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By The U.S. National Archives – Wikimedia

Top 10 Captivating Facts about Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is without a doubt one of the most significant athletes in the 20th century. Out of the 61 times that he fought; Ali won 56 of them.

Ali was also an icon when it came to advocating for racial justice in America. African Americans were proud of his efforts and he inspired many.

He was not only a boxer but also a poet. Ali fought oppression, bigotry and racism off the ring.

Muhammad Ali was made the peace ambassador for negotiating with dictators for the release of hostages as well as refusing to fight in Vietnam.

His death at the age of 74 left a big void not only in boxing but in the entire world. There is more about Muhammad Ali that captivating. Here are the top 10 facts.

1. Muhammad Ali was not his birth name

By Kingkongphoto – Wikimedia

His birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay Junior. He was born on January 17, 1942.

He was nicknamed the greatest in boxing. Ali was a professional boxer, activist, entertainer and philanthropist.

As the most celebrated sporting figure of the 20th century, Ali was ranked as the best heavyweight boxer and greatest athlete of the century.

In 1961, he became Muslim and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. Three years later, he won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston. He was 22.

2. He was known as Cassius X for some time

After announcing his name change after beating Liston, Ali made it public that he had joined the Nation of Islam.

He was with Malcolm X when he announced that his surname had changed. The new name was Cassius X. Ali was given a new name by the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad in 1965.

3. Ali had a complicated relationship with Malcolm X

By EPHouston -Wikimedia

Ali and Malcolm X were both members of the Nation of Islam. They shared the same ideals but this was short-lived.

Their relationship became complicated when Ali joined the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. The falling out happened when both Ali and Malcolm X were in Ghana.

Malcolm X had left the Nation of Islam while Ali had just joined it. Ali refused to shake hands with Malcolm X. Their time in Ghana was the last time Ali saw Malcolm X alive.  

After Malcolm X was assassinated, Ali felt like he had betrayed him when they needed each other most.

4. Ali refused to serve the military for religious reasons

Ali was drafted into the US army and was listed to go to Vietnam in 1967. He refused to serve in the military due to religious reasons.

This caused him to get arrested, his championship title stripped and his boxing license got cancelled.

Ali was convicted of draft evasion and was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000. He appealed and was set free.

Three years later, the New York State Supreme Court reinstated his boxing licence. That same year, 1970, Ali knocked out Jerry Quarry.  

5. Ali started boxing after his bike was stolen

By The Courier-Journal – Wikimedia

When he was young, his bike was stolen from outside the Columbia Auditorium. Cassius was so angry that he told a policeman that he would beat up the thief if found.

The police officer, Joe Martin, was a boxing trainer so he took him for boxing classes. He suggested that he needed to learn and from the best.

Cassius was hesitant at the beginning but accepted the offer. He went for his first tournament six weeks later and won.

6. Ali trash-talked his opponents before a fight

Ali was good with words and was considered to be a brilliant marketing person for his matches. He got to fight with Sonny Liston even before he was qualified because he talked a lot about it.

This got him the nickname Louisville lip terming him as a force to reckon with in the ring. Others took this to be Ali acting like a child, they found it annoying.

Ali took this to his advantage, turned the hate to love.

7. Muhammad Ali was dyslexic

By Marylandstater – Wikimedia

Ali was dyslexic and this gave him difficulties in reading and writing while in school and for much of his life.

He barely graduated high school because he struggled to read. The pain of not being able to perform well in school led him to want to improve the lives of others with the same challenge.

Together with his wife, they worked to improve the literacy of African Americans.  

8. Ali had Irish roots

His great-grandfather Abe Grady was an Irish who emigrated to the United States in the 1860s.

Ali’s mother was his grandchild, Odessa Lee Grady Clay. In 2004, Ali visited his ancestral land in Ennis, Ireland where he met members of his clan.

9. Muhammad Ali wore several hats

Ali was not only a boxer and a poet but also a singer. He released an album, I am the greatest, in 1963. This was six months before he beat Sonny Liston and claimed the World Heavy Weight Title.

He also starred in a Broadway musical, titled Buck White, that ran for five nights. Ali did this when his boxing licence was cancelled.

10. The gloves that Ali won during the Liston fight earned him more money than any fight

By John Stango – Wikimedia

The fight between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali not only made Ali famous but also rich. Ali earned $630,000 for the win while the gloves, which he sold, earned him $836,000 more than 5 decades after the fight.