Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer,
[1] philanthropist[2] and social activist.[2] Considered a cultural icon, Ali has both been idolized and vilified.[3][4]
Originally known as Cassius Clay, at the age of 22 he won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston.
Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975,
and later to Sufism. In 1967, three years after Ali had won the heavyweight championship, he was publicly
vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition
to the Vietnam War. Ali was eventually arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges; he was stripped of his
boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four
years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was eventually successful.

Ali would go on to become the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion.
Nicknamed "The Greatest", Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches.[5] Notable among these were three with
rival Joe Frazier, which are considered among the greatest in boxing history, and one with George Foreman, where he
finally regained his stripped titles seven years later. Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, epitomized
by his catchphrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", and employing techniques such as the Ali Shuffle and the
rope-a-dope.[6] Ali brought beauty and grace to the most uncompromising of sports and through the wonderful excesses of
skill and character, he became the most famous athlete in the world.[7] He was also known for his pre-match hype, where
he would "trash talk" opponents, often with rhymes.

In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.[8][9]