Muhammad Ali
He was one of the most famous and influential boxers in history. He was born on January
17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, into a working class family. From an early age, Ali
showed a great talent for boxing and started training at the age of 12.
In 1960 Ali won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics in the lightweight category. After
the Olympics, Ali began his professional boxing career and quickly became one of the best
heavyweight boxers in the world.
In 1964 Ali challenged Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight title and shocked the world
by winning the fight. After the fight, Ali announced that he had converted to Islam and
changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
In the years that followed, Ali became a civil rights advocate and refused to be drafted to
fight in the Vietnam War, which led to his suspension from boxing and a world title from
him. Ali was eventually acquitted of the charges and returned to boxing in 1970.
Ali continued to box for several years, having some of the most famous fights in boxing
history.