Muhammad Ali
[Cassius M. Clay]
Boxing
b. Jan. 18, 1942, Louisville, KY
Fight-by-fight Record

The colorful and controversial Ali began taking boxing lessons when he was twelve years old at the urging of a Louisville policeman he talked to after his bike was stolen. As a high school student, he won the national Golden Gloves middleweight championship in 1959 and 1960 and the AAU national light heavyweight title in 1960, then went on to a gold medal in the Olympic light heavyweight division.


Under his given name, Cassius Clay, he had his first professional fight on October 29, 1960. Before his sixth professional bout, against Lamar Clark on April 19, 1961, Clay predicted a 2nd-round knockout and was right. He continued making predictions, often in rhyme, and making them come true until March 13, 1963. On that date, he won a questionable 10-round decision over Doug Jones after predicting a 4th-round knockout.

Clay was a heavy underdog when he met Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship on February 25, 1964, at Miami Beach, FL. But he won the fight when Liston failed to come out for the 8th round, claiming a shoulder injury. In a rematch on May 25, 1965, Clay knocked Liston out with a "phantom punch" that few observers saw in the 1st round at Lewiston, ME.

Shortly after becoming champion, Clay announced that he had become a Black Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He defended the title eight times in the next twenty months. In the meantime, he had refused induction into the Army. As a result, his license was revoked by the New York State Boxing Commission, his title was stripped, and he was sentenced to five years in prison for draft evasion.

While the conviction was being appealed, Ali was inactive for more than two years and announced his retirement early in 1970. He returned to the ring shortly afterward, knocking out Jerry Quarry in the 3rd round on October 26, 1970, at Atlanta. After a court ordered New York to restore his license, he fought the new champion, Joe Frazier, at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. Frazier won a brutal 15-round fight on a unanimous decision.

The U. S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction on June 29, 1971, and Ali won the North American Boxing Federation's championship by knocking out Jimmy Ellis in the 12th round less than a month later. He lost it on a 12-round decision to Ken Norton, regained it by outpointing Norton in 12 rounds, and then beat Frazier on a 12-round decision to gain a world title fight against George Foreman, who had also beaten Frazier.

Ali knocked Foreman out in the 8th round on October 30, 1974, at Kinshasa, Zaire, in the first heavyweight championship fight ever held in Africa. He was named fighter of the year by Ring magazine. He and Frazier shared the 1975 award after their celebrated "Thrilla in Manila" fight on October 1, when Ali won with a 14th-round knockout.

After ten defenses, Ali lost the title to Leon Spinks on a 12-round decision February 15, 1978, but regained it for a third time with a 15-round decision on September 15. He then announced his retirement.

He came out of retirement for another championship fight, against Larry Holmes on October 2, 1980. Holmes knocked him out in the 11th round. Ali retired for good after losing a 1981 decision to Trevor Berbick.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," a phrase coined by corner man Drew "Bundini" Brown, aptly described Ali's remarkable combination of speed and power during his prime, when he fought at about 210 pounds.

Record: 61 fights, won 56, 37 by KO; lost 5, 1 by KO.

International Boxing Hall of Fame
Olympic Hall of Fame
Professional Record
1960
29 Oct Tunney Hunsaker Louisville, KY W6
27 Dec Herb Siler Miami Beach, FL KO4

1961
17 Jan Tony Esperti Miami Beach, FL KO3
7 Feb Jim Robinson Miami Beach, FL KO1
21 Feb Donnie Fleeman Miami Beach, FL KO7
19 Apr Lamar Clark Louisville, KY KO2
26 Jun Duke Sabedong Las Vegas, NV W10
22 Jul Alonzo Johnson Louisville, KY W10
7 Oct Alex Miteff Louisville, KY KO6
29 Nov Willi Besmanoff Louisville, KY KO7

1962
19 Feb Sonny Banks New York, NY KO4
28 Mar Don Warner Miami Beach, FL KO4
23 Apr George Logan Los Angeles, CA KO6
19 May Billy Daniels New York, NY KO7
20 Jul Alejandro Lavorante Los Angeles, CA KO5
15 Nov Archie Moore Los Angeles, CA KO4

1963
24 Jan Charlie Powell Pittsburgh, PA KO3
13 Mar Doug Jones New York, NY W10
18 Jun Henry Cooper London KO5

1964
25 Feb Sonny Liston Miami Beach, FL TKO7
(Won world championship)

1965
25 May Sonny Liston Lewiston, Maine KO1
(Retained world championship)
31 Jul Jimmy Ellis San Juan, PR Exh 3
31 Jul Cody Jones San Juan, PR Exh 3
16 Aug Cody Jones Goteborg, Sweden Exh 2
16 Aug Jimmy Ellis Goteborg, Sweden Exh 2
20 Aug Jimmy Ellis London Exh 4
20 Aug Cody Jones Paisley, Scotland Exh 4
22 Nov Floyd Patterson Las Vegas KO12
(Retained world championship)

1966
29 Mar George Chuvalo Toronto W15
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
21 May Henry Cooper London KO6
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
6 Aug Brian London London KO3
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
10 Sep Karl Mildenberger Frankfurt, Germany KO12
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
14 Nov Cleveland Williams Houston, TX KO3
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)

1967
6 Feb Ernie Terrell Houston, TX W15
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
22 Mar Zora Folley New York, NY KO7
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
15 Jun Alvin Lewis Detroit, MI Exh 3
15 Jun Orvill Qualls Detroit, MI Exh 3

1970
26 Oct Jerry Quarry Atlanta KO3
7 Dec Oscar Bonavena New York KO15

1971
8 Mar Joe Frazier New York L15
(For World championship)
25 Jun J.D. McCauley Dayton, OH Exh 2
25 Jun Eddie Brooks Dayton, OH Exh 3
25 Jun Rufus Brassell Dayton, OH Exh 3
30 Jun Alex Mack Charleston, SC Exh 3
30 Jun Eddie Brooks Charleston, SC Exh 4
26 Jul Jimmy Ellis Houston, TX KO12
(Won Vacant NABF Heavyweight Championship)
21 Aug Lancer Johnson Caracas Exh 4
21 Aug Eddie Brooks Caracas Exh 4
23 Aug Lancer Johnson Port of Spain, Trinidad Exh 4
23 Aug Eddie Brooks Port of Spain, Trinidad Exh 2
6 Nov James Summerville Buenos Aires Exh 5
6 Nov Miguel Paez Buenos Aires Exh 5
17 Nov Buster Mathis Houston, TX W12
26 Dec Jurgen Blin Zurich, Switzerland KO7

1972
1 Apr Mac Foster Tokyo W15
1 May George Chuvalo Vancouver, BC W12
(Retained NABF Heavyweight Championship)
27 Jun Jerry Quarry Las Vegas KO7
(Retained NABF Heavweight Championship)
19 Jul Al Lewis Dublin KO11
20 Sept Floyd Patterson New York KO7
(Retained NABF Heavyweight Championship)
21 Nov Bob Foster Stateline, NV KO8
(Retained NABF Heavyweight Championship)

1973
14 Feb Joe Bugner Las Vegas W12
23 Feb Cookie Wallace Dallas Exh 4
31 Mar Ken Norton San Diego L12
(Lost NABF Heavyweight Championship)
10 Sep Ken Norton Los Angeles W12
(Regained NABF Heavyweight Championship)
21 Oct Rudi Lubbers Jakarta, Indonesia W12

1974
28 Jan Joe Frazier New York W12
(Retained NABF Heavyweight Championship)
30 Oct George Foreman Kinshasa, Zaire KO8
(Won World Championship)

1975
24 Mar Chuck Wepner Cleveland KO15
(Retained world championship9
16 May Ron Lyle Las Vegas KO11
(Retained world championship)
30 Jun Joe Bugner Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia W15
(Retained world championship)
30 Sep Joe Frazier Manila, Philippines KO14
(Retained world championship)
Dec 6 Randy Stephens Dallas, Tx Exh 3

1976
20 Feb Jean Pierre Coopman San Juan, PR KO5
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
30 Apr Jimmy Young Landover, MD W15
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
24 May Richard Dunn Munich, Germany KO5
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
25 Jun Antonio Inoki Tokyo Exh D15
(above was boxer-wrestler exhibition)
28 Sep Ken Norton New York W15
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)

1977
16 May Alfredo Evangelista Landover, MD W 15
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
29 Sep Earnie Shavers New York, NY W 15
(Retained World Heavyweight Championship)
14 Nov Bernardo Mercado Bogata, Colombia Exh 5
2 Dec Scott LeDoux Chicago, IL Exh 5

1978
15 Feb Leon Spinks Las Vegas L15
(Lost World Championship)
15 Sep Leon Spinks New Orleans W15
(Won World Championship)

1979
May 27 Alonzo Johnson Randers, Den Exh 5
May 27 Jimmy Willis Randers, Den Exh 5

1980
Oct 2 Larry Holmes Las Vegas KO by 11
(For World Championship)

1981
Dec 11 Trevor Berbick Nassau, Bahamas L10