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01
Muhammad Ali first took boxing lessons after neighborhood bullies stole his bike, and he wanted to get back at them.
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02
Contrary to legend, Ali did not throw his 1960 Olympic gold medal into a river; he simply lost it at some point.
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03
His bout with massive underdog Chuck Wepner inspired Sylvester Stallone to create Rocky Balboa, while the character Apollo Creed played by Carl Weathers was based on Ali himself.
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04
Ali learned early from the outrageous bad-guy wrestler Gorgeous George that it could pay to be hated. He said he saw fifteen thousand people coming to see this man get beat, and his talking did it. He thought that was a good idea and refined that talking concept into what became the Louisville Lip.
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05
Ali met The Beatles while training to fight Sonny Liston and posed for photos with them in a boxing ring. He declared afterward that they were the greatest, but he was still the prettiest.
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06
His professional boxing record is 56-5 with 37 KOs.
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07
In 1999, he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Century.
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08
He was the first man to knock down Sonny Liston and George Foreman.
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09
His maternal grandmother’s paternal grandfather was of Anglo-Saxon descent, and he is related to US Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Benjamin Harrison VI, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Generals George C. Marshall and George S. Patton, and actors Lee Marvin, Glenn Close, Laura Dern and Hilary Duff, journalist Katie Couric and cyclist Lance Armstrong.
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10
He portrayed himself in four different motion pictures.
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11
His children include daughters Rasheeda, Jamilla, Maryum, Miya, Khalilah, Hana Ali and Laila Ali, and sons Muhammad Jr. and Asaad.
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12
From 1963 to 1966, he successfully defended the heavyweight title nine times.
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13
In 1962, Ali signed for Selective Service but failed the mental aptitude test and was classified 1-Y. When the Vietnam War required more soldiers, the pass-percentage was dropped to 15, and he was re-classified 1-A, fit for service.
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14
He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983 as a charter member and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1986.
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15
He is the only fighter to win a decision over Joe Frazier, in their second fight.
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16
He suffered from Parkinson’s syndrome, caused by numerous blows to the head during his boxing career.
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17
He won the light heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1960 Olympics and was world heavyweight champion from 1964-1967, 1974-1978, and 1978-1979.
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18
Contrary to popular belief, he was stripped of his boxing license by the State of New York and his title by the World Boxing Association when he converted to Islam, but the World Boxing Council recognized him as champ throughout his battle with the government over his refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army.
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19
When he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 11, 2002, Ali insisted that the star be installed on the facade of the Kodak Theatre now the Dolby Theatre so that people would not step on his name. As of 2021, his star is the only one that cannot be stepped on.
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20
He lit the torch at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
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21
He had an amateur boxing record of 127 wins and only five defeats.
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22
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Sport in Society Hall of Fame in 1994.
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23
In 62 pro boxing matches, Ali was only stopped once—by Larry Holmes on a technical knockout in round 11 of their title fight. He was never counted out.
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24
In June 1967, Ali was convicted of violating the Selective Service Act and sentenced to five years in prison and fined $100,000. On appeal, he claimed he was denied due process, but the three-member Presidential Draft Board ruled his objection invalid, and he was not entitled to conscientious objector status.
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25
His maternal great-grandfather was Abe Grady, a native of Ireland.
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26
When Ali stopped Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Title, Liston had not lost a fight in over 10 years.
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27
To pay his legal fees while barred from boxing, Ali hit the college lecture circuit and even starred in the Broadway musical Buck White.
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28
He married his second wife, Khalilah Camacho Ali, when she was age 17.
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29
He was inactive for three and a half years while fighting his draft evasion case in court.
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30
Ali was arguably a four-time World Heavyweight Champion. He was stripped by the WBA in 1965 but regained recognition by beating Ernie Terrell in 1967, only to be stripped again. He later won the title twice more from George Foreman and Leon Spinks.
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31
He is the only fighter to score a KO of George Foreman and Oscar Bonavena.
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32
As an amateur, Ali was only knocked out once in over 110 fights, by Kent Green on a third-round technical knockout. Green went on to a 14-2 pro boxing record.
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33
He was trained by Joe Martin as an amateur, Archie Moore from 1960-1961, and Angelo Dundee from 1961-1980.
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34
He took an interest in boxing when his bike was stolen by local hoods.
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35
He was featured in a Pizza Hut boxing commercial alongside David Bortolucci and his trainer Angelo Dundee, which was meant to air during the 1998 Super Bowl but was pulled at the very last moment for being too violent. The campaign was estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars.
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36
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush on November 9, 2005, along with Frank Robinson, General Richard Myers, Paul Rusesabagina, Carol Burnett, Andy Griffith, Aretha Franklin, Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn, Jack Nicklaus, Alan Greenspan, and former congressman Sonny Montgomery.
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37
He wanted the role of Bilal in The Message 1976 but the film’s director nixed the idea.
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38
He was father-in-law of Curtis Conway.
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39
Many fans would request getting punched by Ali rather than a picture or autograph, boasting that they got hit by the Greatest.
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40
On the night of his bout against Sonny Liston in 1964, Ali personally refilled his water bottle in his dressing room because he was concerned the Mafia might have doped his water. Liston was said to have been regularly involved with the Mafia.
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41
Ali is the first heavyweight champion to lose his title to a novice with only seven professional fights, when he lost to Leon Spinks on February 15, 1978.
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42
He is the son of Odessa Clay.
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43
He received the Otto Hahn Peace Medal for his life-long engagement in the American civil rights movement and the global cultural emancipation of blacks, as well as his work as a UN Goodwill ambassador.
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44
He was photographed with American actor David J. Silver during his visit to Arizona and attended a lavish dinner at the Palms Hotel in Paradise Valley for his famed 2004 Fight Night Celebrity charity.
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45
He is the older brother of Rahman Ali.
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46
He is referenced in the song Powder Blue by Ween, Rumble in the Jungle by Fugees, and the Verve’s songs Muhammad Ali and Noise Epic.
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47
Upon returning to boxing in 1970 after having his license returned, Ali no longer had the exceptional footwork against his opponents, but he proved he could endure punishment inside the ring.
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48
During their historic bouts, there was genuine bad feeling between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier; years later they were able to bury the hatchet.
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49
He caused shockwaves throughout the sport when he defeated Sonny Liston in February 1964 for the heavyweight title, a bout that is one of the biggest upsets in boxing.
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50
He is a former heavyweight boxing champion.
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51
Muhammad Ali beat more champions and top contenders than any heavyweight champion in history, including Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Leon Spinks, as well as light-heavyweight champs Archie Moore and Bob Foster, and European champions Henry Cooper, Karl Mildenberger, Jurgen Blin, Joe Bugner, Richard Dunn, Jean-Pierre Coopman and Alfredo Evangelista.
