Muhammad Ali
Took up boxing at 12 after his bicycle was stolen; gave up his title rather than fight in Vietnam.
- Born
- 1942 · Louisville, Kentucky, US
- Roots
- Black American
- Family
- Working class
- Sign-painter father, domestic-worker mother, in segregated Louisville.
- Education
- Central High School, Louisville
- Started with
- A stolen bicycle
- Reported the theft to a police officer who ran a boxing gym; Joe Martin became his first trainer.
- Affiliations & societies
- Nation of IslamDocumented
- Announced membership in 1964 and took the name Muhammad Ali; converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1954 · age 12The stolen bike
Tells officer Joe Martin he'll "whup" the thief; Martin suggests he learn to box first.
- 1960 · age 18Olympic gold
Light-heavyweight title in Rome.
- 1964 · age 22Heavyweight champion
Upsets Sonny Liston, then announces his Nation of Islam name.
- 1967 · age 25Refuses the draft
Stripped of the title and banned from boxing for over three years; faces prison.
- 1971 · age 29Supreme Court victory
His conviction is overturned unanimously.
- 1974 · age 32Rumble in the Jungle
Regains the title against George Foreman in Zaire.
- 1996 · age 54Atlanta torch
Lights the Olympic flame, hands trembling from Parkinson's, before a global audience.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.