The man widely regarded as the greatest boxer
of all time, Muhammad Ali has died at the age of
74.
The former world heavyweight boxing
champion, one of the world's best-known
sportsmen, died at a hospital in the US city of
Phoenix, Arizona, after being admitted on
Thursday. Ali's death was announced by his
family in a statement.
He was suffering from a respiratory illness, a
condition that was complicated by Parkinson's
disease.
According to his family, the funeral will take
place in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
6 Things You May Not Know About Muhammad
Ali
1.A red-and-white Schwinn bicycle launched his
boxing career.
When the 12-year-old Clay’s beloved bicycle
was stolen in October 1954, he reported the theft
to Louisville, Kentucky, police officer Joe Martin
and vowed to pummel the culprit. Martin, who
was also a boxing trainer, suggested that the
upset youngster first learn how to fight, and he
took Clay under his wing. Six weeks later, Clay
won his first bout in a split decision.
2. He was originally named in honor of a white
abolitionist.
The fighter, like his father, was named for
Cassius Marcellus Clay, a 19th-century farmer
and anti-slavery crusader who emancipated the
40 slaves he inherited from his father. The
abolitionist, a second cousin of Kentucky
Senator Henry Clay, edited an anti-slavery
newspaper, commanded troops in the Mexican-
American War and served as minister to Russia
under President Abraham Lincoln. In defying
Southern conventions of the time, Clay faced
more than death threats. He was beaten,
stabbed and shot by political opponents but
lived to the age of 92.
3. Before becoming known as Muhammad Ali, he
changed his name to Cassius X.
The morning after defeating Liston, the new
heavyweight champion confirmed reports that
he had become a member of the Nation of Islam.
With Malcolm X at his side, the champ told
reporters that he had renounced his surname,
which he called his “slave name,” and would be
known as “Cassius X” until Nation of Islam
leader Elijah Muhammad gave him a holy name.
That name, Muhammad Ali, was bestowed on
March 6, 1964.
4. Ali was banned from boxing for three years.
As the Vietnam War raged in 1967, Ali refused to
serve in the U.S. military for religious reasons.
The heavyweight champion was arrested, and
the New York State Athletic Commission
immediately suspended his boxing license and
stripped him of his title. Ali was convicted of
draft evasion, sentenced to the maximum of five
years in prison and fined $10,000, although he
remained free while the conviction was
appealed. In 1970 the New York State Supreme
Court ordered his boxing license reinstated, and
he returned to the ring by knocking out Jerry
Quarry in October 1970. The following year, the
U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali’s conviction
in a unanimous decision.
5. Ali starred in a Broadway musical.
During his 43-month forced exile from the ring,
Ali took to the stage in the title role of the
musical “Buck White.” The production opened
inside New York’s George Abbott Theatre on
December 2, 1969, but Ali’s stage career would
be a brief one. “Buck White” closed four nights
later after just seven performances. In spite of
the limited run, Ali, who played a militant black
lecturer, received decent reviews. “He sings with
a pleasant slightly impersonal voice, acts
without embarrassment and moves with innate
dignity,” wrote a New York Times reviewer. “He
does himself proud.”
6. He recorded an album of spoken verse.
The loquacious Ali was boxing’s poet laureate,
composing verses in which he taunted
opponents and praised himself. His iambic
pentameter was so popular that Columbia
Records released a 1963 spoken word album
called “I Am the Greatest” in which the 21-year-
old rising star performed his poetry, backed my
musical accompaniment, before an audience.
The album also included two songs by the
boxer, including a cover of the Ben E. King hit
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