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The Greatest – Ali at 65

17/01/2007

Muhammad Ali, regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, turns 65 today.

Tributes have been flooding in from the boxing world and beyond for a man who commands almost universal respect 26 years after hanging up his gloves for the final time.

During his career, Ali won the world heavyweight title three times, taking part in epic battles with the likes of Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Joe Frazier.

In recent years, his public appearances have been limited by Parkinson's disease, which has led to the steady deterioration of his motor functions.

Although some doctors dispute it, his illness is thought to have been caused by the repeated blows to the head he received during almost two decades as a professional boxer.

As well as three world titles, Ali also won an Olympic Gold Medal and has been named sportsman of the century by both the BBC and Sports Illustrated magazine.

While his performances in the ring were dazzling, he was almost as famous for his boastful pre-fight predictions. His bating of Frazier before the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975 was so savage that his opponent never forgave him.

But it was his conduct outside the ring as much as his boxing prowess that made Ali a 20th century icon.

Christened Cassius Clay Junior, he discarded what he called his "slave name" in 1964 shortly after winning the world title for the first time when he stopped Liston in the seventh round.

After announcing that he had joined the Nation of Islam, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

In 1967 he famously refused to fight in Vietnam, claiming that it was against his religion. In typical Ali style, he summed his position up with a poem: "On the war in Vietnam, I sing this song. I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong."

But his refusal to go to war cost him his title and earned him a three-year ban from boxing, which he devoted to political activism.

His return to the ring in 1971 to face the undefeated Frazier was one of the landmark bouts of his career and is often referred to as the "Fight of the Century". Ali lost for the first time in his professional career.

He would wait another three years to regain his title, this time beating a young Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire.

Arguably his greatest fight came in 1975 when he took revenge on Frazier, stopping him after 14 brutal rounds in the "Thrilla in Manila" and retaining his title.

In 1979 he retired as champion, but made a brief and unsuccessful comeback a year later when he was stopped by his friend and former sparring partner Larry Holmes. Ali quit boxing for good in 1981.

While many believe he went on too long, Ali's place in the boxing hall of fame is undisputed.

His $60 million Muhammad Ali Centre in Louisville, which houses memorabilia from his career and seeks to promote his values of social justice and personal development, ensures his legacy will continue.

At 65 and more than a quarter of a century after his retirement, he was still the world's third biggest earner in sport last year, according to Forbes magazine.

Muhammad Ali career highlights

1942 – Born Cassius Clay Junior in Louisville, Kentucky
1960 – Wins light heavyweight gold at the Olympics in Rome
1964 – Beats Sonny Liston in Miami to win first of three world heavyweight titles; changes his name to Muhammad Ali after joining Nation of Islam
1967 – Stripped of world title and banned from boxing after refusing to fight in Vietnam
1971 – Loses to Joe Frazier by unanimous points decision in the "Fight of the Century"
1974 – Beats Frazier in "Ali-Frazier II" to earn a title shot against George Foreman; beats Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" by a knockout
1975 – Converts to Sunni Islam; stops Frazier after 14 rounds in the "Thrilla in Manila"
1978 – Loses to Olympic champion Leon Spinks but wins a rematch on a controversial points decision
1979 – Announces retirement from boxing
1980 – Comes out of retirement but is stopped by former sparring partner Larry Holmes
1981 – Retires permanently from boxing
1984 – Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
1996 – Lights torch at the start of Atlanta Olympics
1999 – Named Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC; named Kentucky Athlete of the Century; named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated magazine
2007 – Celebrates 65th birthday

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