Title supplied by cataloger. Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. (1942-), more famously known as Muhammad Ali as well as "The Greatest", "The Champ", and "The Louisville Lip", is a former boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. In 1964 Clay legally changed his name to Muhammad Ali, after joining the Nation of Islam. Standing tall at 6-ft, 3-in., Ali was known for his fighting style - which he famously described as "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". His first professional fight came on October 29, 1960, and for the next three years the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. Among Ali's victims were: Sonny Banks, Alejandro Lavorante, Archie Moore, Henry Cooper, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, George Chuvalo, Brian London, Karl Mildenberger, Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams, Zora Foley, Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Joe Frazier - who dealt Ali his first professional loss in 1971, in the fight known as "The Fight of the Century"; Ken Norton, George Foreman - whom Ali defeated on October 30, 1974 becoming one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, in the bout hyped as "The Rumble In The Jungle"; Chuck Wepner, Ron Lyle, Joe Bugner, Jean-Pierre Coopman, Jimmy Young, Richard Dunn, Leon Spinks, and Larry Holmes. Ali's final fight was to an up-and-coming challenger named Trevor Berbick in 1981, which resulted in a loss for Ali by unanimous decision after 10 rounds; he announced his permanent retirement that same year. Ali defeated almost every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called 'the golden age of heavyweight boxing'. His professional boxing record stands at: 56 Wins (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), 5 Losses (4 decisions, 1 retirement), and 0 Draws. Muhammad Ali was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, received a Spirit of America Award in 1991, and was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The Champ currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his fourth wife, Yolanda 'Lonnie' Ali. A man wearing a short-sleeved floral shirt takes his life into his own hands as he pats The Champ on the shoulder, while several men in the background look on. A young looking fellow with bulging muscles, possibly a boxing contender, stands behind Ali - also intent on hearing what The Champ has to say. The location where this photograph was taken is unknown.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
