-ce78-485e-9b10-399387218d5a/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 5, 2023 |language=English |date=October 15, 1980 |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828170407/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/10/15/ali-faces-ring-suspension/20b7b27d-ce78-485e-9b10-399387218d5a/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Eig |first1=Jonathan |title=Failed drug test was sign of the great man's decline |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/article/failed-drug-test-was-sign-of-the-great-mans-decline-bcrwwbvnj |website=The Times |access-date=April 5, 2023 |language=English |date=September 30, 2017 |archive-date=November 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111191348/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/failed-drug-test-was-sign-of-the-great-mans-decline-bcrwwbvnj |url-status=live }}</ref>

Giachetti called the fight "awful...the worst sports event I ever had to cover". Actor [[Sylvester Stallone]] was ringside for the fight and said that it was like watching an autopsy on a man who is still alive.<ref name="Hauser 2004" /> The Holmes fight is said to have contributed to Ali's [[Parkinson's syndrome]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/arts/television/27muhammad.html |work=The New York Times |title=Boxing King Casts His Shadow, Even at Time of Defeat |date=October 26, 2009 |access-date=March 5, 2012 |first1=Mike |last1=Hale |archive-date=March 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310053609/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/arts/television/27muhammad.html? |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/sports/muhammad-ali-doctor-doubts-parkinsons-1.3619442 ''AP''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112024309/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/muhammad-ali-doctor-doubts-parkinsons-1.3619442 |date=November 12, 2020 }} "Muhammad Ali's doctor doubts boxing led to Parkinson's", ''Associated Press'' via ''CBC'', June 6. 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2018.</ref><ref name="nytimes" /> Despite pleas to definitively retire, Ali fought one last time on [[Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick|December 11, 1981]], in Nassau, [[Bahamas]], against [[Trevor Berbick]], losing a ten-round decision.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali to try again? |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1870&dat=19810816&id=9_EwAAAAIBAJ&pg=2603,113296&hl=en |newspaper=The Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal |agency=Associated Press |date=August 16, 1981 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828083317/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1870&dat=19810816&id=9_EwAAAAIBAJ&pg=2603%2C113296&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=It's all over for Ali after loss |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19811212&id=XKUyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3700,2405394&hl=en |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |agency=Associated Press |date=December 12, 1981 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929102632/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19811212&id=XKUyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3700,2405394&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=William |last=Nack |author-link=William Nack |title=Not with a bang but a whisper |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1981/12/21/826243/not-with-a-bang-but-a-whisper-after-losing-to-trevor-berbick-a-subdued-muhammad-ali-softly-admitted-that-his-illustrious-career-had-come-to-an-end |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=December 21, 1981 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609212952/http://www.si.com/vault/1981/12/21/826243/not-with-a-bang-but-a-whisper-after-losing-to-trevor-berbick-a-subdued-muhammad-ali-softly-admitted-that-his-illustrious-career-had-come-to-an-end |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Exhibition bouts==
{{Further|Boxing career of Muhammad Ali#Exhibition bouts}}

In exhibitions, Ali boxed both well-known boxers and celebrities from other walks of life, including [[Antonio Inoki]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/1716-the-joke-that-almost-ended-ali-s-career/|title=The Joke That Almost Ended Ali's Career|author=Aaron Tallent|work=The Sweet Science|access-date=July 11, 2015|archive-date=February 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221001501/http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/1716-the-joke-that-almost-ended-ali-s-career}}</ref> [[Michael Dokes]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/sports/michael-dokes-larger-than-life-heavyweight-boxer-dies-at-54.html |title=Michael Dokes, Larger-Than-Life Heavyweight Boxer, Dies at 54|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 14, 2012|access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823203212/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/sports/michael-dokes-larger-than-life-heavyweight-boxer-dies-at-54.html |archive-date=August 23, 2012 }}</ref> [[Sammy Davis Jr.]],<ref name="LasVegasSun.com">{{Cite web |title=Sammy Davis Jr. |url=https://lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2014/may/24/0524_sammy_davis/537957/ |access-date=June 8, 2023 |website=LasVegasSun.com |language=en |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015134250/https://lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2014/may/24/0524_sammy_davis/537957/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Richard Pryor]],<ref name="LasVegasSun.com" /> [[Marvin Gaye]],<ref name="LasVegasSun.com" /> [[Burt Young]],<ref name="LasVegasSun.com" /> [[Lyle Alzado]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boxinghalloffame.com/muhammad-ali-boxing-footballs-lyle-alzado/|title=Muhammad Ali Boxing Football's Lyle Alzado|website=Boxing Hall of Fame|access-date=July 11, 2015|archive-date=July 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715043410/http://boxinghalloffame.com/muhammad-ali-boxing-footballs-lyle-alzado/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dave Semenko]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2008/01/ali-vs-semenko-it-really-happened.html|title=Greatest Hockey Legends.com: Ali vs. Semenko – It Really Happened|work=Greatesthockeylegends.com|access-date=July 11, 2015|archive-date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706200625/http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2008/01/ali-vs-semenko-it-really-happened.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Puerto Rican comedian [[Jose Miguel Agrelot]] (with [[Iris Chacon]] acting as Agrelot's corner-woman).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doncholito.org/filantropia.html|title=Filantropia – Fundación José Miguel Agrelot|work=Doncholito.org|access-date=July 11, 2015|archive-date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706181727/http://www.doncholito.org/filantropia.html}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Sibling===
[[Rahaman Ali]] (1943–2025) was Ali's only sibling. Though not as successful as his brother, Rahaman, who was born Rudolph Arnett Clay, would also follow in his brother's footsteps and become a professional boxer from 1964 to 1972.<ref name=brotherrahaman>{{cite web |title=Rahaman Ali, Younger Brother of Muhammad Ali, Dies At 82 |url=https://alicenter.org/rahaman-ali-younger-brother-of-muhammad-ali-dies-at-82/ |website=Muhammad Ali Center |access-date=August 2, 2025 |date=August 4, 2025 |archive-date=August 2, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250802203738/https://alicenter.org/rahaman-ali-younger-brother-of-muhammad-ali-dies-at-82/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After his professional career ended, Rahaman would often travel and train with Muhammad.<ref name=brotherrahaman />

===Marriages and children===
{{hidden|style=float:right; clear:right; width:22em; margin-left:1em; border:1px #aaa solid;
|title=Children of Muhammad Ali
|content=
* With Belinda Boyd
** Maryum (born 1968)
** Jamillah (born 1970)
** Rasheda (born 1970)
** Muhammad Jr. (born 1972)
* With Patricia Harvell
** Miya (born 1972)
* With Wanda Bolton
** Khaliah (born 1974)
* With Veronica Porché
** Hana (born 1976)
** [[Laila Ali|Laila]] (born 1977)
* With Yolanda Williams
** Asaad (adopted 1986)
}}
Ali was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons. Ali was introduced to cocktail waitress Sonji Roi by [[Jabir Herbert Muhammad|Herbert Muhammad]], who was to become Ali's long-time manager, and asked her to marry him after their first date. They married approximately one month later on August 14, 1964.<ref>{{cite book |last=Micklos |first=John Jr. |title=Muhammad Ali: "I Am the Greatest" |url={{GBurl|id=wjeaQAmQ0FMC|p=54}} |year=2010 |publisher=[[Enslow Publishers]] |location=Berkeley Heights, NJ |isbn=978-0-7660-3381-8 |page=54}}</ref> They quarreled over Sonji's refusal to join the Nation of Islam.<ref name="Ali: A Life-2017">{{Cite web|url=http://www.alialife.com/press/2017/6/22/how-much-you-gonna-pay-me-asked-muhammad-alis-brother|title=Ep. 6: "How Much You Gonna Pay Me?" – Rahman Ali|website=Ali: A Life|date=July 3, 2017|access-date=October 27, 2020|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031020730/http://www.alialife.com/press/2017/6/22/how-much-you-gonna-pay-me-asked-muhammad-alis-brother|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Ali, "She wouldn't do what she was supposed to do. She wore lipstick; she went into bars; she dressed in clothes that were revealing and didn't look right."<ref>{{cite book |last=Hauser |first=Thomas |title=Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times |year=2012 |publisher=Open Road Integrated Media |isbn=978-1-4532-4119-6 |page=252}}</ref> The marriage was childless and they divorced on January 10, 1966. Just before the divorce was finalized, Ali sent Sonji a note: "You traded heaven for hell, baby."<ref>{{cite book |last=Hauser |first=Thomas |title=Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times |year=2012 |publisher=Open Road Integrated Media |isbn=978-1-4532-4119-6 |page=288}}</ref> Ali's brother Rahaman said that she was Ali's only true love and the Nation of Islam made Ali divorce her and Ali never got over it.<ref name="Ali: A Life-2017"/>

[[File:1967 Wire Photograph Muhammad Khalilah Ali Belinda Boyd Wedding.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali and Boyd after their wedding|Ali and Boyd after their wedding]]
On August 17, 1967, Ali married 17-year-old [[Belinda Boyd]]. In an interview with NBC 6, Boyd recounted meeting Ali when she was 10 years old at her hometown mosque. Boyd stated Ali signed an autograph for her while humorously remarking on his future fame, saying, "Listen here little girl. This is my name. Imma be famous. You need to keep that 'cause it's gone be worth a lot of money." Boyd said, "You'll never be famous with that name. And, I walked away."<ref>{{cite web |title= The Secrets of Ali: Former Wife of Boxing Champ Tells All |url= https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/the-secrets-of-ali-former-wife-of-boxing-champ-tells-all/126869/ |website= nbcmiami.com |date= July 25, 2019 |language= en |access-date= November 6, 2022 |archive-date= November 6, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221106045338/https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/the-secrets-of-ali-former-wife-of-boxing-champ-tells-all/126869/ |url-status= live }}</ref> Born into a Chicago family that had converted to the Nation Of Islam, she later changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: author and rapper Maryum<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 8, 2003 |title=Muhammad Ali's Daughter, May May Ali, Writes Children's Book About His Boxing Career |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L7QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38 |magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]   |volume=104 |issue=24 |pages=38–39 |issn=0021-5996 |via=Google Books |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224050/https://books.google.com/books?id=L7QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> "May May" (born 1968); twins Jamillah and Rasheda (born 1970); and Muhammad Ali Jr. (born 1972).<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 26, 2014 |title=Muhammad Ali's son shut off from dad, living in poverty |url=https://nypost.com/2014/01/26/muhammad-alis-son-shut-off-dad-living-in-poverty-in-chicago/ |access-date=November 20, 2021 |archive-date=November 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120063302/https://nypost.com/2014/01/26/muhammad-alis-son-shut-off-dad-living-in-poverty-in-chicago/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Rasheda married Robert Walsh and has two sons: Biaggio Ali (born 1998), who is an amateur [[MMA]] fighter, and [[Nico Ali Walsh|Nico Ali]] (born 2000), who is a professional boxer.<ref>{{cite news |title=For Muhammad Ali's grandson, family legacy extends beyond the ring |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/10/nico-ali-walsh-muhammad-ali-grandson/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-date=December 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210221337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/10/nico-ali-walsh-muhammad-ali-grandson/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ali was a resident of [[Cherry Hill, New Jersey]], in suburban [[Philadelphia]] in the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00014057.html |title=Ali's camp now a bed and breakfast |work=ESPN |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209061407/http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014057.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At age 31 in 1973, Ali began an extramarital relationship with 16-year-old Wanda Bolton (who subsequently changed her name to Aaisha Fletcher) with whom he fathered another daughter, Khaliah (born June 1974).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/local/20091025_Charity_mission_to_commemorate_a_memorable_fight.html|title=Charity mission to commemorate a memorable fight|first=Carolyn|last=Davis|date=October 25, 2009|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|archive-date=September 11, 2021|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911111748/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/local/20091025_Charity_mission_to_commemorate_a_memorable_fight.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="khalilah"/> While still married to Belinda, Ali married Aaisha in an Islamic ceremony that was not legally recognized. According to Khaliah, Aaisha and her mother lived at Ali's Deer Lake training camp alongside Belinda and her children.<ref name="khalilah">{{cite news|title=Ali Daughter Tosses Book in Ring|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/ali-daughter-tosses-book-ring-article-1.906525|work=New York Daily News|first=George |last=Rush|author2=Joanna Molloy|author3=Lola Ogunnaike|author4=Kasia Anderson|date=March 18, 2001|access-date=October 15, 2016|archive-date=October 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018225647/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/ali-daughter-tosses-book-ring-article-1.906525}}</ref> In January 1985, Aaisha sued Ali for unpaid palimony. The case was settled when Ali agreed to set up a $200,000 trust fund for Khaliah.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali agreed Tuesday ... |url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/01/28/Former-three-time-heavyweight-boxing-champion-Muhammad-Ali-agreed-Tuesday/9145507272400/ |work=UPI |date=January 28, 1986 |access-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019012949/http://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/01/28/Former-three-time-heavyweight-boxing-champion-Muhammad-Ali-agreed-Tuesday/9145507272400/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2001, Khaliah was quoted as saying she believed her father viewed her as "a mistake".<ref name="khalilah" /> He had another daughter, Miya (born 1972), from an extramarital relationship with Patricia Harvell.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lifetimetv.co.uk/biography/biography-muhammed-ali |title=Muhammed Ali Biography (sic) |publisher=Lifetime |date=May 23, 2006 |access-date=May 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404103321/http://www.lifetimetv.co.uk/biography/biography-muhammed-ali |archive-date=April 4, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Ali in Baltimore with Veronica 1977.jpg|thumb|Muhammad Ali with wife Veronica Porché at a fundraiser in Baltimore, 1977]]
[[File:Muhammad Ali with his daughter Hana.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali with his daughter Hana as a baby in 1977|Ali with his daughter Hana as a baby in 1977]]
By the summer of 1977, his second marriage ended due to Ali's repeated infidelity, and he had married actress and model Veronica Porché.<ref name="Porché Ali">{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali's ex-wife reveals details about their secret wedding |url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/muhammad-alis-ex-wife-reveals-details-about-their-secret-wedding |work=USA Today |first=Josh |last=Peter |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005153523/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/muhammad-alis-ex-wife-reveals-details-about-their-secret-wedding |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time of their marriage, they had a daughter, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, [[Laila Ali]], was born in December 1977, and went on to become a professional boxer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sandrarose.com/2008/03/laila-ali-expecting-a-baby|title=Laila Ali expecting a baby|date=March 26, 2008|publisher=Sandrarose.com|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=May 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507223720/https://sandrarose.com/2008/03/laila-ali-expecting-a-baby/|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1986, Ali and Porché were divorced due to Ali's continuous infidelity. Porché said of Ali's infidelity, "It was too much temptation for him, with women who threw themselves at him. It didn't mean anything. He didn't have affairs – he had one-night stands. I knew beyond a doubt there were no feelings involved. It was so obvious, It was easy to forgive him."<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Muhammad Ali's Ex-Wives Forgave His Infidelity: Cheating 'Never Meant Anything to Him' |first=Kurt |last=Pitzer |url=https://people.com/sports/muhammad-alis-ex-wives-forgave-his-infidelity/ |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=October 28, 2020 |website=People |language=EN |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030232450/https://people.com/sports/muhammad-alis-ex-wives-forgave-his-infidelity/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda "Lonnie" Williams. Lonnie first met Ali at the age of 6 when her family moved to Louisville in 1963.<ref name="Crouse-2016">{{Cite news|last=Crouse|first=Karen|date=June 9, 2016|title=Muhammad Ali Was Her First, and Greatest, Love|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/sports/muhammad-ali-wife-lonnie-ali.html|access-date=June 3, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603012222/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/sports/muhammad-ali-wife-lonnie-ali.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1982, she became Ali's primary caregiver and in return, he paid for her to attend graduate school at [[UCLA]].<ref name="Crouse-2016" /> Together they adopted a son, Asaad Amin (born 1986), when Asaad was five months old.<ref>Allen, Nick (June 5, 2016), [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/05/could-muhammad-alis-80m-fortune-become-subject-of-bitter-legal-b/ "Could Muhammad Ali's $80m fortune become subject of bitter legal battle?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620043638/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/05/could-muhammad-alis-80m-fortune-become-subject-of-bitter-legal-b/ |date=June 20, 2018 }}, ''The Daily Telegraph''.</ref> In 1992, Lonnie incorporated Greatest of All Time, Inc. (G.O.A.T. Inc) to consolidate and license his [[intellectual properties]] for commercial purposes. She served as the vice president and treasurer until the sale of the company in 2006.<ref name="Crouse-2016" />

[[File:Muhammad Ali and wife Lonnie.jpg|left|thumb|Ali with wife Lonnie in Washington, D.C., 2001]]
Ali then lived in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]] with Lonnie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2013/02/04/Brother-Muhammad-Alis-health-failing/UPI-72601359961200/ |work=United Press International |title=Brother: Muhammad Ali's health failing |access-date=September 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813104029/http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2013/02/04/Brother-Muhammad-Alis-health-failing/UPI-72601359961200/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref> In January 2007, it was reported that they had put their home in [[Berrien Springs, Michigan]], which they had bought in 1975,<ref>{{cite news |first=Dale |last=Brewer |title=When Ali was King |url=https://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/when-ali-was-king/article_b2f9f7b8-6988-57e1-a73f-78c2fdf67312.html |work=[[The Herald-Palladium]] |date=September 16, 2018 |access-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916123936/https://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/when-ali-was-king/article_b2f9f7b8-6988-57e1-a73f-78c2fdf67312.html |url-status=live }}</ref> up for sale and had purchased a home in eastern [[Jefferson County, Kentucky]], for $1,875,000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shafer |first=Sheldon S. |title=Ali coming home, buys house in Jefferson County |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |date=January 25, 2007 |url=http://www.greaterlouisville.com/content/community/FYI/pdf/files/ali%20will%20return%20home,%20buys%20louisville%20house.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325161651/http://www.greaterlouisville.com/content/community/FYI/pdf/files/ali%20will%20return%20home,%20buys%20louisville%20house.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |access-date=January 25, 2007 }}</ref> Both homes were subsequently sold after Ali's death with Lonnie living in their remaining home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late twenties.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sheridan |first=Patricia |date=December 3, 2007 |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07337/838655-129.stm |title=Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Lonnie Ali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118060129/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07337/838655-129.stm |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |access-date=January 7, 2024 }}</ref>

Ali's daughter Laila was a professional boxer from 1999 until 2007,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.womenboxing.com/lailaali.htm |title=Laila Ali |publisher=Womenboxing.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023004825/http://www.womenboxing.com/lailaali.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> despite her father's previous opposition to women's boxing. In 1978, he said "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.womenboxing.com/ali.htm |title=Boxing- Muhammad Ali |publisher=Womenboxing.com |date=June 8, 2001 |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227065349/http://www.womenboxing.com/ali.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali still attended a number of his daughter's fights.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/sports/othersports/laila-ali-with-her-father-watching-stays-undefeated.html |title=Laila Ali, With Her Father Watching, Stays Undefeated |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 12, 2005 |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527030905/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/sports/othersports/laila-ali-with-her-father-watching-stays-undefeated.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali's daughter Hana is married to [[Bellator MMA|Bellator]] [[Middleweight (MMA)|middleweight]] fighter [[Kevin Casey (fighter)|Kevin Casey]]. Hana wrote about her father, "His love for people was extraordinary. I would get home from school to find homeless families sleeping in our guest room. He'd see them on the street, pile them into his Rolls-Royce and bring them home. He'd buy them clothes, take them to hotels and pay the bills for months in advance." She also said celebrities like [[Michael Jackson]] and [[Clint Eastwood]] would often visit Ali.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cepeda |first=Elias |url=http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/kevin-casey-will-fight-at-ufc-199-despite-passing-of-legendary-father-in-law-muhammad-ali-060416 |title=Kevin Casey will fight at UFC 199 despite passing of father-in-law Muhammad Ali |work=[[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606095809/http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/kevin-casey-will-fight-at-ufc-199-despite-passing-of-legendary-father-in-law-muhammad-ali-060416 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mohammed |first=Sagal |date=September 2, 2018 |title=My dad, the greatest: Hana Ali recalls the crushing heartache that would haunt her father his whole life |url=https://www.you.co.uk/hana-ali-my-dad-the-greatest/ |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=You Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011190231/https://www.you.co.uk/hana-ali-my-dad-the-greatest/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Paternity claims====
Kiiursti Mensah-Ali claims she is Ali's biological daughter with Barbara Mensah, with whom he allegedly had a 20-year relationship,<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Muhammad Ali confesses illness put a stop to his 'girl chasing,' but his son is just starting. |magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |via=Google Books |access-date=March 14, 2017 |date=January 27, 1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LjsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32 |volume=91 |number=10 |pages=32–33  |issn=0021-5996 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224051/https://books.google.com/books?id=LjsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Davis |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930912/1720560/still-larger-than-life----to-millions-muhammad-ali-will-always-be-the-champ |title=Still Larger Than Life – To Millions, Muhammad Ali Will Always Be The Champ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 3, 2021 |date=September 12, 1993 |archive-date=June 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610105241/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930912 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mzTW9Nitee4C |title=Entertainment Celebrities |first=Norbert B. |last=Laufenberg |publisher=Trafford Publishing |year=2005 |access-date=December 5, 2010 |isbn=978-1-4120-5335-8 |page=9 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224604/https://books.google.com/books?id=mzTW9Nitee4C |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bollinger |first=Rhett |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090611&content_id=5270622&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Angels draft boxing legend Ali's son |publisher=Major League Baseball |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082741/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090611&content_id=5270622&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |url-status=live }}</ref> citing photographs and a paternity test conducted in 1988. She said he accepted responsibility and took care of her, but all contacts with him were cut off after he married his fourth wife Lonnie. Kiiursti says she has a relationship with his other children. After his death she again made passionate appeals to be allowed to mourn at his funeral.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bucktin |first=Christopher |title=Muhammad Ali's secret daughter begs to see boxing legend one more time 'before he dies' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muhammad-alis-secret-daughter-begs-4256662 |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=September 13, 2014 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605081930/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muhammad-alis-secret-daughter-begs-4256662 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://omgvoice.com/news/kiiursti-mensah-ali/ |title=6 Facts About Kiiursti Mensah Ali, Muhammed Ali's Ghanaian Daughter You Need To Know (''sic'') |author=Ofori-Mensah |publisher=omgvoice.com |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606123844/http://omgvoice.com/news/kiiursti-mensah-ali/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Peter |last2=Allen |first2=Nick |title=Muhammad Ali's tangled love life leaves troubled legacy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/04/muhammad-alis-tangled-love-life-leaves-troubled-legacy/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/04/muhammad-alis-tangled-love-life-leaves-troubled-legacy/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2010, Osmon Williams came forward claiming to be Ali's biological son.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali's alleged lovechild talks to tabloids |url=http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/157579/Ali-s-alleged-lovechild-talks-to-tabloids |work=[[The Daily Express]] |date=February 11, 2010 |access-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019012508/http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/157579/Ali-s-alleged-lovechild-talks-to-tabloids |url-status=live }}</ref> His mother Temica Williams (also known as Rebecca Holloway) launched a $3&nbsp;million lawsuit against Ali in 1981 for sexual assault, claiming that she had started a sexual relationship with him when she was 12, and that her son Osmon (born 1977) was fathered by Ali when she was 17.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/04/24/An-18-year-old-woman-has-filed-suit-seeking-3-million/3454356936400/ |work=United Press International |title=An 18-year-old woman has filed suit seeking $3 million ... |access-date=May 27, 2018 |date=April 24, 1981 |archive-date=May 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528052011/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/04/24/An-18-year-old-woman-has-filed-suit-seeking-3-million/3454356936400/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She further alleged that Ali had originally supported her and her son financially, but stopped doing so after four years. The case went on until 1986 and was eventually thrown out as her allegations were deemed to be barred by the [[statute of limitations]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allcourtdata.com/law/case/williams-v-ali/cw3BaicI?page=1 |website=All Court Data |title=''Temica Williams a/k/a Rebecca Jean Holloway, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Muhammad Ali, Defendant-Appellee'' |access-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019000108/http://www.allcourtdata.com/law/case/williams-v-ali/cw3BaicI?page=1 }}</ref> According to Veronica, Ali admitted to the affair with Williams, but did not believe Osmon was his son, which Veronica supported by saying: "Everybody in the camp was going with that girl."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eig |first=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzjeDQAAQBAJ&q=veronica%2Beveryone%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcamp%2Bgirl%2Bveronica%2Btemica%2Bali&pg=PR55 |title=Ali: A Life: Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017 |date=2017 |publisher=Simon & Schuster UK |isbn=978-1-4711-5596-3 |language=en |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724230538/https://books.google.com/books?id=JzjeDQAAQBAJ&pg=PR55&q=veronica%2Beveryone%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcamp%2Bgirl%2Bveronica%2Btemica%2Bali |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Eig |first=Jonathan |year=2017 |title=Ali: A Life |location=London |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1-4711-5593-2 |oclc=968294310 |page=416}}</ref> Ali's biographer and friend [[Thomas Hauser]] has said this claim was of "questionable veracity".<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 29, 2017 |title='Ali: A Life': A biography that's not The Greatest – The Ring |language=en-US |work=The Ring |url=https://www.ringtv.com/518783-ali-life-biography-thats-not-greatest/ |access-date=September 6, 2020 |archive-date=May 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517164140/https://www.ringtv.com/518783-ali-life-biography-thats-not-greatest/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Religion and beliefs===
{{Main|Religious views of Muhammad Ali}}

====Affiliation with the Nation of Islam====
Ali said that he first heard of the [[Nation of Islam]] when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago in 1959 and attended his first Nation of Islam meeting in 1961. He continued to attend meetings, although he kept his involvement hidden from the public. In 1962, Clay met [[Malcolm X]], who soon became his spiritual and political mentor.<ref name="Guardian Mitchell">{{cite news |last=Mitchell |first=Kevin |title=From the Vietnam war to Islam – the key chapters in Ali's life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/muhammad-ali-key-chapters |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202190150/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/muhammad-ali-key-chapters |url-status=live }}</ref> By the time of the first Liston fight, Nation of Islam members, including Malcolm X, were visible in his entourage. This led to a story in ''[[The Miami Herald]]'' just before the fight disclosing that Clay had joined the Nation of Islam, which nearly caused the bout to be canceled. The article quoted Cassius Clay Sr. as saying that his son had joined the [[African-American Muslims|Black Muslims]] when he was 18.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19640207&id=XF4bAAAAIBAJ&pg=5091,2145696 |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |title=Muslim Charge Clams Up Clay |date=February 7, 1964 |access-date=September 7, 2020 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828083315/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19640207&id=XF4bAAAAIBAJ&pg=5091%2C2145696 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Elijah Muhammad and Cassius Clay NYWTS.jpg|thumb|left|Ali (seen in background) at an address by [[Elijah Muhammad]] in 1964]]
In fact, Clay was initially refused entry to the Nation of Islam (often called the Black [[Muslim]]s at the time) due to his boxing career. However, after he won the championship from Liston in 1964, the Nation of Islam was more receptive and agreed to publicize his membership.<ref name="Guardian Mitchell" /> Shortly afterwards on March 6, Elijah Muhammad gave a radio address that Clay would be renamed [[Muhammad]] (one who is worthy of praise) [[Ali (name)|Ali]] (most high).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00014063.html |title=He is simply ... The Greatest |last=Schwartz |first=Larry |work=ESPN |access-date=March 4, 2018 |archive-date=August 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813160258/http://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00014063.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Around that time Ali moved to the south side of Chicago and lived in a series of houses, always near the Nation of Islam's [[Mosque Maryam]] or Elijah Muhammad's residence. He stayed in Chicago for about 12 years.<ref>{{cite news |last=Steinberg |first=Neil |date=June 4, 2016 |title=For a time, Ali called Chicago home |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/steinberg-for-a-time-ali-called-chicago-home |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605203256/http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/steinberg-for-a-time-ali-called-chicago-home/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Only a few journalists, most notably Howard Cosell, accepted the new name at that time. Ali stated that his earlier name was a "[[slave name]]" and a "white man's name" and added that "I didn't choose it and I don't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name".<ref name="Name origin">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p014mvdx |title=History website, Muhammad Ali: "Cassius Clay is my slave name" |publisher=BBC |access-date=July 2, 2013 |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628071251/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p014mvdx |url-status=live }}</ref> The person he was formerly named after was [[Cassius Marcellus Clay (politician)|a white slave owner turned abolitionist]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yale.edu/2016/06/09/muhammad-ali-originally-named-ardent-abolitionist-and-yale-alumnus-cassius-clay |title=Muhammad Ali originally named for ardent abolitionist and Yale alumnus Cassius Clay |work=Yale News |first=Susan |last=Gonzalez |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-date=December 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214192245/https://news.yale.edu/2016/06/09/muhammad-ali-originally-named-ardent-abolitionist-and-yale-alumnus-cassius-clay |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali explained in his autobiography after studying his works, "he may have gotten rid of his slaves, 'but (he) held on to white supremacy{{'"}}.<ref name="Heritage">{{Cite web |title=Heritage of a Heavyweight |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/ali-heritage.html?_r=1 |access-date=September 27, 2020 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615135238/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/ali-heritage.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali concluded: "Why should I keep my white slavemaster's name visible and my black ancestors invisible, unknown, unhonored?"<ref name="Name origin"/>

Not afraid to antagonize the white establishment, Ali stated, "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me."<ref>{{cite news |title='I am America': Muhammad Ali's fight for civil rights |url=http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/06/05/06/23/muhammad-ali-s-other-fight-for-civil-rights |access-date=June 4, 2016 |agency=Agence France-Presse |work=9News |location=Australia |date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605101019/http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/06/05/06/23/muhammad-ali-s-other-fight-for-civil-rights |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali's friendship with Malcolm X ended as Malcolm split with the Nation of Islam a couple of weeks after Ali joined, and Ali remained with the Nation of Islam.<ref name=Times64-03-09>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F07E6DA1230E033A2575AC0A9659C946591D6CF |title=Malcolm X Splits with Muhammad |access-date=August 1, 2008 |last=Handler |first=M. S. |date=March 9, 1964 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=July 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720070810/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F07E6DA1230E033A2575AC0A9659C946591D6CF |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="National Review Feb 2016">{{cite news |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/articles/431161/champ-and-mr-x |title=The Champ and Mr. X |work=National Review |date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-date=February 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201205952/https://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/articles/431161/champ-and-mr-x |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali later said that turning his back on Malcolm was one of the mistakes he regretted most in his life.<ref name="Soul of a Butterfly">{{cite book |last1=Ali |first1=Muhammad |last2=Ali |first2=Hana Yasmeen |title=The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey |year=2004 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-7432-6286-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h6G-Cy5c0GgC |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224605/https://books.google.com/books?id=h6G-Cy5c0GgC |url-status=live }}</ref>

Aligning himself with the Nation of Islam, its leader [[Elijah Muhammad]], and a narrative that labeled the white race as the perpetrator of genocide against African Americans made Ali a target of public condemnation. The Nation of Islam was widely viewed by whites and some African Americans as a black separatist "hate religion" with a propensity toward violence; Ali had few qualms about using his influential voice to speak Nation of Islam doctrine.<ref name="thegrio.com">{{cite web |last=Garcia |first=Courtney |url=http://thegrio.com/2013/09/06/trials-of-muhammad-ali-highlights-boxers-anti-war-opposition/ |title='Trials of Muhammad Ali' highlights boxer's anti-war opposition |publisher=theGrio |date=September 6, 2013 |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193949/http://thegrio.com/2013/09/06/trials-of-muhammad-ali-highlights-boxers-anti-war-opposition/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In a press conference articulating his opposition to the Vietnam War, Ali stated, "My enemy is the white people, not Vietcong or Chinese or Japanese."<ref name="tribune">{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/08/31/the-trials-of-a-chicago-director-making-muhammad-ali-doc/ |title=The trials of a Chicago director making Muhammad Ali doc |website=Chicago Tribune |first=Nina |last=Metz |date=August 31, 2013 |access-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-date=July 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723020015/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-31/entertainment/ct-ae-0901-fall-movie-profile-20130831_1_muhammad-ali-opposer-chicago-director |url-status=live }}</ref>

Writer [[Jerry Izenberg]] once noted that, "the Nation became Ali's family and Elijah Muhammad became his father. But there is an irony to the fact that while the Nation branded white people as devils, Ali had more white colleagues than most African American people did at that time in America, and continued to have them throughout his career."<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

====Conversion to Sunni Islam====
In Hauser's biography ''Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times'', Ali stated that he was not a Christian as he thought the idea of God having a son sounded wrong and did not make sense to him, stating, "God don't beget; man begets". However, he still believed that even good Christians or good Jews could receive God's blessing and enter heaven as he stated, "God created all people, no matter what their religion". He also stated, "If you're against someone because he's a Muslim that's wrong. If you're against someone because he's a Christian or a Jew, that's wrong".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hauser |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6aaV0p8jaeUC&q=beget |title=Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times |year=1992 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-671-77971-9 |language=en |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224606/https://books.google.com/books?id=6aaV0p8jaeUC&q=beget#v=snippet&q=beget&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION MUHAMMAD ALI, A BLACK MUSLIM, ATTENDS THE SECT'S SERVICE TO HEAR ELIJAH MUHAMMAD... - NARA - 556247.jpg|thumb|Ali attending a [[Saviours' Day]] celebration in 1974]]

In a 2004 autobiography, Ali attributed his conversion to mainstream [[Sunni Islam]] to [[Warith Deen Muhammad]], who assumed leadership of the Nation of Islam upon the death of his father Elijah Muhammad and persuaded the Nation's followers to become adherents of Sunni Islam. He said some people did not like the change and stuck to Elijah's teachings, but he admired it, and so left Elijah's teachings and became a follower of Sunni Islam.<ref name = "Soul of a Butterfly 85">{{cite book |title=The Soul of a Butterfly |first1=Muhammad |last1=Ali |first2=Hana Yasmeen |last2=Ali |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=85 |year=2013}}</ref>

Ali had gone on the [[Hajj]] pilgrimage to [[Mecca]] in 1972, which inspired him in a similar manner to Malcolm X, meeting people of different colors from all over the world giving him a different outlook and greater [[Spirituality|spiritual]] awareness.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.emel.com/article?id=109&a_id=1722&c=32 |title=Muhammed Ali's Pilgrimage to Makkah (''sic'') |magazine=[[Emel (magazine)|Emel]] |issue=17 |date=February 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914052923/http://www.emel.com/article?id=109&a_id=1722&c=32 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1977, he said that, after he retired, he would dedicate the rest of his life to getting "ready to meet God" by helping people, charitable causes, uniting people and helping to make peace.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://mashable.com/2016/06/04/muhammad-ali-retirement-video/ |title=Muhammad Ali had a thought-provoking response when asked about his retirement plans |website=[[Mashable]] |last=Bryan |first=Chloe |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910021714/http://mashable.com/2016/06/04/muhammad-ali-retirement-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He went on another Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1988.<ref name="timesofindia">{{cite news |last=Rajeev |first=K R |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Muhammad-Alis-visit-was-Kozhikodes-knockout-moment/articleshow/52597630.cms |title=Muhammad Ali's visit was Kozhikode's knockout moment |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610005305/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Muhammad-Alis-visit-was-Kozhikodes-knockout-moment/articleshow/52597630.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, he stated that "Islam is a [[religion of peace]]" and "does not promote [[terrorism]] or killing people", and that he was "angry that the world sees a certain group of Islam followers who caused this destruction, but they are not real Muslims. They are [[Extremism|racist fanatics]] who call themselves Muslims." In December 2015, after the [[November 2015 Paris attacks]], he stated that "True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so-called Islamic [[jihadists]] goes against the very tenets of our religion", that "We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda", and that "political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam, and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/muhammad-ali-face-real-islam-160606040559103.html |title=Muhammad Ali: The face of 'real Islam' |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=February 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217133837/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/muhammad-ali-face-real-islam-160606040559103.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

He also developed an interest in [[Sufism]], which he referenced in his 2003 autobiography, ''[[The Soul of a Butterfly]]''.<ref name="Soul of a Butterfly" /><ref name="CNN Lane 2016">{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/28/sport/muhammad-ali-five-things-boxing/ |title=Muhammad Ali: Five things you never knew about the boxing legend |work=CNN |date=April 28, 2016 |access-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-date=November 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119182246/http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/28/sport/muhammad-ali-five-things-boxing/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Telegraph March 2016">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/boxing/2016/03/02/family-faith-and-magic-tricks-my-40-year-friendship-with-muhamma/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/boxing/2016/03/02/family-faith-and-magic-tricks-my-40-year-friendship-with-muhamma/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Family, faith and magic tricks: My 40-year friendship with Muhammad Ali |work=The Telegraph |date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=December 13, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> According to Ali's daughter, Hana Yasmeen Ali, who co-authored ''The Soul of a Butterfly'' with him, Ali was attracted to Sufism after reading the books of [[Inayat Khan]], which contain Sufi teachings.<ref name="On Being June 2016">{{cite news |url=http://www.onbeing.org/blog/omid-safi-muhammad-ali-unapologetically-black-unapologetically-muslim/8735 |title=Muhammad Ali: Unapologetically Black, Unapologetically Muslim |work=[[On Being]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220165249/http://www.onbeing.org/blog/omid-safi-muhammad-ali-unapologetically-black-unapologetically-muslim/8735 }}</ref><ref name="Beliefnet Hana Yasmeen Ali interview">{{cite news |url=http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/islam/2005/02/muhammad-alis-new-spiritual-quest.aspx? |title=Muhammad Ali's New Spiritual Quest |work=[[Beliefnet]] |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220230116/http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/islam/2005/02/muhammad-alis-new-spiritual-quest.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

Muhammad Ali received guidance from Islamic scholars such as [[Grand Mufti of Syria]] Al Marhum Al Sheikh [[Ahmed Kuftaro]], [[Hisham Kabbani]], Imam [[Zaid Shakir]], [[Hamza Yusuf]], and Timothy J. Gianotti, who planned his funeral.<ref name="Timothy Gianotti - The Imam whose on Muhammad Ali's last days and funeral">{{cite news |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/studies-in-islam/people-profiles/timothy-gianotti-0 |title=Timothy Gianotti – The Imam whose on Muhammad Ali's last days and funeral |work=[[On Being]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=September 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927115036/https://uwaterloo.ca/studies-in-islam/people-profiles/timothy-gianotti-0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Prof. Gianotti plans Muhammad Ali's funeral and memorial service">{{cite news |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/studies-in-islam/news/prof-gianotti-plans-muhammad-alis-funeral-and-memorial |title=Prof. Gianotti plans Muhammad Ali's funeral and memorial service |work=[[On Being]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=September 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927114950/https://uwaterloo.ca/studies-in-islam/news/prof-gianotti-plans-muhammad-alis-funeral-and-memorial |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Health===
During his amateur career, Ali refrained from smoking, drugs, and drinking alcohol and soda pop, and adopted an idiosyncratic diet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Remnick|first=David|title=King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero|date=2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA93|page=93|isbn=9780804173629|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|access-date=May 9, 2024|archive-date=May 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523004012/https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA93#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Upon his acceptance of the dietary restrictions of Islam, the Nation of Islam recruited cooks to prepare his meals.<ref>{{cite book|last=Remnick|first=David|title=King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero|date=2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA135|page=135|isbn=9780804173629|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|access-date=May 10, 2024|archive-date=May 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523004014/https://books.google.com/books?id=vkvoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA135#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Entertainment career==
{{Further|Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture}}
[[File:The Champ and The Clown.jpg|thumb|Ali with clowns Charlie Frye and [[Skeeter Reece]] in 1980]]

===Acting===
Ali had a cameo role in the 1962 film version of ''[[Requiem for a Heavyweight]]'', and during his exile from boxing, he starred in the short-lived 1969 Broadway musical, ''Buck White''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Langer |first1=Adam |title=Muhammad Ali in a Broadway Musical? It Happened |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/28/theater/muhammad-ali-broadway-buck-white.html |access-date=December 6, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 28, 2019 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725024740/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/28/theater/muhammad-ali-broadway-buck-white.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/buck-white-3305 |title=''Buck White'' |publisher=[[IBDB]] |access-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509051557/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/buck-white-3305 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also appeared in the documentary film ''[[Black Rodeo]]'' (1972) riding both a horse and a bull.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Keith Ryan |date=February 3, 2020 |title=When black cowboys paraded through Harlem with Muhammad Ali |url=https://andscape.com/features/black-rodeo-cowboys-paraded-through-harlem-with-muhammad-ali/ |access-date=June 2, 2024 |website=Andscape |language=en-US |archive-date=February 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222082345/https://andscape.com/features/black-rodeo-cowboys-paraded-through-harlem-with-muhammad-ali/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

His autobiography ''[[The Greatest: My Own Story]]'', written with [[Richard Durham]], was published in 1975.<ref name=cp>{{cite book |last1=Ali |first1=Muhammad |last2=Durham |first2=Richard |title=The Greatest: My Own Story |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkfhAAAAMAAJ |year=1975 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=978-0-394-46268-4 |oclc=1622063 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224607/https://books.google.com/books?id=EkfhAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1977 the book was adapted into a film called ''[[The Greatest (1977 film)|The Greatest]]'', in which Ali played himself and [[Ernest Borgnine]] played [[Angelo Dundee]].

The film ''[[Freedom Road]]'', made in 1978, features Ali in a rare acting role as Gideon Jackson, a former slave and Union soldier in 1870s Virginia, who gets elected to the U.S. Senate.

===Spoken word poetry===
{{Poem quote
|text=I've wrestled with alligators, I've tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning and throw thunder in jail.
You know I'm bad.
Just last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
I'm so mean, I make medicine sick.
|sign=Muhammad Ali<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-ali-quotes-factbox-idUSKCN0YQ082 |title=Muhammad Ali, in his own words |work=[[Reuters]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=September 17, 2023 |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005182311/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-ali-quotes-factbox-idUSKCN0YQ082 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

In 1963, Ali released an album of [[spoken word]] music on Columbia Records titled, ''[[I Am the Greatest (Cassius Clay album)|I Am the Greatest]]'', and in 1964, he recorded a [[cover version]] of the [[rhythm and blues]] song "[[Stand by Me (Ben E. King song)|Stand by Me]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTlN6pU01K0 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022125127/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTlN6pU01K0| archive-date=October 22, 2013 |title=Song ''Stand By Me'', recorded in 1964 by Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay |publisher=YouTube |date=December 13, 2008 |access-date=February 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/80810 |title=Different versions of 'Stand By Me' |publisher=Secondhandsongs.com |access-date=February 20, 2013 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104015634/http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/80810 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''I Am the Greatest'' sold 500,000 copies, and has been identified as an early example of [[rap music]] and a precursor to [[hip-hop]].{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="tinsley">{{cite news |last=Tinsley |first=Justin |title=The Grammy-nominated Cassius Clay |url=https://andscape.com/features/muhammad-ali-i-am-the-greatest-album/ |work=[[Andscape]] |date=June 8, 2016 |access-date=July 16, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810041030/https://andscape.com/features/muhammad-ali-i-am-the-greatest-album/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="rollingstone">{{cite magazine |title=Muhammad Ali: Famed Pugilist Was Also Hip-Hop Pioneer |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/muhammad-ali-worlds-greatest-boxer-was-also-hip-hop-pioneer-20160604 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515184644/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/muhammad-ali-worlds-greatest-boxer-was-also-hip-hop-pioneer-20160604 }}</ref><ref name="nytimes2" /><ref name="rollingstone1" /><ref name="rollingstone2" />}} It reached number 61 on the album chart and was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]] at the [[6th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 1964.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Grammy Award Nominees 1964 – Grammy Award Winners 1964 |work=Awards & Shows |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1964-216.html |access-date=January 24, 2023 |archive-date=December 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213121946/http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1964-216.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="rollingstone2" /> He later received a second Grammy nomination, for "Best Recording for Children", with his 1976 spoken word novelty record, ''[[The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay]]''.<ref name="rollingstone2" />

===Professional wrestling===
Ali was involved with [[professional wrestling]] at different times in his career.

On June 1, 1976, as Ali was preparing for his bout with Inoki, he attended a match featuring [[Gorilla Monsoon]]. After the match was over, Ali removed his shirt and jacket and confronted [[professional wrestler]] [[Gorilla Monsoon]] in the ring after his match at a [[World Wide Wrestling Federation]] show in [[Philadelphia Arena]]. After dodging a few punches, Monsoon put Ali in an [[airplane spin]] and dumped him to the mat. Ali stumbled to the corner, where his associate [[Butch Lewis]] convinced him to walk away.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boxinghalloffame.com/muhammad-ali-boxing-a-monsoon/ |title=Muhammad Ali Boxing a Monsoon – Boxing Hall of Fame |date=December 29, 2012 |publisher=boxinghalloffame.com |access-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-date=September 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916221053/http://boxinghalloffame.com/muhammad-ali-boxing-a-monsoon/ }}</ref>

[[File:Pat Patterson and Muhammad Ali Wrestlemania.png|thumb|Ali (right) as a special guest referee along with [[Pat Patterson]] (middle) at [[WrestleMania I]], with [[Liberace]] (left) as timekeeper]]
On March 31, 1985, Ali was the special guest referee for the main event of the [[WrestleMania I|inaugural WrestleMania]] event.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | title=Historical Cards: WrestleMania I (03-31-1985) | magazine=PWI 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of facts | location= Blue Bell, Pennsylvania | publisher= [[London Publishing]] | date=2007 | editor-first=Harry | editor-last=Burkett | page=84 | isbn=978-25274-00389}}</ref>

In 1995, Ali led a group of Japanese and American professional wrestlers, including his 1976 opponent Antonio Inoki and [[Ric Flair]], on a sports diplomacy mission to [[North Korea]]. Ali was guest of honor at the record-breaking [[Collision in Korea]], a wrestling event with the largest attendance of all time.<ref name="NK">{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Nick |title=Collision in Korea: Pyongyang's historic socialism and spandex spectacular |url=https://www.nknews.org/2020/04/collision-in-korea-pyongyangs-historic-socialism-and-spandex-spectacular/ |website=[[NK News]] |date=April 29, 2020 |access-date=June 1, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603164258/https://www.nknews.org/2020/04/collision-in-korea-pyongyangs-historic-socialism-and-spandex-spectacular/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ali was inducted into the [[WWE Hall of Fame]] by [[The Undertaker]] at the [[WWE Hall of Fame (2024)|2024 ceremony]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/article/muhammad-ali-to-be-inducted-into-wwe-hall-of-fame-class-of-2024|title=Muhammed Ali to be inducted into WWE Hall of fame class of 2024|work=wwe.com|access-date=March 11, 2024|archive-date=March 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311144539/https://www.wwe.com/article/muhammad-ali-to-be-inducted-into-wwe-hall-of-fame-class-of-2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Colin |first1=Tessier |title=The Undertaker Inducts Muhammad Ali Into WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2024 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/undertaker-inducts-muhammad-ali-wwe-041142029.html |work=[[WrestleZone]] |publisher=[[Y! Entertainment]] |access-date=June 5, 2024 |date=April 6, 2024 |archive-date=April 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406222952/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/undertaker-inducts-muhammad-ali-wwe-041142029.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Television appearances===
{{Further|Boxing career of Muhammad Ali#Television viewership}}

Muhammad Ali's fights were some of the world's [[List of most-watched television broadcasts|most-watched television broadcasts]], setting television viewership records. His most-watched fights drew an estimated 1{{ndash}}2&nbsp;billion viewers worldwide between 1974 and 1980, and were the world's most-watched live television broadcasts at the time.<ref name="briefly"/> Outside of fights, he made many other television appearances. The following table lists known viewership figures of his non-fight television appearances. For television viewership figures of his fights, see ''[[Boxing career of Muhammad Ali#Television viewership|Boxing career of Muhammad Ali: Television viewership]]''.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
|+
! Date !! Broadcast !! Region(s) !! Viewers !! Source
|-
| {{dts|1971|October|17|format=mdy}}
| ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' (series 1, episode 14)
| United Kingdom
| 12,000,000
| {{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| {{dts|1974|January|25|format=mdy}}
| ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' (series 3, episode 18)
| United Kingdom
| 12,000,000
| {{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| {{dts|1974|December|7|format=mdy}}
| ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]''
| United Kingdom
| 12,000,000
| {{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| {{dts|1977|March|28|format=mdy}}
| [[49th Academy Awards]]
| United States
| 39,719,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Academy Awards Show Ratings |url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/reference/academy-awards-show-ratings/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008211435/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/reference/academy-awards-show-ratings/ |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |website=[[TV by the Numbers]] |date=February 18, 2009}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1978|December|25|format=mdy}}
| ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]'' ("Muhammad Ali")
| United States
| 60,000,000
| <ref>{{cite book |last=Hauser |first=Thomas |title=Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times |date=2012 |publisher=[[Anova Books]] |isbn=978-1-907554-90-2 |page=431 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7K6-AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT431 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224607/https://books.google.com/books?id=7K6-AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT431#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1979|October|24|format=mdy}}
| ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' ("[[List of Diff'rent Strokes episodes|Arnold's Hero]]")
| United States
| 41,000,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Diff'rent Strokes – The Complete Second Season DVD Review |url=http://www.sitcomsonline.com/diffrentstrokesseason2dvdreview.html |website=Sitcoms Online |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224192558/https://www.sitcomsonline.com/diffrentstrokesseason2dvdreview.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1981|January|17|format=mdy}}
| ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' (series 10, episode 32)
| United Kingdom
| 12,000,000
| {{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | {{dts|1996|July|19|format=mdy}}
| rowspan="2" | [[1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]]
| Worldwide
| 3,500,000,000
| <ref name="Hajeski">{{cite book |last=Hajeski |first=Nancy J. |title=Ali: The Official Portrait of "The Greatest" of All Time |date=2013 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-60710-983-9 |page=293 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ClZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA293 |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224610/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ClZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA293#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| United States
| 209,000,000
| <ref>{{cite news |last1=Toff |first1=Benjamin |title=Olympics Ratings Set Record |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/arts/26arts-OLYMPICSRATI_BRF.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 25, 2008 |access-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904120949/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/arts/26arts-OLYMPICSRATI_BRF.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|2001|September|21|format=mdy}}
| ''[[America: A Tribute to Heroes]]''
| United States
| 60,000,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title='Heroes' Telethon Raises $150 Million |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/78313/heroes-telethon-raises-150-million/ |website=billboard.com |date=September 25, 2001 |access-date=March 29, 2021 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127224333/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/78313/heroes-telethon-raises-150-million |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|2007|January|4|format=mdy}}
| ''[[Michael Parkinson|Michael Parkinson's Greatest Entertainers]]''
| United Kingdom
| 3,630,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Weekly top 30 programmes |url=https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-30/ |publisher=[[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board]] |date=January 7, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-date=February 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211081646/http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-30 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|2016|June|9|format=mdy}}
| [[#Memorial|Muhammad Ali memorial service]]
| Worldwide
| 1,000,000,000
| <ref name="alicenter">{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2016 |url=https://alicenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2016-Annual-Report-FINAL_spreads.pdf |publisher=[[Muhammad Ali Center]] |date=January 2017 |access-date=August 19, 2018 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203175252/https://alicenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2016-Annual-Report-FINAL_spreads.pdf }}</ref>
|-
!
! Total viewership
! Worldwide
! 4,692,349,000
!
|}

=== Art ===
Ali was also an amateur artist and made dozens of drawings and paintings in the 1970s. In 1977, Rodney Hilton Brown, who owned an art gallery in NYC, asked Ali if he was interested in painting. Ali took him up on the offer and produced several paintings for him to sell. Brown is the author of ''Muhammad Ali: The Untold Story: Painter, Poet and Prophet''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Art by Muhammad Ali, boxing icon, sells for close to $1 million in New York auction|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/10/06/muhammad-ali-art-auction-sells-boxing/|access-date=October 7, 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=November 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128214923/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/10/06/muhammad-ali-art-auction-sells-boxing/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2021, 26 of his drawings and arts were placed on auction and sold for close to US$1 Million.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Villa|first=Angelica|date=October 6, 2021|title=Muhammad Ali's Little-Known Art Becomes a Hit at Auction|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/muhammad-ali-bonhams-sale-1234605878/|access-date=October 7, 2021|website=ARTnews.com|language=en-US|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006222506/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/muhammad-ali-bonhams-sale-1234605878/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Calfas|first=Jennifer|date=October 6, 2021|title=Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali's Art Sells for Nearly $1 Million in Auction|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/boxing-legend-muhammad-alis-art-sells-for-nearly-1-million-in-auction-11633532646|access-date=October 7, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=October 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007031641/https://www.wsj.com/articles/boxing-legend-muhammad-alis-art-sells-for-nearly-1-million-in-auction-11633532646|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Later life==
By the end of his boxing career Ali had absorbed an estimated 200,000 hits.<ref name="veconomist">{{cite news |title=A new biography of Muhammad Ali |url=https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21730621-downfall-tragic-rebellious-hero-new-biography-muhammad-ali |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=October 26, 2017 |access-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-date=October 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026191204/https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21730621-downfall-tragic-rebellious-hero-new-biography-muhammad-ali |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with [[Parkinson's syndrome]], which sometimes results from head trauma from violent physical activities such as boxing.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/20/sports/change-in-drug-helps-ali-improve.html?sec=health |title=Change In Drug Helps Ali Improve |last=Thomas |first=Robert McG. Jr. |work=The New York Times |pages=D–29 |access-date=March 9, 2009 |date=September 20, 1984 |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616101422/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/20/sports/change-in-drug-helps-ali-improve.html?sec=health |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/22/sports/sports-people-ali-leaves-hospital-vowing-take-better-care-himself-get-more-sleep.html |title=Ali Leaves Hospital Vowing to take better care of himself and get more sleep |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 9, 2009 |date=September 22, 1984 |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616120440/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/22/sports/sports-people-ali-leaves-hospital-vowing-take-better-care-himself-get-more-sleep.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Friedman |first1=J. H. |title=Progressive parkinsonism in boxers |journal=Southern Medical Journal |volume=82 |issue=5 |pages=543–546 |year=1989 |pmid=2655100 |doi=10.1097/00007611-198905000-00002 |doi-broken-date=July 17, 2025 | issn = 0038-4348}}</ref> Ali still remained active during this time, later participating as a guest referee at [[WrestleMania I]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm1/celebrities/ |title=WrestleMania I: Celebrities |publisher=Wwe.com |date=March 31, 1985 |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605013012/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm1/celebrities/ |archive-date=June 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/alibday |title=Happy Birthday to 'The Greatest' |last=McAvennie |first=Mike |date=January 17, 2007 |publisher=WWE.com |access-date=February 16, 2009 |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225072959/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/alibday |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Philanthropy, humanitarianism and politics===

Ali was known for being a humanitarian<ref name="sky">{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali Handed Humanitarian Honour |url=https://news.sky.com/story/muhammad-ali-handed-humanitarian-honour-10470033 |work=[[Sky News]] |date=September 14, 2012 |access-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-date=May 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513080927/https://news.sky.com/story/muhammad-ali-handed-humanitarian-honour-10470033 |url-status=live }}</ref> and philanthropist.<ref>{{cite web |title=Muhammad Ali |url=https://www.biography.com/people/muhammad-ali-9181165 |website=[[Biography.com]] |language=en-us |date=January 18, 2018 |access-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-date=May 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513003801/https://www.biography.com/people/muhammad-ali-9181165 |url-status=live }}</ref> He focused on practicing his [[Zakat|Islamic duty of charity]] and good deeds, donating millions to charity organizations and disadvantaged people of all religious backgrounds. It is estimated that Ali helped to feed more than 22{{nbsp}}million people afflicted by hunger across the world.<ref name="Christopher">{{cite book |last1=Christopher |first1=Paul J. |last2=Smith |first2=Alicia Marie |title=Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition |date=2006 |publisher=Encouragement Press, LLC |isbn=978-1-933766-09-6 |page=20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=81mybCXNstAC&pg=PA20 |language=en |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224609/https://books.google.com/books?id=81mybCXNstAC&pg=PA20#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Early in his career, one of his main focuses was youth education. He spoke at several [[historically black colleges and universities]] about the importance of education and became the largest single black donor to the [[United Negro College Fund]] in 1967 by way of a $10,000 donation ($78,000 in 2020 USD). In late 1966, he also pledged to donate a total of $100,000 to the UNCF (specifically promising to donate much of the proceeds of his title defense against Cleveland Williams) and paid $4,500 per closed circuit installation at six HBCUs so they could watch his fights.<ref name="Ezra82"/>

Ali began visiting Africa, starting in 1964 when he visited Nigeria and [[Ghana]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36469288 |title=In pictures: Muhammad Ali's love affair with Africa |work=BBC News |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-date=April 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405012209/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36469288 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1974, he visited a [[Palestinian refugee]] camp in [[Southern Lebanon]], where Ali declared "support for the Palestinian struggle to liberate their homeland".<ref name="thenation">{{cite magazine |last=Zirin |first=Dave |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/andrew-cuomo-would-have-blacklisted-muhammad-ali/ |title=Andrew Cuomo Would Have Blacklisted Muhammad Ali |magazine=[[The Nation]] |date=June 8, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828102821/https://www.thenation.com/article/andrew-cuomo-would-have-blacklisted-muhammad-ali/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During that visit Ali also declared that the "United States is the stronghold of Zionism and imperialism."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zidan |first=Karim |title=We can all learn from Muhammad Ali's solidarity with Palestine |url=https://www.sportspolitika.news/p/muhammad-ali-palestine-israel-activism |date=November 21, 2023 |website=Sports Politika |access-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217084531/https://www.sportspolitika.news/p/muhammad-ali-palestine-israel-activism |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1978, following his loss to Spinks and before winning the rematch, Ali visited [[Bangladesh]] and received [[honorary citizenship]] there.<ref name="thenewinquiry.com2">{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2016 |title=Muhammad Ali, We Still Love You: Unsteady Dreams of a "Muslim International" |url=https://thenewinquiry.com/muhammad-ali-we-still-love-you/ |access-date=January 21, 2022 |website=The New Inquiry |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121190107/https://thenewinquiry.com/muhammad-ali-we-still-love-you/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rahman |first=Mizan |url=http://www.gulf-times.com/story/497055/Muhammad-Ali-s-forgotten-land-in-Bangladesh |title=Muhammad Ali's forgotten land in Bangladesh |work=[[Gulf Times]] |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912113146/http://www.gulf-times.com/story/497055/Muhammad-Ali-s-forgotten-land-in-Bangladesh |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="thenewinquiry.com">{{Cite web|date=June 19, 2016|title=Muhammad Ali, We Still Love You: Unsteady Dreams of a "Muslim International"|url=https://thenewinquiry.com/muhammad-ali-we-still-love-you/|access-date=January 21, 2022|website=The New Inquiry|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121190107/https://thenewinquiry.com/muhammad-ali-we-still-love-you/|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, he participated in [[The Longest Walk]], a protest march in the United States in support of Native American rights, along with singer [[Stevie Wonder]] and actor [[Marlon Brando]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/06/04/greatest-muhammad-ali-walks-164692 |title='The Greatest' Muhammad Ali Walks On |publisher=[[Indian Country Today Media Network]] |last=Schilling |first=Vincent |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821134332/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/06/04/greatest-muhammad-ali-walks-164692|archive-date=August 21, 2016}}</ref>

In early 1980, Ali was recruited by President [[Jimmy Carter]] for a diplomatic mission to Africa, in an effort to persuade a number of African governments to join the US-led [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycott]] of the [[Moscow Olympics]] in protest of the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]. Having arrived in [[Tanzania]], Ali told cameras, "[[Soviet Russia|Russia]] is invading a Muslim country, Asiatic country," and that its probable intention to head to [[oil]]-rich [[Persia]] to take wells and ports "could lead to [[nuclear war]]. My purpose in coming here was to try to stop that."<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Fuqua, Antoine (director) | date=2019 | title=''[[What's My Name: Muhammad Ali]]: Part II'' | type=Motion picture | publisher=HBO}}</ref> However, according to Ali biographer Thomas Hauser, "at best, it was ill-conceived; at worst, a diplomatic disaster." The Tanzanian government was insulted that Carter had sent an athlete to discuss a serious political issue. One official asked whether the United States would "send [[Chris Evert]] to negotiate with London". Consequently, Ali was only received by the youth and culture minister, rather than President [[Julius Nyerere]]. Ali was unable to explain why the African countries should join the US boycott when it had failed to support the African boycott of the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]] (in protest of [[Apartheid in South Africa]]), although neither did the [[Soviet Union]], and was unaware of the sentiment that the Soviet Union had backed some popular revolutions on the continent, although none of the countries on the itinerary were Soviet allies.<ref name="Hauser 2004 p397">{{Harvnb|Hauser|2004|p=397}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ezra |first=Michael |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/muhammad-ali-diplomat-213941/ |title=Muhammad Ali's Strange, Failed Diplomatic Career  |magazine=[[Politico Magazine]] |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401234340/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/muhammad-ali-diplomat-213941 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Nigerian government also rebuffed him and confirmed that they would be participating in the Moscow Games. Ali did, however, convince the government of [[Kenya]] to boycott the Soviet Olympics.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cuddihy |first=Martin |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-09/muhummad-ali-is-remembered-by-africa/7495452 |title=Muhammad Ali: Africa remembers the boxing legend |publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905151738/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-09/muhummad-ali-is-remembered-by-africa/7495452 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On January 19, 1981, in Los Angeles, Ali talked a [[suicidal]] man down from jumping off a ninth-floor ledge, an event that made national news.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2016/06/the_time_muhammad_ali_stopped_a_man_from_leaping_to_his_death.html |title=The Time Muhammad Ali Stopped a Man From Leaping to His Death |first=Josh |last=Levin |work=Slate |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604153847/http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2016/06/the_time_muhammad_ali_stopped_a_man_from_leaping_to_his_death.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ali Talks Would-Be Jumper Off Ninth-Floor Fire Escape |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19810119&id=CRJPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6956,2319132&hl=en |publisher=The Blade / Associated Press |date=January 20, 1981 |access-date=September 7, 2020 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828091017/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19810119&id=CRJPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6956%2C2319132&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:MuhammadAliundRonaldReagan.jpg|thumb|right|President [[Ronald Reagan]] with Ali in the [[Oval Office]] in 1983]]
In 1984, Ali announced his support for [[1984 United States presidential election|the re-election]] of United States President [[Ronald Reagan]]. When asked to elaborate on his endorsement of Reagan, Ali told reporters, "He's keeping God in schools and that's enough."<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=Campaign Notes: Muhammad Ali Switches His Support to Reagan |agency=[[United Press International]] |date=October 3, 1984 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/03/us/campaign-notes-muhammad-ali-switches-his-support-to-reagan.html |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914091416/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/03/us/campaign-notes-muhammad-ali-switches-his-support-to-reagan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1985, he visited Israel to request the release of Muslim prisoners at [[Atlit detainee camp]], which Israel declined.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.jta.org/1985/06/28/archive/muhammad-ali-steps-into-ring |title=Muhammad Ali Steps into Ring |work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] |date=June 28, 1985 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914095112/http://archive.jta.org/1985/06/28/archive/muhammad-ali-steps-into-ring |url-status=live }}</ref>

Around 1987, the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution selected Ali to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]]. Ali rode on a float at the following year's [[Tournament of Roses Parade]], launching the U.S. Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration.<ref name="Liberty">{{cite web |title=Muhammad Ali 2012 Liberty Medal Ceremony |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/calendar/muhammad-ali-2012-liberty-medal-ceremony |publisher=[[National Constitution Center]] |access-date=January 17, 2018 |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118064736/https://constitutioncenter.org/calendar/muhammad-ali-2012-liberty-medal-ceremony }}</ref> In 1988, during the [[First Intifada]], Ali participated in a Chicago rally in support of [[Palestinian territories|Palestine]].<ref name="thenation" /> The same year, he visited [[Sudan]] to raise awareness about the plight of [[famine]] victims.<ref>{{cite news |last=Khaled |first=Ali |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/sports/2016/06/04/How-Muhammad-Ali-became-a-sporting-hero-to-the-Arab-world.html |title=How Muhammad Ali became a sporting hero to the Arab world |publisher=[[Al Arabiya]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917203313/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/sports/2016/06/04/How-Muhammad-Ali-became-a-sporting-hero-to-the-Arab-world.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''[[Politico]]'', Ali supported [[Orrin Hatch]] politically.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/muhammad-ali-orrin-hatch-224132|title=Muhammad Ali and Orrin Hatch: An unlikely friendship|first=John|last=Bresnahan|website=Politico|date=June 10, 2016|access-date=June 24, 2020|archive-date=July 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717055508/https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/muhammad-ali-orrin-hatch-224132|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1989, he participated in an Indian charity event with the [[Muslim Educational Society]] in [[Kozhikode]], Kerala, along with [[Bollywood]] actor [[Dilip Kumar]].<ref name="timesofindia" />

[[File:Muhammad Ali 1997.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Ali in 1997]]
In 1990, Ali traveled to Iraq prior to the [[Gulf War]] and met with president [[Saddam Hussein]] in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali secured the release of the hostages, in exchange for promising Hussein that he would bring America "an honest account" of Iraq. Despite arranging the hostages' release, he received criticism from president [[George H. W. Bush]], and [[Joseph C. Wilson]], the highest-ranking American diplomat in Baghdad.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shenon |first1=Philip |title=MIDEAST TENSIONS; At Baghdad's Bazaar, Everyone Wants Hostages |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/27/world/mideast-tensions-at-baghdad-s-bazaar-everyone-wants-hostages.html |access-date=June 19, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=November 27, 1990 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624221823/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/27/world/mideast-tensions-at-baghdad-s-bazaar-everyone-wants-hostages.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.answercoalition.org/i_was_with_muhammad_ali_on_his_hostage_release_trip_to_iraq_and_the_media_has_it_all_wrong |title=I was with Muhammad Ali on his hostage-release trip to Iraq — and the media has it all wrong |publisher=ANSWER Coalition |author=Brian Becker |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702011125/http://www.answercoalition.org/i_was_with_muhammad_ali_on_his_hostage_release_trip_to_iraq_and_the_media_has_it_all_wrong |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1994, Ali campaigned to the United States government to come to the aid of refugees afflicted by the [[Rwandan genocide]], and to donate to organizations helping Rwandan refugees.<ref name="Christopher" />

In 1996, he lit the flame at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in Atlanta, Georgia. It was watched by an estimated 3.5{{nbsp}}billion viewers worldwide.<ref name="Hajeski" />

After Ali met a lesbian couple who were fans of his in 1997, he smiled and said to friend and biographer Thomas Hauser, "They look like they're happy together." Hauser wrote about the story, "The thought that Liz and Roz (the lesbian couple he met) were happy pleased Muhammad. Ali wanted people to be happy."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hauser |first1=Thomas |date=June 17, 2016 |title=Muhammad Ali: They Look Like They're Happy Together |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/muhammad-ali-they-look-li_1_b_10517930 |access-date=September 21, 2020 |website=HuffPost |language=en |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001170533/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/muhammad-ali-they-look-li_1_b_10517930 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On November 17, 2002, Ali went to Afghanistan as the "[[United Nations|U.N. Messenger of Peace]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=5382&Cr=Muhammad&Cr1=Ali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021213180823/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=5382&Cr=Muhammad&Cr1=Ali |archive-date=December 13, 2002 |title=UN Messenger of Peace Muhammad Ali arrives in Afghanistan |publisher=UN News Centre |date=December 13, 2002 |access-date=January 29, 2012}}</ref> He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN.<ref>{{cite magazine |access-date=May 20, 2008 |url=http://www.life.com/image/1647010?epmid=1 |title=Muhammad Ali visits Kabul | magazine=LIFE |publisher=Getty Images |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316125459/http://www.life.com/image/1647010?epmid=1 |archive-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref>

On September 1, 2009, Ali visited [[Ennis]], County Clare, Ireland, the home of his great-grandfather, Abe Grady, who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, eventually settling in Kentucky.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fightin-talk--as-ennis-awaits-mohammed-ali-1857049.html |title=Fightin' talk as Ennis awaits Muhammed Ali (''sic'') |date=August 12, 2009 |work=Irish Independent |access-date=August 26, 2009 |first=Brian |last=McDonald |archive-date=August 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815171334/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fightin-talk--as-ennis-awaits-mohammed-ali-1857049.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On July 27, 2012, Ali was a titular bearer of the Olympic flag during the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremonies]] of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in London. He was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson's syndrome rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/27/sport/olympics-muhammad-ali/index.html |title=Muhammad Ali returns to the Olympic stage, once again, in London |last=Wilson |first=Stan |date=July 28, 2012 |work=CNN|access-date=July 29, 2012 |archive-date=July 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729023056/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/27/sport/olympics-muhammad-ali/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, he was awarded the [[Philadelphia Liberty Medal]] in recognition of his lifelong efforts in activism, philanthropy and humanitarianism.<ref name="Liberty" /><ref name="sky" />

=== Earnings ===
By 1978, Ali's total fight purse earnings were estimated to be nearly $60{{nbsp}}million<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age/138784393/ |newspaper=[[The Age]] |title=Corporal Spinks, you're the greatest! |date=February 17, 1978 |access-date=January 15, 2024 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115122421/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age/138784393/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (inflation-adjusted {{US$|{{#expr:({{Inflation|US|12550000|1969}}+{{Inflation|US|1050000|1970}}+{{Inflation|US|3600000|1971}}+{{Inflation|US|1800000|1972}}+{{Inflation|US|950000|1973}}+{{Inflation|US|7500000|1974}}+{{Inflation|US|11000000|1975}}+{{Inflation|US|12300000|1976}}+{{Inflation|US|5750000|1977}}+{{Inflation|US|3500000|1978}})/1000000 round 0}} million|long=no}}), including an estimated $47.45{{nbsp}}million grossed between 1970 and 1978.<ref name="jet78">{{cite magazine |title=Muhammad Ali's Finances A Puzzle To News Media; 'I'm Broke,' He Quips |magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |date=April 13, 1978 |volume=54 |issue=4 |page=53 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c0IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53  |language=en |access-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031224611/https://books.google.com/books?id=c0IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1980, his total fight purse earnings were estimated to be up to $70{{nbsp}}million<ref name="people">{{cite news |title=His Lifestyle, His Ex-Wives, His Expensive Entourage: They Explain Why Ali Took An $8 Million Beating |url=http://people.com/archive/his-lifestyle-his-ex-wives-his-expensive-entourage-they-explain-why-ali-took-an-8-million-beating-vol-14-no-16/ |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=October 20, 1980 |language=en |access-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512112825/http://people.com/archive/his-lifestyle-his-ex-wives-his-expensive-entourage-they-explain-why-ali-took-an-8-million-beating-vol-14-no-16/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (inflation-adjusted ${{#expr:(304400000+{{Inflation|US|10000000|1981}})/1000000 round 0}}{{nbsp}}million).

In 1978, Ali revealed that he was "broke" and several news outlets reported his net worth to be an estimated {{US$|3.5 million|long=no}}<ref name="jet78" /> (inflation-adjusted ${{Inflation|US|3.5|1978}}{{nbsp}}million). The press attributed his decline in wealth to several factors, including taxes consuming at least half of his income, management taking a third of his income,<ref name="jet78" /> his lifestyle, and spending on family, charity and religious causes.<ref name="people" />

In 2006, Ali sold his name and image for $50{{nbsp}}million,<ref>{{cite news |last=Burkeman |first=Oliver |title=Ali, the Greatest, sells his name and image for $50m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/apr/13/usa.sport |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=April 13, 2006 |language=en |access-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511150317/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/apr/13/usa.sport |url-status=live }}</ref> after which ''[[Forbes]]'' estimated his net worth to be $55{{nbsp}}million in 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali, The Top 100 Celebrities |url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/53/39A3.html |access-date=May 10, 2018 |work=Forbes Celebrity 100 |year=2006 |archive-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512045613/https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/53/39A3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Following his death in 2016, his fortune was estimated to be between $50{{nbsp}}million and $80{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali's Name Likely to Rake in the Cash for Years to Come |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/muhammad-ali-s-name-likely-rake-cash-years-come-n587086 |work=[[NBC News]] |date=June 7, 2016 |access-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-date=May 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511214757/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/muhammad-ali-s-name-likely-rake-cash-years-come-n587086 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Declining health===
{{Quote box
| quote = I'm blessed and thankful to God that I understand he's trying me. This is a trial from God. He gave me this illness to remind me that I am not number one; He is.
| source = —Muhammad Ali reflecting on having Parkinson's disease<ref>{{Cite web|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=January 17, 2002|title=Ali's words speak for themselves|url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/jan/17/boxing|access-date=October 20, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021021743/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/jan/17/boxing|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|title="I'm blessed and thankful to God that I understand he's trying me. This is a trial from God. He gave me this illness to remind me that I am not number one; He is." – #MuhammadAli reflecting on having Parkinson's disease. . #Giving #Strength #Blessed #God|url=https://twitter.com/muhammadali/status/1206986377927094272 |number=1206986377927094272 |user=MuhammadAli |access-date=October 20, 2021|language=en|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020142206/https://twitter.com/muhammadali/status/1206986377927094272|url-status=live}}</ref>
| align = right
| width = 35em
}}
Ali's Parkinson's syndrome led to a gradual decline in his health, though he was still active into the early 2000s, promoting his own biopic, ''[[Ali (2001 film)|Ali]]'', in 2001. That year he also contributed an on-camera segment to the ''[[America: A Tribute to Heroes]]'' benefit concert.<ref>{{cite news |title=60 Million Watch America: A Tribute to Heroes |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=102292 |date=September 23, 2001 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=January 17, 2018 |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118180953/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=102292 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:0522 ma big (cropped1).jpg|thumb|right|Ali and [[Michael J. Fox]] testify before a Senate committee on providing government funding to combat Parkinson's.]]

In 1998, Ali began working with actor [[Michael J. Fox]], who has Parkinson's disease, to raise awareness and fund research for a cure. They made a joint appearance before Congress to push the case in 2002. In 2000, Ali worked with [[the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research]] to raise awareness and encourage donations for research.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bulman |first=May |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/muhammad-ali-dead-michael-j-fox-tribute-parkinsons-disease-common-fight-a7066416.html |title=Muhammad Ali dead: Michael J Fox pays tribute to fellow Parkinson's sufferer and their 'common fight' |work=[[The Independent]] |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914014322/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/muhammad-ali-dead-michael-j-fox-tribute-parkinsons-disease-common-fight-a7066416.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2013, Ali's brother [[Rahaman Ali]] said Muhammad could no longer speak and could be dead within days.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chasmar |first=Jessica |title=Brother: Muhammad Ali 'could be dead in days' |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/3/brother-muhammad-ali-could-be-dead-days/ |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=February 3, 2013 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905070418/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/3/brother-muhammad-ali-could-be-dead-days/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali's daughter May May Ali responded to the rumors, stating that she had talked to him on the phone the morning of February 3 and he was fine.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali's daughter: Father watching Super Bowl, not near death |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/muhammad-alis-daughter-father-watching-super-bowl-not-near-death/ |work=[[CBS News]] |date=February 5, 2013 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103204453/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57567369/muhammad-alis-daughter-father-watching-super-bowl-not-near-death/ }}</ref> On December 20, 2014, Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of [[pneumonia]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/761659/Muhammad-Ali-hospitalized-with-pneumonia.html?isap=1&nav=5036 |title=Muhammad Ali hospitalized with pneumonia |work=The Journal |access-date=December 21, 2014 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221093217/http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/761659/Muhammad-Ali-hospitalized-with-pneumonia.html?isap=1&nav=5036 |archive-date=December 21, 2014}}</ref> Ali was once again hospitalized on January 15, 2015, for a [[urinary tract infection]] after being found unresponsive at a guest house in Scottsdale, Arizona.<ref>{{cite news |first=Christopher |last=Bucktin |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-intensive-4987518 |title=Boxing legend Muhammad Ali in hospital after being found 'unresponsive' at his home |newspaper=The Mirror |access-date=January 16, 2015 |date=January 16, 2015 |archive-date=January 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116073400/http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-intensive-4987518 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was released the next day.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/sports/ali-out-of-hospital-in-time-for-73rd-birthday/ar-AA8g057?ocid=ansspafp11 |title=Ali out of hospital in time for 73rd birthday |publisher=MSN |access-date=January 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120224903/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/sports/ali-out-of-hospital-in-time-for-73rd-birthday/ar-AA8g057?ocid=ansspafp11 |archive-date=January 20, 2015}}</ref>

==Death==
Ali was hospitalized in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], on June 2, 2016, with a respiratory illness. Though his condition was initially described as fair, it worsened, and he died the following day at the age of 74 from [[septic shock]].{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Jill |title=Muhammad Ali hospitalized with respiratory issue |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/02/us/muhammad-ali-hospitalized-with-respiratory-issue/ |access-date=June 3, 2016 |work=CNN |date=June 2, 2016 |archive-date=December 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226052922/https://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/02/us/muhammad-ali-hospitalized-with-respiratory-issue/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/muhammad-ali-dies-greatest-boxer-dead-74/story?id=18391211 |title=Muhammad Ali Dies: 'The Greatest' Boxer Dead at 74 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605060602/https://abcnews.go.com/US/muhammad-ali-dies-greatest-boxer-dead-74/story?id=18391211 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lipsyte |first=Robert |date=June 3, 2016 |title=Muhammad Ali Dies at 74: Titan of Boxing and the 20th Century |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/sports/muhammad-ali-dies.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=June 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222012025/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/sports/muhammad-ali-dies.html |archive-date=February 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schuppe |first=Jon |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/muhammad-alis-hometown-louisville-honors-late-boxer-our-inspiration-n585816 |title=Muhammad Ali Died of Septic Shock, Will Be Honored at Public Funeral: Spokesman |work=[[NBC News]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606001542/http://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/muhammad-alis-hometown-louisville-honors-late-boxer-our-inspiration-n585816 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

===News coverage and tributes===
Following Ali's death, he was the number-one trending topic on Twitter for over 12 hours and on Facebook for several days. [[BET]] played their documentary ''Muhammad Ali: Made In Miami''. [[ESPN]] played four hours of non-stop commercial-free coverage of Ali. News networks, such as [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], [[BBC]], [[CNN]], and [[Fox News]], also covered him extensively.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

He was mourned globally, and a family spokesman said the family "certainly believes that Muhammad was a citizen of the world ... and they know that the world grieves with him".<ref name="Columbian">{{cite news |title=Ali: 'Citizen' of the world' |url=http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/jun/04/ali-citizen-of-the-world/ |newspaper=Columbian |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606120632/http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/jun/04/ali-citizen-of-the-world/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Politicians such as [[Barack Obama]], [[Hillary Clinton]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[Donald Trump]], [[David Cameron]] and more paid tribute to Ali. Ali also received numerous tributes from the world of sports including [[Michael Jordan]], [[Tiger Woods]], [[Floyd Mayweather]], [[Mike Tyson]], the [[Miami Marlins]], [[LeBron James]], [[Steph Curry]] and more. Then-Louisville mayor [[Greg Fischer]] stated, "Muhammad Ali belongs to the world. But he only has one hometown."<ref name="Columbian" />

The day after Ali's death, the [[UFC]] paid tribute to Ali at their [[UFC 199]] event in a lengthy video tribute package, crediting Ali for his accomplishments and inspiring multiple UFC champions.<ref>{{cite web |last=Emery |first=Debbie |date=June 4, 2016 |title=UFC 199 Invades LA Forum, Honors Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali |url=https://www.thewrap.com/ufc-199-invades-the-la-forum-honors-boxing-legend-muhammad-ali/ |access-date=January 16, 2020 |work=The Wrap |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805080747/https://www.thewrap.com/ufc-199-invades-the-la-forum-honors-boxing-legend-muhammad-ali/amp/ }}</ref>

===Memorial===
{{external media | width = 210px | headerimage= | video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?410916-1/memorial-service-muhammad-ali-19422016 "Muhammad Ali Memorial Service"], [[C-SPAN]]<ref name="cspan memorial">{{cite web |title=Muhammad Ali Memorial Service |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] |date=June 10, 2016 |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?410916-1/memorial-service-muhammad-ali-19422016 |access-date=September 9, 2016 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816190250/https://www.c-span.org/video/?410916-1/memorial-service-muhammad-ali-19422016 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
[[File:Close-up of Muhammad Ali's headstone.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Ali's headstone, with an inscription of his quote: "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room in heaven"]]
Ali's funeral had been pre-planned by himself and others for several years prior to his actual death.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schreiner |first1=Bruce |last2=Galofaro |first2=Claire |date=June 7, 2016 |title=Will Smith, Lennox Lewis among pallbearers for Muhammad Ali, who scripted his own funeral in final days |work=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/world/will-smith-lennox-lewis-among-pallbearers-for-muhammad-ali-who-scripted-his-funeral-in-his-final-days |access-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031225119/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The services began in Louisville on June 9, 2016, with an Islamic [[Salat al-Janazah|Janazah]] prayer service at [[Freedom Hall]] on the grounds of the [[Kentucky Exposition Center]]. The Janazah prayer was attended by Turkish President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=President Erdoğan Attends Muhammad Ali's Funeral |url=https://www.tccb.gov.tr/en/news/542/44339/president-erdogan-attends-muhammad-alis-funeral |access-date=September 14, 2022 |work=www.tccb.gov.tr |issue=Presidency of the Republic of Turkey |date=June 9, 2016 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031225132/https://www.tccb.gov.tr/en/news/542/44339/president-erdogan-attends-muhammad-alis-funeral |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 10, 2016, the funeral procession passed through the streets of Louisville ending at [[Cave Hill Cemetery]], where his body was interred during a private ceremony. A public memorial service for Ali at downtown Louisville's [[KFC Yum! Center]] was held during the afternoon of June 10.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali To Be Buried In Louisville Friday |url=http://wfpl.org/muhammad-ali-buried-louisville-friday/ |publisher=[[WFPL]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605072604/http://wfpl.org/muhammad-ali-buried-louisville-friday/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali's funeral to be watched worldwide by billions |url=http://www.india.com/sports/muhammad-alis-funeral-to-be-watched-worldwide-by-billions-2-1238356/ |publisher=India.com |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609221156/http://www.india.com/sports/muhammad-alis-funeral-to-be-watched-worldwide-by-billions-2-1238356/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 6, 2016 |title=Muhammad Ali Islamic Funeral Prayer Service Jenazah scheduled at Freedom Hall |publisher=[[WHAS-TV]] |url=https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/muhammad-ali-islamic-funeral-prayer-service-jenazah-scheduled-at-freedom-hall/417-234230429 |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609165705/http://www.whas11.com/news/local/muhammad-ali-islamic-funeral-prayer-service-jenazah-scheduled-at-freedom-hall/234230429 |archive-date=June 9, 2016}}</ref> [[Billy Crystal]], Ali's wife Lonnie Ali, sports journalist [[Bryant Gumbel]] and former President [[Bill Clinton]] all gave the eulogies.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 10, 2016 |title=In Their Own Words: Eulogies for Muhammad Ali |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/11/sports/lonnie-billy-crystal-bill-clinton-eulogies-for-muhammad-ali.html |access-date=October 23, 2023 |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220062027/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/11/sports/lonnie-billy-crystal-bill-clinton-eulogies-for-muhammad-ali.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The pallbearers included [[Will Smith]], [[Lennox Lewis]] and [[Mike Tyson]], with honorary pallbearers including [[George Chuvalo]], [[Larry Holmes]] and [[George Foreman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/06/will-smith-mike-tyson-pallbearers-muhammad-ali-funeral |title=Will Smith, Mike Tyson among those serving as pallbearers at Muhammad Ali's funeral |first=Laken |last=Litman |work=USA Today |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818011911/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/06/will-smith-mike-tyson-pallbearers-muhammad-ali-funeral |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali's memorial was watched by an estimated 1{{nbsp}}billion viewers worldwide.<ref name="alicenter" />

{{blockquote|If the measure of greatness is to gladden the heart of every human being on the face of the earth, then he truly was the greatest. In every way he was the bravest, the kindest and the most excellent of men.|Tribute from [[Bob Dylan]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel  |date=June 5, 2016 |title=Bob Dylan on Muhammad Ali: 'The Most Excellent of Men' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/bob-dylan-on-muhammad-ali-the-most-excellent-of-men-70657/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518095339/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/bob-dylan-on-muhammad-ali-the-most-excellent-of-men-70657/ |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |access-date=April 23, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>}}

==Legacy==
===In boxing===
Ali remains the only three-time [[Lineal championship|lineal heavyweight champion]]. He is the only boxer to be named [[The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year|''The Ring'' magazine Fighter of the Year]] six times and was involved in more ''Ring'' "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He was one of only three boxers to be named "[[Sportsman of the Year]]" by ''Sports Illustrated''. He was also named [[BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year]] three times.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/7659905.stm|title=Sports Personality facts and figures|publisher=BBC|date=October 9, 2008|access-date=February 1, 2023| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081217122029/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/7659905.stm| archive-date= December 17, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> ''[[The Sporting News]]'' recognized him as the Fighter of the Decade for the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2, 2024 |title=Who will be Fighter of the Decade? Canelo, Inoue, Usyk, Crawford poised to join pound-for-pound best and boxing's greatest of all time {{!}} Sporting News |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/boxing-greatest-all-time-best-fighter-decade-pound-pound/72fe62adb62153547eee317a |access-date=July 25, 2025 |website=www.sportingnews.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

Ali was inducted into the [[International Boxing Hall of Fame]] in its first year<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/ali.html |title=Muhammad Ali |website=International Boxing Hall of Fame |access-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-date=October 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017200549/http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/ali.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and held wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees during an era that has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stitt |first=Anthony |title=Is Oleksandr Usyk The GOAT After Destroying Daniel Dubois? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonystitt/2025/07/21/is-oleksandr-usyk-the-goat-after-destroying-of-daniel-dubois/ |access-date=July 21, 2025 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2005 |title=Muhammad Ali's legend was built in part by boxing's "Golden Era" of heavyweights |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/ali/news/story?id=2258952 |access-date=July 21, 2025 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217191353/https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/ali/news/story?id=2258952 |url-status=live }}</ref> His joint records of beating [[World heavyweight boxing championship records and statistics|21 boxers]] for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years.{{efn|These records are shared with [[Joe Louis]] and [[José Napoles]], respectively. Both these records were eventually beaten by [[Wladimir Klitschko]].}}{{efn|Some sources claim that [[Joe Louis]] has actually defeated 22 fighters for the world heavyweight title; that would make Louis the sole holder of the eventually broken record.}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fakty.ua/393919-mohammed-ali-boyalsya-letat-v-samolete-80-let-nazad-rodilsya-samyj-izvestnyj-v-mire-sportsmen|title=Мохаммед Алі боявся літати: 80 років тому народився найвідоміший у світі спортсмен|publisher=[[Fakty i Kommentarii]]|date=January 17, 2022|access-date=April 30, 2022|language=uk|archive-date=April 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430113952/https://fakty.ua/393919-mohammed-ali-boyalsya-letat-v-samolete-80-let-nazad-rodilsya-samyj-izvestnyj-v-mire-sportsmen|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://isport.ua/boxing/2589695-glavnye-sobytiya-desyatiletiya-boks|title=Главные события десятилетия: бокс|work=isport.ua|date=December 27, 2020|access-date=February 21, 2021|language=ru|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311033436/https://isport.ua/boxing/2589695-glavnye-sobytiya-desyatiletiya-boks|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=WBSS Media-Muhammad Ali |url=https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/3486 |access-date=July 21, 2025 |website=wbssmedia.com |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619061759/https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/3486 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[World Boxing Council]] ranks Ali as their greatest heavyweight champion of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 14, 2025 |title=WBC Special Preview: Usyk vs Dubois II - World Boxing Council |url=https://wbcboxing.com/en/wbc-special-preview-usyk-vs-dubois-ii/ |access-date=July 23, 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===In hip-hop===
{{Poem quote
|text=Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see.
Now you see me, now you don't.
George thinks he will, but I know he won't.
|sign=Muhammad Ali<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/06/03/muhammad-ali-best-quotes-boxing/85370850/ |title=30 of Muhammad Ali's best quotes |website=USA Today |language=en |access-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419002853/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/06/03/muhammad-ali-best-quotes-boxing/85370850/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

Ali often used [[rhyme scheme]]s and spoken word poetry when trash talking in boxing, and also delivered political poetry in his activism outside of boxing.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 26, 2012 |title=Muhammad Ali – press conference 1974 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTr-p-Y4P00 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203151928/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTr-p-Y4P00 |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |access-date=November 5, 2013 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/JwPPM_vaNrI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130227191902/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwPPM_vaNrI&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |date=February 12, 2011 |title=Muhammad Ali – Pre Liston Poetry & Highlights |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwPPM_vaNrI |access-date=November 5, 2013 |publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/J6Hey54O6Qs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120921032346/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Hey54O6Qs Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |date=January 6, 2010 |title=Muhammad Ali Famous Interview After Defeating Foreman |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Hey54O6Qs |access-date=November 5, 2013 |website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He played a role in the shaping of the black poetic tradition, paving the way for [[the Last Poets]] in 1968, [[Gil Scott-Heron]] in 1970, and the emergence of hip-hop in the 1970s.<ref name="nytimes2">{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Henry Louis Jr. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/opinion/muhammad-ali-the-political-poet.html |title=Muhammad Ali, the Political Poet |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026123948/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/opinion/muhammad-ali-the-political-poet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ali has been referred to as "the first rapper".<ref>{{cite news |title=Muhammad Ali's influence ran deep through rap's golden age |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jun/06/muhammad-ali-influence-rap-golden-age |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=June 6, 2016 |language=en |access-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515185532/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jun/06/muhammad-ali-influence-rap-golden-age |url-status=live }}</ref> As a "rhyming trickster", he was noted for his boasts, "funky delivery", "comical trash talk", and "endless quotables".<ref name="rollingstone1">{{cite magazine |last=Reeves |first=Mosi |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/muhammad-ali-worlds-greatest-boxer-was-also-hip-hop-pioneer-20160604 |title=Muhammad Ali: World's Greatest Boxer Was Also Hip-Hop Pioneer |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515184644/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/muhammad-ali-worlds-greatest-boxer-was-also-hip-hop-pioneer-20160604 }}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' notes his "[[Freestyle rap|freestyle]] skills" and his "rhymes, flow, and braggadocio" would "one day become typical of [[Old-school hip-hop|old school]] MCs like [[Run-DMC|Run DMC]] and [[LL Cool J]]", and his "outsized ego foreshadowed the vainglorious excesses of [[Kanye West]], while his [[Afrocentrism|Afrocentric]] consciousness and cutting honesty pointed forward to modern bards like [[Rakim]], [[Nas]], [[Jay-Z]], and [[Kendrick Lamar]]."<ref name="rollingstone2">{{cite magazine |last=Rubin |first=Mike |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/muhammad-ali-4-ways-he-changed-america-20160605 |title=Muhammad Ali: 4 Ways He Changed America |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 5, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515185135/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/muhammad-ali-4-ways-he-changed-america-20160605 }}</ref>

In 2006, the documentary ''Ali Rap'' was produced by [[ESPN]], with [[Chuck D]] of [[Public Enemy]] as the host.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://thesource.com/2016/06/09/the-10-best-muhammad-ali-references-in-hip-hop/ |title=The 10 Best Muhammad Ali References In Hip Hop |last=Berry |first=Ben |date=June 9, 2016 |website=The Source |language=en-US |access-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419002903/http://thesource.com/2016/06/09/the-10-best-muhammad-ali-references-in-hip-hop/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other rappers narrated the documentary as well, including [[Doug E. Fresh]], [[Ludacris]] and Rakim who all spoke on Ali's behalf in the film.

Ali has been cited as an inspiration by many celebrated rappers throughout the following decades, such as LL Cool J,<ref name="rollingstone1" /> Chuck D,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://andscape.com/features/muhammad-ali-the-original-rapper/ |title=Muhammad Ali: The original rapper – Legendary emcee Chuck D of Public Enemy talks Ali's impact on hip-hop |website=[[Andscape]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702051928/https://andscape.com/features/muhammad-ali-the-original-rapper/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jay-Z, [[Eminem]], [[Sean Combs]], [[Slick Rick]], Nas and [[MC Lyte]],<ref name="cbsnews">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jay-z-eminem-and-more-hip-hop-luminaries-remember-muhammad-ali/ |title=Jay Z, Eminem and more hip-hop luminaries remember Muhammad Ali |work=[[CBS News]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812105446/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jay-z-eminem-and-more-hip-hop-luminaries-remember-muhammad-ali/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is frequently mentioned in popular hip-hop songs.<ref name="cbsnews" />

===In Ali's hometown===
In 1978, shortly after becoming heavyweight champion of the world for the third time, and three years before his permanent retirement, Ali received a round of accolades in his hometown of Louisville. In September, at a tribute ceremony held at [[Fairgrounds Stadium]], then-Governor of Kentucky [[Julian Carroll]] proclaimed 1978 the "Year of Ali" and presented to Ali the Governor's Distinguished Service Award. Carroll said he signed the proclamation because "no single day or week – or even month – ever could contain the deeds of this man."<ref>{{cite news |last=Aubespin |first=Mervin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-muhammad-ali-receive/136552375/ |title=Louisville lets Ali know it's in his corner |date=September 22, 1978 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |pages=1, 3 |via=[[newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref> In November, the [[Louisville Board of Aldermen]] voted 6–5 to rename downtown thoroughfare Walnut Street to [[Muhammad Ali Boulevard]], via an ordinance shortly signed into law by then-Mayor [[William B. Stansbury]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-louisville-mayor-sig/136553492/ |title=Mayor signs law naming street for Ali |date=November 29, 1978 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |page=A2 |via=[[newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref> This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen.<ref name="Hill">{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Hill |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-growing-acceptance-o/136541417/ |title=Ali stirs conflicting emotions in hometown |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |via=[[newspapers.com]] |date=November 19, 2005 |page=K5 |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:AliCenter.jpg|thumb|The [[Muhammad Ali Center]], alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville, Kentucky's riverfront]]
As the street renaming was under consideration, a committee of the [[Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky)|Jefferson County Public Schools]] (Kentucky) considered renaming Ali's alma mater, [[Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky)|Central High School]], in his honor. Despite an initial endorsement by then-[[Jefferson County Judge/Executive]] and current U.S. Senator [[Mitch McConnell]], and an affirmative vote by the Jefferson County [[Fiscal Court]], the committee decided not to proceed, citing long-time school tradition and alumni disagreement, even though they urged other ways to honor Ali in the community.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kaukas |first=Dick |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-jcps-declines-to-ren/136542679/ |title=A decision goes against Muhammad Ali |date=September 30, 1978 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |page=9 |via=[[newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref> In time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.<ref name="Hill"/>

In November 2005, Ali and his wife Lonnie Ali opened the $54{{nbsp}}million, 93,000{{nbsp}}ft<sup>2</sup>, non-profit [[Muhammad Ali Center]] in downtown Louisville.<ref name="Crouse-2016" /><ref name="Coomes">{{cite news |last=Coomes |first=Mark |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-cost-size-and-gener/136568781/ |title='The Greatest'; Party lifts curtain on a shining tribute to Ali |date=November 20, 2005 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |page=A8 |via=[[newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref> In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.<ref name="Coomes"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Shafer |first=Sheldon S. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-basically-what-the-a/136568273/ |title='Center will revolve around ideas'; Memorabilia just part of mission |date=November 19, 2005 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |page=K2 |via=[[newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://alicenter.org/exhibits-and-events/ |title=Exhibits & Events |website=alicenter.org |date=February 17, 2023 |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref>

On January 16, 2019, the Louisville Regional Airport Authority voted to change the name of the city's main airport to "[[Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport]]" in honor of Ali.<ref name="Ali Airport">{{Cite press release |url=http://www.flylouisville.com/wp-content/uploads/Release-Mayor-Fischer-celebrates-decision-to-rename-Louisville-airport-to-honor-Muhammad-Ali-1-16-19_FINAL_FOR_WEB.pdf |title=Mayor Fischer celebrates decision to rename Louisville airport to honor Muhammad Ali |date=January 16, 2019 |publisher=Louisville Metro Government and Louisville Regional Airport Authority |access-date=May 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122044413/http://www.flylouisville.com/wp-content/uploads/Release-Mayor-Fischer-celebrates-decision-to-rename-Louisville-airport-to-honor-Muhammad-Ali-1-16-19_FINAL_FOR_WEB.pdf |archive-date=January 22, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Then-Louisville mayor Greg Fischer upon the occasion said:{{blockquote|Muhammad Ali belonged to the world, but he only had one hometown, and fortunately, that is our great city of Louisville. Muhammad became one of the most well-known people to ever walk the Earth and has left a legacy of humanitarianism and athleticism that has inspired billions of people. It [is] important that we, as a city, further champion The Champ's legacy, and the airport renaming is a wonderful next step.<ref name="Ali Airport" />}} On June 6, 2019, the airport unveiled its new logo, featuring "Ali's silhouette, arms up and victorious, against the background of a butterfly."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ladd |first1=Sarah |title=Louisville's renamed Muhammad Ali International Airport debuts logo |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2019/06/07/louisvilles-muhammad-ali-international-airport-unveils-logo/1378182001/ |website=usatoday.com |publisher=Louisville Courier Journal |access-date=June 7, 2019 |date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419172909/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2019/06/07/louisvilles-muhammad-ali-international-airport-unveils-logo/1378182001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Around the US and world===
Martial artist and actor [[Bruce Lee]] was influenced by Ali, whose [[Footwork (martial arts)|footwork]] he studied and incorporated into his own style while developing [[Jeet Kune Do]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Vaughn |editor-first1=Jack |editor-last2=Lee |editor-first2=Mike |title=The Legendary Bruce Lee |date=1986 |publisher=[[Black Belt Communications]] |isbn=978-0-89750-106-4 |page=127 |url={{GBurl|id=D8d_YjWV9k4C|p=127}}}}</ref>

Opened in 1976, [[Ali Mall]], located in [[Araneta Center]], Quezon City, Philippines, is named after Ali. Construction of the mall, the first of its kind in the Philippines, began shortly after his victory in a match with Joe Frazier in nearby [[Araneta Coliseum]] in 1975. Ali attended its opening.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aranetacenter.net/2008/archiveAlimallComeback.php |title=Ali Mall: First Ever Shopping Mall Makes A Comeback |publisher=[[Araneta Center]] |access-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902164449/http://www.aranetacenter.net/2008/archiveAlimallComeback.php |archive-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref> The [[Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki]] fight the same year played an important role in the history of [[mixed martial arts]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gross |first=Josh |title=Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment |date=2016 |publisher=[[BenBella Books]] |isbn=978-1-942952-19-0 |url={{GBurl|id=GPCGDAAAQBAJ}} |language=en}}</ref> In Japan, the match inspired Inoki's students [[Masakatsu Funaki]] and [[Minoru Suzuki]] to found [[Pancrase]] in 1993, which in turn inspired the foundation of [[Pride Fighting Championships]] in 1997. Pride was acquired by its rival, [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]], in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mmajunkie.com/2016/06/what-role-did-boxer-muhammad-ali-play-in-early-mma-let-ali-vs-inoki-author-josh-gross-explain |title=What role did boxer Muhammad Ali play in early MMA? Let 'Ali vs. Inoki' author Josh Gross explain |work=[[MMAjunkie]] |date=June 13, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/5/2/4220042/ufc-mma-history-origins-pride-fc-rickson-gracie-Nobuhiko-Takada |title=MMA Origins: Fighting For Pride |website=BloodyElbow |last=Grant |first=T. P. |date=May 2, 2013 |access-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:President George W. Bush Embraces Muhammad Ali.jpg|thumb|President [[George W. Bush]] embraces Ali after presenting him with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2005, during ceremonies at the White House.]]
Ali was the recipient of the 1997 [[Arthur Ashe Courage Award]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Emily Mae|last=Czachor|title=Celebrating 25 years, the ESPYs have become more than a sports awards show|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-st-ahead-of-its-25th-anniversary-the-espys-look-back-20170711-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 13, 2017|access-date=September 10, 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014235008/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-st-ahead-of-its-25th-anniversary-the-espys-look-back-20170711-story.html|archive-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref> He was presented with the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]] by President [[Bill Clinton]] in January 2001<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clinton5.nara.gov/WH/new/html/Mon_Jan_8_141714_2001.html |title=President Clinton Awards the Presidential Citizens Medals |date=January 8, 2001 |work=Today at The White House |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=June 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801215612/http://clinton5.nara.gov/WH/new/html/Mon_Jan_8_141714_2001.html|archive-date=August 1, 2012}}</ref> and with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President [[George W. Bush]] in November 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051103-5.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306114811/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051103-5.html |archive-date=March 6, 2008 |title=Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients |date=November 3, 2005 |publisher=White House Press Secretary |access-date=May 20, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2219166 |title=Bush presents Ali with Presidential Medal of Freedom |date=November 14, 2005 |work=ESPN |access-date=February 16, 2009}}</ref> For his work with the civil rights movement and the United Nations, he received the [[Otto Hahn Peace Medal|Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold]] from the [[United Nations Association|UN Association of Germany]] (DGVN) in Berlin in December 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/briefs-ali-to-receive-otto-hahn-medal-today-in-berlin/ |title=Briefs: Ali to receive Otto Hahn Medal today in Berlin |date=December 17, 2005 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=June 5, 2016}}</ref>

The [[Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act]] was introduced in 1999 and passed in 2000, to protect the rights and welfare of boxers in the United States. In May 2016, a bill was introduced to [[United States Congress]] by [[Markwayne Mullin]], a politician and former [[MMA]] fighter, to extend the Ali Act to [[mixed martial arts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/6/12/11911444/click-debate-whats-all-this-talk-about-the-ali-act-coming-to-mma |title=Click Debate: What's all this talk about the Ali Act coming to MMA? |website=[[MMAjunkie]] |last=Raimondi |first=Marc |date=June 12, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref> In June 2016, US senator [[Rand Paul]] proposed an amendment to the [[Conscription in the United States|US draft laws]] named after Ali, a proposal to eliminate the [[Selective Service System]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Klimas |first=Jacqueline |url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rand-pauls-amendment-to-knock-out-the-draft-named-after-muhammad-ali/article/2593175 |title=Rand Paul's amendment to knock out the draft named after Muhammad Ali |work=[[Washington Examiner]] |date=June 7, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref>

In June 2007, Ali received an honorary doctorate of humanities at [[Princeton University]]'s 260th graduation ceremony.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Joe |title=Boxing legend Ali gets Princeton degree |work=The Star-Ledger |date=June 5, 2007 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/06/boxing_legend_ali_gets_princet_1.html |access-date=June 5, 2007}}</ref>

In 2015, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' renamed its Sportsman Legacy Award to the ''Sports Illustrated''{{'s}} Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. The annual award was originally created in 2008 and honors former "sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world". Ali first appeared on the magazine's cover in 1963 and went on to be featured on numerous covers during his storied career.<ref name="q456">{{cite magazine | title=SI dedicates Sportsman Legacy Award to Ali | magazine=Sports Illustrated | date=September 25, 2015 | url=https://www.si.com/boxing/2015/09/25/sports-illustrated-sportsman-year-legacy-award-renamed-for-muhammad-ali | access-date=September 16, 2024}}</ref>

The [[Society of Voice Arts and Sciences]] created the Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor in 2016, which is presented at its annual Voice Arts Awards. The award was created in collaboration with the Muhammad Ali Center and is presented to "an individual whose voice, through humanitarianism, activism or personal sacrifice, has made a decidedly positive impact on our national or global condition as a society". Sculptor Marc Mellon created the bronze sculpture for the award, which depicts Ali mid-speech.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voiceoverxtra.com/article.htm?id=3KN27BCK|title=Muhammad Ali & Challenge To 'Do Great Things' Will Be Honored At Voice Arts® Awards Gala|website=Voice-Over Xtra!|date=August 12, 2016|access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref> Recipients of the honor include Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Ken Burns, Vance Jones, Lonnie Ali, Stacey Abrams, Wes Studi, and Manuela Testolini.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sovas.org/winners-and-nominees/|title=Winners and Nominees|website=[[Society of Voice Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>

In January 2017, the Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Act was introduced into the [[115th Congress]] but was not enacted.<ref>{{cite web |title=H.R. 579 (115th): Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Act |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr579 |website=Govtrack |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://coinweek.com/modern-coins/boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-commemorative-coin-bill-introduced/ |title=Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Bill Introduced |website=CoinWeek |last=Walker |first=Hubert |date=January 23, 2017 |access-date=February 2, 2020}}</ref>

On May 31, 2025, the first full-body bronze statue of Ali in the United States was unveiled in [[Lewiston, Maine]], where he fought his second bout with [[Sonny Liston]].<ref name="shaedle"/>

===20th-century superlatives===
By the end of the 20th century, Ali had made it onto several [[list of superlatives|superlatives lists]] or otherwise was mentioned in superlative terms covering the century or a large portion thereof.

Ali was ranked at or near the top of most lists of the 20th century's greatest boxers.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 20, 2012 |title=Muhammad Ali |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/topics/_/page/muhammad-ali |access-date=January 29, 2012}}</ref><ref name="ring">{{cite web |last=Donelson |first=Tom |date=July 14, 2008 |title=Was Ali the Greatest Heavyweight? |url=http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/was-ali-the-greatest-heavyweight/ |access-date=September 4, 2016 |publisher=Boxinginsider.com}}</ref><ref name="ap" /> He was crowned [[Sports Illustrated#Sportsman of the Century|Sportsman of the Century]] by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/news/1999/12/02/awards |work=CNN|title=Sports Illustrated honors world's greatest athletes |date=December 3, 1999 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819000437/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/news/1999/12/02/awards/ }}</ref> Named [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year#Sports Personality of the Century Award|BBC's Sports Personality of the Century]], he received more votes than the other five candidates combined.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/561352.stm |title=Ali crowned Sportsman of Century |date=December 13, 1999 |work=[[BBC Sport]] |access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref><ref name="ring"/> The Associated Press ranked him as the second best boxer and best heavyweight of the 20th century.<ref name="ap">{{cite web |title=AP Fighters of the Century list |url=http://static.espn.go.com/boxing/news/1999/1208/221260.html |access-date=February 12, 2012}}</ref>  He was named Athlete of the Century by ''[[USA Today]]'', the second best athlete of the 20th century behind [[Pelé]] by the [[International Olympic Committee]] and ranked as the third [[SportsCentury#SportsCentury: SportsCentury: Top 50 American Athletes of the 20th Century (Original series)|greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN ''SportsCentury'']]. Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the [[Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame]] in ceremonies at the [[Galt House|Galt House East]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Marc J. |last=Spears |title=Ali: The Greatest of 20th century; Show stops when the champ arrives for awards dinner |url=https://courier-journal.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal/170982349/ |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |date=September 14, 1999 |url-access=|pages= C1, [https://courier-journal.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal/170982360/ C6] }}</ref>

Ali was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by [[Life magazine]] in 1990. In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with [[Babe Ruth]] as the most recognized athlete, out of over 800 dead or living athletes, in America. The study found that over 97% of Americans over 12 years of age identified both Ali and Ruth.<ref>Wilstein, Steve, Associated Press, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19930517&id=XZYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RuEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1249,4781703 "Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes in United States: poll"]; ''The Daily Gazette'', May 17, 1993.</ref> In 1999, he was one of three athletes, alongside [[Pelé]] and [[Jackie Robinson]], named in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's list of the [[Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century|100 Most Important People of the 20th Century]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali – Time 100 People of the Century |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,26473,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211124411/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,26473,00.html |archive-date=February 11, 2001 |newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |first=Joshua |last=Quittner |date=June 14, 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=TIME 100 Persons of The Century |url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,26473,00.html |access-date=September 10, 2023 |magazine=Time |archive-date=December 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220085203/https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,26473,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In August 2024, the {{ill|International Sports Press Association|fr|Association internationale de la presse sportive|de|Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive|it|Association internationale de la presse sportive|lt=International Sports Press Association (AIPS)}} voted him as the best male athlete of the last 100 years above [[Usain Bolt]], [[Michael Jordan]] and Pelé.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aipsmedia.com/aips/pages/articles/2024/35697.html |title =Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali crowned AIPS Best Champions of the Century: As voted by 913 journalists |publisher =AIPS |accessdate = November 6, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url =https://www.marca.com/polideportivo/2024/08/06/cultura-deporte-unen-emotiva-celebracion-centenario-aips-sede-unesco-paris.html|title =La cultura y el deporte se unen en la emotiva celebración del centenario de la AIPS en la sede de la UNESCO en París |date =August 6, 2024 |publisher =[[Marca (newspaper)|Marca]] |language =es |accessdate = August 9, 2024 |archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20240809114419/https://www.marca.com/polideportivo/2024/08/06/cultura-deporte-unen-emotiva-celebracion-centenario-aips-sede-unesco-paris.html|archivedate =August 9, 2024}}</ref>

==In media and popular culture==
{{Main|Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture}}
<!-- Please see the sub-article before adding new works here. Anything here should be important and notable; don't just add any random article about Ali here. Thank you. -->
As a world champion boxer, activist and pop culture icon, Ali was the subject of numerous creative works including books, films, music, video games, TV shows, and other. Muhammad Ali was often dubbed the world's "most famous" person in the media.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lassiter |first=Jim |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-muhammad-ali-referre/134556398/ |title=Jones' Decision to Fight May Be Too Tall an Order |work=[[The Daily Oklahoman]] |date=June 29, 1979 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |via=[[newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Most Famous Person Ever |url=https://blogs.voanews.com/us-opinion/2016/06/06/the-most-famous-person-ever/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608211245/http://blogs.voanews.com/us-opinion/2016/06/06/the-most-famous-person-ever/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 8, 2016 |work=[[Voice of America]] |date=June 6, 2016 |language=en}}</ref> Several of his fights were watched by an estimated [[#Television appearances|1{{ndash}}2&nbsp;billion viewers]] between 1974 and 1980, and his lighting of the torch at the 1996 [[Atlanta Olympics]] was watched by an estimated 3.5{{nbsp}}billion viewers.<ref name="Hajeski" />

[[File:StangoAli.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Muhammad Ali pop art painting by [[John Stango]]]]
Ali appeared on the cover of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' on 38 different occasions,<ref>{{cite web |title=Muhammad Ali Covers |url=https://www.si.com/vault/search/covers?q=muhammad%20ali |website=Sports Illustrated Vault |publisher=Sports Illustrated |access-date=December 22, 2019 |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211170202/https://www.si.com/vault/search/covers?q=muhammad%20ali }}</ref> second only to [[Michael Jordan]]'s 50.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beslic |first=Stephen |title=On this date: Michael Jordan appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the fourth time |url=https://www.si.com/nba/bulls/news/on-this-date-michael-jordan-made-the-cover-of-sports-illustrated-for-the-4th-time |work=[[FanNation]] |publisher=Sports Illustrated |date=November 17, 2022 |access-date=November 3, 2023}}</ref> He also appeared on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine 5 times.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Reilly |first=Katie |url=https://time.com/4357508/muhammad-ali-time-cover-philippe-halsman/ |title=Behind TIME's New Muhammad Ali Cover |date=June 4, 2016 |magazine=Time |access-date=November 3, 2023 |quote=Ali—who has been featured on the cover of TIME four times (before this time)—first appeared on the cover in the issue published March 22, 1963, when his name was still Cassius Clay. |archive-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213084701/https://time.com/4357508/muhammad-ali-time-cover-philippe-halsman/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2015, [[Harris Poll]] found that Ali was one of the three most recognizable athletes in the United States, along with Michael Jordan and [[Babe Ruth]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rovell |first=Darren |title=Michael Jordan remains top-ranked athlete in history by Harris Poll |url=http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/14470482/michael-jordan-jordan-stays-atop-harris-poll-ahead-babe-ruth-muhamad-ali |work=[[ESPN]] |date=December 31, 2015 |access-date=November 3, 2023}}</ref>

On the set of ''Freedom Road'' Ali met Canadian singer-songwriter Michel,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music/meet-the-busker-who-worked-as-muhammad-alis-personal-musician |title=Meet the London busker who worked as Muhammad Ali's personal musician |last=Smith |first=Amy |date=June 9, 2016 |work=Time Out |access-date=June 12, 2016}}</ref> and subsequently helped create Michel's album ''The First Flight of the Gizzelda Dragon'' and an unaired television special featuring them both.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Michel |title=Experience: Muhammad Ali was my mentor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/04/experience-muhammad-ali-mentor |access-date=June 11, 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=January 4, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Muhammad Ali figure at Madame Tussauds London (31123718781).jpg|thumb|upright|Wax statue of Ali at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]]
Ali was the subject of the British television program ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1978 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Anthony |first=Andrew |title=A special relationship: how the British took Ali to their hearts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/how-the-british-took-muhammad-ali-to-their-hearts |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Ali was featured in ''[[Superman vs. Muhammad Ali]]'', a 1978 DC Comics comic book pitting the champ against the superhero. In 1979, Ali guest starred as himself in an episode of the NBC sitcom ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]''. The show's title itself was inspired by the quote "Different strokes for different folks" popularized in 1966 by Ali, who also inspired the title of the 1967 [[Syl Johnson]] song "Different Strokes", one of the most [[sampling (music)|sampled]] songs in pop music history.<ref>{{cite news |title=10 things you never knew about 'Diff'rent Strokes' |url=https://www.metv.com/lists/10-things-you-never-knew-about-diffrent-strokes |work=[[MeTV]] |date=February 6, 2018 |archive-date=March 3, 2020 |access-date=September 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303175922/https://www.metv.com/lists/10-things-you-never-knew-about-diffrent-strokes |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He also wrote several bestselling books about his career, including ''[[The Greatest: My Own Story]]'', ''[[Thomas Hauser#Books|Healing: A Journal of Tolerance and Understanding]]'', and ''[[The Soul of a Butterfly]]''. The Muhammad Ali effect, named after Ali, is a term that came into use in psychology in the 1980s, as he stated in ''The Greatest: My Own Story'': "I only said I was the greatest, not the smartest."<ref name=cp /> According to this effect, when people are asked to rate their intelligence and moral behavior in comparison to others, people will rate themselves as more moral, but not more intelligent than others.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Allison |first1=Scott T. |last2=Messick |first2=David M. |last3=Goethals |first3=George R. |title=On Being Better but not Smarter than Others: The Muhammad Ali Effect |journal=Social Cognition |year=1989 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=275–295 |doi=10.1521/soco.1989.7.3.275 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Van Lange |first=P. A. M. |title=Being Better but Not Smarter than Others: The Muhammad Ali Effect at Work in Interpersonal Situations |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin |date=December 1, 1991 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=689–693 |doi=10.1177/0146167291176012 |s2cid=146176950 |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/957e/607474ac85f23806f1f9db92a23df4bf218d.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218205534/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/957e/607474ac85f23806f1f9db92a23df4bf218d.pdf |archive-date=February 18, 2020 }}</ref> Ali cooperated with Thomas Hauser on a biography, ''[[Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times]]''. The oral history was released in 1991.

''[[When We Were Kings]]'', a 1996 documentary about the ''Rumble in the Jungle'', won the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]]. The 2001 biopic ''[[Ali (2001 film)|Ali]]'' garnered a [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] Oscar nomination for [[Will Smith]] for his portrayal of Ali. Prior to making the film, Smith rejected the role until Ali requested that he accept it. Smith said the first thing Ali told him was: "Man, you're almost pretty enough to play me."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1719162.stm |title=Film, Will Smith peaks as Ali |work=BBC News |date=December 25, 2001 |access-date=December 5, 2010}}</ref>

In 2002, Ali was honored with a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for his contributions to the entertainment industry.<ref name="HWOFDB">{{cite web |url=http://hwof.com/star/live-theatre/muhammad-ali/2435 |title=Hollywood Walk of Fame database |publisher=HWOF.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701010558/http://hwof.com/star/live-theatre/muhammad-ali/2435 |archive-date=July 1, 2010}}</ref> His star is the only one to be mounted on a vertical surface, out of deference to his request that the name Muhammad—a name he shares with [[Muhammad|the Islamic prophet]]—not be walked upon.<ref name="Jet111">{{cite magazine |last=Christian |first=Margena A. |title=How Do You Really Get A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame? |magazine=Jet |volume=111 |issue=15 |date=April 16, 2007 |pages=25, 29 |url={{GBurl|id=BjsDAAAAMBAJ|p=29}} |access-date=October 12, 2010 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=A Star for the Greatest |magazine=Jet |volume=101 |issue=6 |page=52 |date=January 28, 2002 |url={{GBurl|id=2LQDAAAAMBAJ|p=52}} |access-date=September 22, 2010 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

His 1966 fight against [[George Chuvalo]] was the subject of the 2003 documentary film ''[[The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali]]''.<ref name=pevere>[[Geoff Pevere]], "Chuvalo's finest hour packs a punch". ''[[Toronto Star]]'', October 31, 2003.</ref> A decade later, ''[[The Trials of Muhammad Ali]]'', a documentary directed by [[Bill Siegel]] that focuses on Ali's refusal of the [[Selective Service|draft]] during the [[Vietnam War]], opened in Manhattan in August 2013.<ref name="Rapold" /><ref name=TrialsDocu>{{cite web |title=The Trials of Muhammad Ali |url=http://kartemquin.com/films/the-trials-of-muhammad-ali |publisher=Kartemquin Educational Films |access-date=August 26, 2013 |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604213857/http://www.kartemquin.com/films/the-trials-of-muhammad-ali }}</ref> A 2013 made-for-TV movie titled ''[[Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight]]'' dramatized the same aspect of Ali's life.

Ali was portrayed by [[Eli Goree]] in [[Regina King]]'s film ''[[One Night in Miami...|One Night in Miami]]'', a fictionalized account of the meeting on February 25, 1964, between Ali, [[Malcolm X]], [[Jim Brown]], and [[Sam Cooke]] in a room at the Hampton House, celebrating Ali's surprise title win over [[Sonny Liston]].

[[Antoine Fuqua]]'s documentary ''[[What's My Name: Muhammad Ali]]'' was released in 2019. Then in September 2021, documentary filmmaker [[Ken Burns]] released the four-part docuseries ''[[Muhammad Ali (miniseries)|Muhammad Ali]]'', spanning over eight hours on Ali's life. The series, which Burns began developing in early 2016, was broadcast on [[PBS]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Muhammad Ali |url=https://kenburns.com/films/ali/|access-date=September 2, 2020 |website=Ken Burns |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Acevedo |first1=Yoselin |date=March 29, 2017 |title=Ken Burns' Next Documentary Will Profile Muhammad Ali |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/ken-burns-muhammad-ali-documentary-pbs-sarah-burns-david-mcmahon-1201798210/|access-date=September 27, 2020 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}</ref> [[Dave Zirin]], who watched an 8-hour rough cut of this documentary, called it "utterly outstanding" and said "the footage they found will blow minds".<ref>{{cite tweet |last=Zirin |first=Dave |user=EdgeofSports |number=1290670168729882625 |date=August 4, 2020 |title=OK – just finished watching the eight hour rough cut of Ken Burns' forthcoming documentary about Muhammad Ali. It is utterly outstanding. Not sure when it will be released, but the footage they found will blow minds and the great Ali will come alive for a new generation. https://t.co/KnizgnK07H |language=en |access-date=December 31, 2020}}</ref>

While an officially authorized musical ''Ali'', based on Ali's life, has been planned, it has been postponed indefinitely.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=November 1, 2024 |title=Muhammad Ali Biomusical Indefinitely Postpones 2025 Chicago World Premiere |url=https://playbill.com/article/muhammad-ali-biomusical-indefinitely-postpones-2025-chicago-world-premiere |access-date=August 15, 2025 |website=playbill.com}}</ref>

==Professional boxing record==
{{Main|Professional boxing record of Muhammad Ali}}
{{Boxing record summary
|ko-wins=37
|ko-losses=1
|dec-wins=19
|dec-losses=4
}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!{{abbr|No.|Number}}
!Result
!Record
!Opponent
!Type
!Round, time
!Date
!Age
!Location
!Notes
|-
|61
|{{no2}}Loss
|56–5
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Trevor Berbick]]
|UD 
|10
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick|Dec 11, 1981]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1981|12|11}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], Bahamas}}
|
|-
|60
|{{no2}}Loss
|56–4
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Larry Holmes]]
|RTD
|10 (15), {{small|3:00}}
|[[Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali|Oct 2, 1980]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1980|10|02}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Caesars Palace]], [[Paradise, Nevada]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|For WBC and vacant ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|59
|{{yes2}}Win
|56–3
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Leon Spinks]]
|UD
|15
|[[Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II|Sep 15, 1978]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1978|9|15}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Mercedes-Benz Superdome|Superdome]], [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Won WBA and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|58
|{{no2}}Loss
|55–3
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Leon Spinks]]
|SD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks|Feb 15, 1978]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1978|2|15}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Las Vegas Hilton]], Winchester, Nevada, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Lost WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|57
|{{yes2}}Win
|55–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Earnie Shavers]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Earnie Shavers|Sep 29, 1977]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1977|9|29}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Madison Square Garden]], New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|56
|{{yes2}}Win
|54–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Alfredo Evangelista]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Alfredo Evangelista|May 16, 1977]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1977|5|16}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|55
|{{yes2}}Win
|53–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Ken Norton]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III|Sep 28, 1976]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1976|9|28}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|54
|{{yes2}}Win
|52–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Richard Dunn (boxer)|Richard Dunn]]
|TKO
|5 (15), {{small|2:05}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Richard Dunn|May 24, 1976]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1976|5|24}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Olympiahalle]], Munich, West Germany}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|53
|{{yes2}}Win
|51–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Young|Apr 30, 1976]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1976|4|30}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland)|Capital Centre]], [[Landover, Maryland]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|52
|{{yes2}}Win
|50–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jean-Pierre Coopman]]
|KO
|5 (15), {{small|2:46}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jean-Pierre Coopman|Feb 20, 1976]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1976|2|20}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Roberto Clemente Coliseum]], [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], Puerto Rico}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|51
|{{yes2}}Win
|49–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Joe Frazier]]
|RTD
|14 (15), {{small|3:00}}
|[[Thrilla in Manila|Oct 1, 1975]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1975|10|01}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Philippine Coliseum]], [[Quezon City]], Philippines}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|50
|{{yes2}}Win
|48–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Joe Bugner]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Bugner II|July 1, 1975]]<!-- This is often reported as happening on June 30 because it was still June 30 in much of the world when the fight started on July 1 in Malaysia --><ref>{{cite web |title=ESPN Classic – Muhammad Ali's ring record |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/Ali_record.html |website=espn.com |access-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref>
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1975|6|30}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Stadium Merdeka]], Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|49
|{{yes2}}Win
|47–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Ron Lyle]]
|TKO
|11 (15), {{small|1:08}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Ron Lyle|May 16, 1975]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1975|5|16}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|48
|{{yes2}}Win
|46–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Chuck Wepner]]
|TKO
|15 (15), {{small|2:41}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner|Mar 24, 1975]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1975|3|24}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Richfield Coliseum|Coliseum]], [[Richfield, Ohio]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|47
|{{yes2}}Win
|45–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[George Foreman]]
|KO
|8 (15), {{small|2:58}}
|[[The Rumble in the Jungle|Oct 30, 1974]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1974|10|30}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Stade du 20 Mai]], [[Kinshasa]], Zaire}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Won WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|46
|{{yes2}}Win
|44–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Joe Frazier]]
|UD
|12
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II|Jan 28, 1974]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1974|1|28}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|45
|{{yes2}}Win
|43–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Rudie Lubbers]]
|UD
|12
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Rudie Lubbers|Oct 20, 1973]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1973|10|20}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Gelora Bung Karno Stadium]], [[Jakarta]], Indonesia}}
|
|-
|44
|{{yes2}}Win
|42–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Ken Norton]]
|SD
|12
|[[Ken Norton vs. Muhammad Ali II|Sep 10, 1973]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1973|9|10}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[The Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]], [[Inglewood, California]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Won NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|43
|{{no2}}Loss
|41–2
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Ken Norton]]
|{{abbr|SD|Split decision}}
|12
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton|Mar 31, 1973]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1973|3|31}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[San Diego Sports Arena]], [[San Diego, California]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Lost NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|42
|{{yes2}}Win
|41–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Joe Bugner]]
|UD
|12
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Bugner|Feb 14, 1973]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1973|2|14}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.}}
|
|-
|41
|{{yes2}}Win
|40–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Bob Foster (boxer)|Bob Foster]]
|KO
|8 (12), {{small|0:40}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Bob Foster|Nov 21, 1972]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1972|11|21}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Sahara Tahoe]], [[Stateline, Nevada]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|40
|{{yes2}}Win
|39–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Floyd Patterson]]
|RTD
|7 (12), {{small|3:00}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II|Sep 20, 1972]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1972|9|20}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|39
|{{yes2}}Win
|38–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Alvin Lewis (boxer)|Alvin Lewis]]
|TKO
|11 (12), {{small|1:15}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Al Lewis|Jul 19, 1972]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1972|7|19}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Croke Park]], [[Dublin]], Ireland}}
|
|-
|38
|{{yes2}}Win
|37–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jerry Quarry]]
|TKO
|7 (12), {{small|0:19}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jerry Quarry II|Jun 27, 1972]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1972|6|27}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|37
|{{yes2}}Win
|36–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[George Chuvalo]]
|UD
|12
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo II|May 1, 1972]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1972|5|01}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Pacific Coliseum]], [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|36
|{{yes2}}Win
|35–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Mac Foster]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Mac Foster|Apr 1, 1972]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1972|4|01}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Nippon Budokan]], [[Tokyo]], Japan}}
|
|-
|35
|{{yes2}}Win
|34–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jürgen Blin]]
|KO
|7 (12), {{small|2:12}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jürgen Blin|Dec 26, 1971]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1971|12|26}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Hallenstadion]], [[Zürich]], Switzerland}}
|
|-
|34
|{{yes2}}Win
|33–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Buster Mathis]]
|UD
|12
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Buster Mathis|Nov 17, 1971]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1971|11|17}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|33
|{{yes2}}Win
|32–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]]
|TKO
|12 (12), {{small|2:10}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis|Jul 26, 1971]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1971|7|26}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Won vacant NABF heavyweight title}}
|-
|32
|{{no2}}Loss
|31–1
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Joe Frazier]]
|UD
|15
|[[Fight of the Century|Mar 8, 1971]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1971|3|08}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|For WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|31
|{{yes2}}Win
|31–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Oscar Bonavena]]
|TKO
|15 (15), {{small|2:03}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Oscar Bonavena|Dec 7, 1970]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1970|12|07}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Won vacant [[list of NABF champions#Heavyweight|NABF heavyweight title]]}}
|-
|30
|{{yes2}}Win
|30–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jerry Quarry]]
|RTD
|3 (15), {{small|3:00}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jerry Quarry|Oct 26, 1970]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1970|10|26}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Atlanta Municipal Auditorium|Municipal Auditorium]], [[Atlanta, Georgia]], U.S.}}
|
|-
|29
|{{yes2}}Win
|29–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Zora Folley]]
|KO
|7 (15), {{small|1:48}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Zora Folley|Mar 22, 1967]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1967|3|22}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]], New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|28
|{{yes2}}Win
|28–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Ernie Terrell]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrel|Feb 6, 1967]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1967|2|06}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles;<br />Won WBA heavyweight title}}
|-
|27
|{{yes2}}Win
|27–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Cleveland Williams]]
|TKO
|3 (15), {{small|1:08}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Cleveland Williams|Nov 14, 1966]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1966|11|14}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Astrodome]], [[Houston]], Texas, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|26
|{{yes2}}Win
|26–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Karl Mildenberger]]
|TKO
|12 (15), {{small|1:30}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Karl Mildenberger|Sep 10, 1966]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1966|9|10}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Waldstadion (Frankfurt)|Waldstadion]], Frankfurt, West Germany}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|25
|{{yes2}}Win
|25–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Brian London]]
|KO
|3 (15), {{small|1:40}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Brian London|Aug 6, 1966]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1966|8|06}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]], London, England}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|24
|{{yes2}}Win
|24–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Henry Cooper]]
|TKO
|6 (15), {{small|1:38}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Henry Cooper II|May 21, 1966]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1966|5|21}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Arsenal Stadium]], London, England}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|23
|{{yes2}}Win
|23–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[George Chuvalo]]
|UD
|15
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo|Mar 29, 1966]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1966|3|29}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Maple Leaf Gardens]], [[Toronto]], Canada}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|22
|{{yes2}}Win
|22–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Floyd Patterson]]
|TKO
|12 (15), {{small|2:18}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson|Nov 22, 1965]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1965|11|22}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|21
|{{yes2}}Win
|21–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Sonny Liston]]
|KO
|1 (15), {{small|2:12}}
|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II|May 25, 1965]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1965|5|25}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Androscoggin Bank Colisée|Civic Center]], [[Lewiston, Maine]], U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Retained WBC, NYSAC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles}}
|-
|20
|{{yes2}}Win
|20–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Sonny Liston]]
|RTD
|6 (15), {{small|3:00}}
|[[Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay|Feb 25, 1964]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1964|2|25}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Miami Beach Convention Center|Convention Center]], Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Won [[list of WBA world champions#Heavyweight|WBA]], [[list of WBC world champions#Heavyweight|WBC]], [[NYSAC]], and [[list of The Ring world champions#Heavyweight|''The Ring'' heavyweight titles]]}}
|-
|19
|{{yes2}}Win
|19–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Henry Cooper]]
|TKO
|5 (10), {{small|2:15}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Henry Cooper|Jun 18, 1963]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1963|6|18}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], London, England}}
|
|-
|18
|{{yes2}}Win
|18–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Doug Jones (boxer)|Doug Jones]]
|UD
|10
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Doug Jones|Mar 13, 1963]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1963|3|13}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|
|-
|17
|{{yes2}}Win
|17–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Charlie Powell]]
|KO
|3 (10), {{small|2:04}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Charlie Powell|Jan 24, 1963]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1963|1|24}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Civic Arena (Pittsburgh)|Civic Arena]], [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], U.S.}}
|
|-
|16
|{{yes2}}Win
|16–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Archie Moore]]
|TKO
|4 (10), {{small|1:35}}
|[[Archie Moore vs. Cassius Clay|Nov 15, 1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1962|11|15}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.}}
|
|-
|15
|{{yes2}}Win
|15–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Alejandro Lavorante
|KO
|5 (10), {{small|1:48}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Alejandro Lavorante|Jul 20, 1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1962|7|20}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.}}
|
|-
|14
|{{yes2}}Win
|14–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Daniels
|TKO
|7 (10), {{small|2:21}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Billy Daniels|May 19, 1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1962|5|19}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[St. Nicholas Arena]], New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|
|-
|13
|{{yes2}}Win
|13–0
|style="text-align:left;"|George Logan
|TKO
|4 (10), {{small|1:34}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. George Logan|Apr 23, 1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1962|4|23}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Memorial Sports Arena]], [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.}}
|
|-
|12
|{{yes2}}Win
|12–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Don Warner
|TKO
|4 (10), {{small|0:34}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Don Warner|Feb 28, 1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1962|3|28}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.}}
|
|-
|11
|{{yes2}}Win
|11–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Sonny Banks]]
|TKO
|4 (10), {{small|0:26}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Banks|Feb 10, 1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1962|2|10}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.}}
|
|-
|10
|{{yes2}}Win
|10–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Willi Besmanoff]]
|TKO
|7 (10), {{small|1:55}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Willi Besmanoff|Nov 29, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|11|29}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.}}
|
|-
|9
|{{yes2}}Win
|9–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Alex Miteff
|TKO
|6 (10), {{small|1:45}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Alex Miteff|Oct 7, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|10|07}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.}}
|
|-
|8
|{{yes2}}Win
|8–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Alonzo Johnson
|UD
|10
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Alonzo Johnson|Jul 22, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|7|22}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.}}
|
|-
|7
|{{yes2}}Win
|7–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Duke Sabedong
|UD
|10
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Duke Sabedong|Jun 26, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|6|26}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Las Vegas Convention Center]], [[Winchester, Nevada]], U.S.}}
|
|-
|6
|{{yes2}}Win
|6–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[LaMar Clark]]
|KO
|2 (8), {{small|1:27}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Lamar Clark|Apr 19, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|4|19}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.}}
|
|-
|5
|{{yes2}}Win
|5–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Donnie Fleeman
|{{abbr|RTD|Corner retirement}}
|6 (8)
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Donnie Fleeman|Feb 21, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|2|21}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.}}
|
|-
|4
|{{yes2}}Win
|4–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Jim Robinson (boxer)|Jim Robinson]]
|{{abbr|KO|Knockout}}
|1 (8), {{small|1:34}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Jim Robinson|Feb 7, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|2|07}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Miami Beach Convention Center|Convention Center]], Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.}}
|
|-
|3
|{{yes2}}Win
|3–0
|style="text-align:left;"|Tony Esperti
|TKO
|3 (8), {{small|1:30}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Tony Esperti|Jan 17, 1961]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1961|1|17}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|Municipal Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.}}
|
|-
|2
|{{yes2}}Win
|2–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Herb Siler]]
|{{abbr|TKO|Technical knockout}}
|4 (8), {{small|1:00}}
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Herb Siler|Dec 27, 1960]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1960|12|27}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium|Municipal Auditorium]], [[Miami Beach, Florida]], U.S.}}
|
|-
|1
|{{yes2}}Win
|1–0
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Tunney Hunsaker]]
|{{abbr|UD|Unanimous decision}}
|6
|[[Cassius Clay vs. Tunney Hunsaker|Oct 29, 1960]]
|style="text-align:left;"|{{age in years and days|1942|1|17|1960|10|29}}
|style="text-align:left;"|{{small|[[Freedom Hall]], [[Louisville, Kentucky]], U.S.}}
|
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Biography|Islam|Sports|Martial arts|Olympics
}}
* [[Wells Fargo#1981 MAPS Wells Fargo embezzlement scandal|1981 MAPS Wells Fargo embezzlement scandal]]
* [[Boxing career of Muhammad Ali]]
* [[List of American Muslims]]
* [[List of boxing families]]
* [[List of career achievements by Muhammad Ali]]
* [[List of converts to Islam]]
* [[List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area]]
* [[List of The Ring world champions|List of ''The Ring'' world champions]]
* [[List of undisputed world boxing champions]]
* [[List of WBA world champions]]
* [[List of WBC world champions]]
* [[List of world heavyweight boxing champions]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Hauser |first=Thomas |year=2004 |title=Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times |url={{GBurl|id=7K6-AgAAQBAJ}} |location=London |publisher=Robson Books |isbn=978-1-86105-738-9 |oclc=56645513 }}

===Online===
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-Ali-boxer Muhammad Ali: American boxer], in ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', by Thomas Hauser, Adam Augustyn, Piyush Bhathya, Yamini Chauhan, John M. Cunningham, Richard Pallardy, Michael Ray, Emily Rodriguez, Surabhi Sinha, Amy Tikkanen, Grace Young and The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112191859/http://muhammadali.com/ |title=Official website |date=mdy}}
* {{BoxRec}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* [http://www.wargs.com/other/ali.html William Addams Reitwiesner Genealogical Services: Ancestry of Muhammad Ali]
* [https://vault.fbi.gov/muhammad-ali FBI Records: The Vault – Muhammad Ali] at the [[FBI]]
* [https://texasarchive.org/2008_00185 Cassius Clay Guilty (1967)], [[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]]
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=muhammad-ali|old_id=Muhammad-Ali|archive=20230406005921}}
* {{Olympics.com}}
* {{Olympedia}}

'''Photo essays'''
<!-- Please limit to the most notable publications -->
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/22961/cassius-clay-before-he-was-ali |title=Cassius Clay: Before He Was Ali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021043816/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/22961/cassius-clay-before-he-was-ali |archive-date=October 21, 2009 |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Berman |first1=Eliza |last2=Ronk |first2=Liz |url=https://time.com/3872023/muhammad-ali-dead-photos/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604052319/http://time.com/3872023/muhammad-ali-dead-photos/ |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |title=Muhammad Ali's Life in Photos; From his time in the ring to his more playful side |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |url-status=live |date=June 4, 2016}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports|oly}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|NOR}} [[Haakon Magnus, Crown Prince of Norway]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron|Final Olympic torchbearer]]|years=[[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta 1996]]}}
{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|JPN}} [[Midori Ito]]}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|ESP}} [[Antonio Rebollo]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron|Final Summer Olympic torchbearer]]|years=[[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta 1996]]}}
{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|AUS}} [[Cathy Freeman]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Muhammad Ali|state=expanded}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Muhammad Ali
|list =
{{Footer Olympic Champions Boxing Light Heavyweight}}
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{{NAACP Image Award – President's Award}}
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{{Hickok Belt}}
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}}
{{Louisville}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Muhammad}}
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