He won the world heavyweight championship, defeating Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at age 22. At 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and turned professional later that year. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.īorn and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, he began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. He was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. Nicknamed ' the Greatest', he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Janu– June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Muhammad Ali ( / ɑː ˈ l iː/ born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.
