Muhammad Ali was a boxer, philanthropist and social activist, who is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Ali became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964.
Ali was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. His birth name was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. At an early age, young Clay showed that he wasn’t afraid of any bout — inside or outside of the ring. Growing up in the segregated South, he experienced racial prejudice and discrimination firsthand.
Ali was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions; he successfully defended this title 19 times.
Muhammad Ali made America famous by winning the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship for the first in history. A style of Muhammad Ali during a match in 1974.
Muhammad Ali won the gold medal for his country in the Olympic Games and ruled the hearts of the people.
A memorable photo of boxer Ali with her daughter Laila, Laila also decided to follow in the footsteps of her father and went on to become a boxer.
Laila’s entry into the world of boxing was also a matter of happiness for Muhammad Ali. From her earliest days, Leila also made America famous.
Prominent boxer of his time Muhammad Ali was named the best sports personality of the 20th century in 1999.
A memorable picture of boxer Muhammad Ali with former President George W. Bush. 
The United Nations had appointed the boxer as its ambassador for peace.
South Africa’s first black President Nelson Mandela, who had also been a boxer, once said: “Muhammad Ali was not just my hero, but the hero of millions of young, black South Africans because he brought dignity to boxing.” The pair met in 2005.
He visited Sudan in 1988, four years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, to spread the message of Islam as a religion of peace. Here he prays in a Sufi mosque in Khartoum.
Ali spent time in 1974 training in Kinshasa, built on the banks of the Congo River, getting acclimatized to its tropical climate and attracted crowds of fans when he went out in the city.
His itinerary included Nigeria, Africa’s most populous state, where crowds welcomed him with chants of “king of the world”.
Today, boxer Muhammad Ali’s birthday is being commemorated on January 17.
