Probably, today there is hardly a person in the world who would never have heard of the "People's Champion", the brilliant heavyweight of the 60s and 70s. But is it worth saying that Muhammad Ali is a person about whom absolutely everything is known? Of course not. After all, the human soul is a city in which lights are rarely lit.
The early years of Mohammed Ali (Cassius Clay)
Cassius Clay, better known by the "Islamic" name of Mohammed Ali, was born on January 17, 1942 in the small town of Louisville, Kentucky. His father was a successful advertising artist, liquor fanatic and lover of affordable women. That is why, in his interviews, the heavyweight legend rarely mentioned him. As noted by some of Cassius's acquaintances, he frankly disliked his father, since binges and "spree" for him were the usual norm of life. 
It's quite another matter - the mother of the future boxer. Odessa Grady Clay was a housekeeper and worked primarily in the homes of wealthy white Louisiana residents. She cooked and cleaned, and always remembered at every opportunity that her father was Irish. It is quite remarkable that Muhammad Ali himself has repeatedly said that "white blood" makes him weaker. Although the rivals of Cassius Clay, for sure, could argue with this.
Our today's hero began to get involved in sports at the age of twelve after ... someone stole his bicycle. His family was not poor, however, despite this, his own "great" always seemed to Cassius a real treasure. That is why the fact of his loss has become one of the most difficult episodes in life. young guy... On that day, Muhammad Ali vowed that he would certainly "pile on" the thief. With this idea, he first came to a boxing training hall. This is how the legendary career of the great fighter in world sports began. He came to the gym with his brother Rudolph, two years younger, who later helped Cassius in sparring. It is noteworthy that initially the coaches, with the exception of Fred Stone, did not see any prospects in the guy.
Soon the first battle of Cassius Clay took place. Once, in a three-round confrontation, he defeated a fellow from Louisiana - Roni Okiba. After that, the young boxer was invited to local television and appeared in the "Stars of Tomorrow" program.
Mohammed Ali's heyday
In 1956, Cassius appeared before the audience at his first ever major boxing competition "Golden Gloves" and immediately won the tournament. This victory was followed by others. In total, by the time he graduated from school, Cassius Jr. had more than a hundred won fights to his credit. It is quite remarkable that one day he even managed to win in sparring the most real champion - Willie Pastrano. Of course, he was extremely unhappy with such a turn of events, however, in the end, he admitted that the guy had a great future.Muhammad Ali: the best knockouts!
In 1960, the great athlete volunteered for the US Army. It was during this period that he set about creating his own unique boxing style. He asked his brother and army buddies to throw stones at him at close range so that he could learn to dodge them. Moreover, in battles with his rivals, he often “danced” in the ring, standing in front of his opponent with his hands down. This boastful style sparked many negative reviews on the part of professional boxers, however, attracted the attention of the general public to Cassius.
In the same 1960, the young boxer won the tournament of the "Athletic Amateur Union" and received an invitation to take part in qualifying tournament to the Olympic Games. However, the performance at this competition was purely a formality. Having received the coveted ticket to the Olympics, Cassius went to Rome, where he confidently confirmed the championship. gold medal Olympic Games became the first major success in the career of our today's hero.
Mohammed Ali at the 1960 Olympics
In 1964, the talented native of Louisville first appeared before the public under the name Mohammed Ali - the name under which the athlete entered the history of boxing forever. Shortly before this, the athlete converted to Islam. It is generally believed that the reason for this decision was the athlete's dislike of white people - all childhood and adolescence, Cassius and his family suffered from racial harassment.
In 1964, Mohammed became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and held this title for two years in a row. Subsequently, he became the owner of the title of "Boxer of the Year" five times (1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978), and was also recognized as the "Boxer of the Decade" (70s). In 1974, Ali was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Century. In 1987, he was inducted into the American Boxing Hall of Fame, and three years later - into the international.
Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson in the same studio - in Russian
The end of the career of Mohammed Ali
During his career, Mohammed Ali earned about $ 50 million, which was just an exorbitant amount for those times. However, the boxer disposed of his finances openly mediocre, for the most part wasting them on his environment.Due to the lack of money in 1980, Mohammed was forced to enter the ring again. At that time, his opponent was the reigning champion Larry Holmes, who confidently defeated the veteran. The legendary boxer looked frankly pathetic. But despite this, Mohammed received about eight million dollars for that fight.
This time the money earned was invested in business and real estate. However, despite the financial success, in 1981 the boxer entered the ring again. In a fight with Canadian heavyweight Trevor Berbick, he looked pretty good, but still lost. From that moment on, Mohammed no longer entered the ring.
Duel of Mohammed Ali and Trevor Berbick
In 1984, former boxer was diagnosed with a terrible disease - Parkinson's syndrome, which caused Mohammed to have impaired coordination and breathing. However, the athlete's mind remained clear, and thanks to the prescription drug Levodopa, he was able to cope with his daily activities. Realizing that oh further career a boxer is out of the question, Mohammed Ali decided to devote his life to charity: he helped those in need, called on wealthy Americans to follow his example, participated in negotiations with radical Islamists in Lebanon and Iraq.
Personal life of Mohammed Ali
Mohammed Ali has been married four times. With his first wife, a waitress named Soji Roy, the boxer got along in his youth, but a month later the marriage broke up due to his wife's unwillingness to convert to Islam and "immodest behavior." 
The second marriage, with Belinda Boyd (later - Khalila Ali), lasted longer and led to the birth of four children: three daughters and a son, named Mohammed Ali Jr. Soon after the birth of their fourth child, the couple's relationship cracked, and Mohammed began an affair with model Veronica Porsche, who, as noted in many sources, was not his only mistress. One way or another, it was Veronica who became the official reason for the divorce of Mohammed and Khalila.
Mohammed Ali and Veronica Porsche were married in 1977. They soon had two children.
This union lasted for nine years. After his divorce from Veronica Porsche, the legendary boxer married longtime girlfriend Iolanta Williams. They soon adopted a five-year-old boy together. In addition, Mohammed had two more illegitimate children from outside relationships.
Death of Mohammed Ali
On June 2, 2016, Mohammed Ali was hospitalized in one of the Arizona clinics (Phoenix city) in serious condition - breathing problems. Parkinson's disease made itself felt, it became impossible to stop it with drugs over the years. Doctors fought for the life of the great boxer, but they could not defeat death - on June 3 he was gone.In memory of Muhammad Ali
In Rome (Italy), Cassius Clay became the Olympic champion in light heavyweight under his own name. After that he became a professional.
In 1963, Cassius Clay defeated Doug Jones. The fight received the status of "fight of the year" according to the magazine "Ring"
In 1964, Cassius Clay earned his first title in a fight with Sonny Liston, defeating him by TKO in the seventh round. In the same year, Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
On May 25, 1965, a re-fight took place between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, in which Ali again defeated.
In 1966-1967, the boxer defended his title against Brian London, Karl Mildenberger, Cleveland Williams, Ernie Terrell and Zora Folly.
In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Mohammed Ali was drafted into the US Army, but refused to participate in the war. His title was canceled, and the boxer himself was sentenced to five years for evasion from service. At this time, Ali was forbidden to box. In 1970, the US Supreme Court overturned the sentence, and the boxer returned to the ring.
In March 1971, Mohammed Ali entered the ring for the first time against Joe Fraser. This fight was subsequently named "Fight of the Year" by Ring magazine. In the 15th round, Ali was knocked down, and after the end of the fight, the judges concluded that he had lost the fight. This was Ali's first career defeat.
In 1974, the second duel took place between Mohammed Ali and Joe Fraser. Ali won this fight, winning him on points.
On October 30, 1974, a fight for the title of world champion took place between George Foreman, reigning champion, and challenger Muhammad Ali. Experts consider this fight as "the greatest and unforgettable". It was won by Ali, becoming the champion.
On October 1, 1975, Ali had another fight, which also forever remained in the history of world boxing. It was a duel in which Mohammed Ali met with Joe Fraser for the third time and defeated him again.
In 1976, Mohammed Ali successfully defended his titles against Jean-Pierre Koopman, Jimmy Young and Richard Dunn. In 1977 he defeated Alfredo Evangelista and Ernie Shavers.
In 1978, Mohammed Ali decided to end his boxing career. For the final battle was chosen Olympic champion 1976 Leon Spinks, to whom Ali lost. The fight received the status of "Fight of the Year" according to the "Ring" magazine.
Ali challenged Leon Spinks to a rematch on September 15, 1978. This time Ali won by unanimous decision. Then he left boxing. Due to financial difficulties, he soon had to enter the ring again. But only to lose two fights - one in October 1980 against Larry Holmes and the second against Trevor Berbick in December 1981. After which Ali finally retired from boxing.
Soon the athlete was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
In 1990, Ali was elected to the National Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1996, he carried the torch at the Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Mohammed Ali - champion of the 1960 Olympic Games, absolute world heavyweight champion (1964-1966, 1974-1978), world champion in heavyweight according to the WBC (1974-1978), WBA (1967, 1974-1978, 1978). Ring magazine named him the Boxer of the Year five times (1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978) and, in addition, the Boxer of the Decade (1970s). In 1999, Sports Illustrated and the BBC named Ali
Image copyright Kevin C. Cox Getty Images Image caption Mohammed Ali at the opening of the Allstate Sugar Bowl American Football Championship in Arizona, 2013
Legendary boxer Mohammed Ali has died in the United States at his 75th year after more than 30 years of battling Parkinson's disease, his family official said.
The athlete died in a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was taken two days ago with a respiratory illness.
Ali was the only boxer to win the world heavyweight title three times. For its almost twenty years sports career he won 56 fights, 37 of which ended in knockout.
He first won the world title under his real name Cassius Clay in a duel with Sonny Liston in February 1964. Before that, he had only 12 meetings as a professional boxer, all of which ended in his victory.
In 1967, after refusing to serve in the army, he was stripped of his champion title, he was also banned from fighting in the United States, as well as traveling abroad.
The lifting of the ban on fighting allowed Ali to regain the championship title in 1974 in a duel with George Foreman.
After losing to Leon Spinks in 1978, Ali managed to regain the title in a second fight that same year, thus becoming the world champion for the third time.
Fighter in the ring
Image caption Mohammed Ali answers journalists' questions in 1976: he was able to deftly parry verbal attacksMohammed Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of graphic designer Cassius Clay and Odessa housewife Clay.
Starting a brilliant boxing career at the age of 12, in 1960, Cassius Clay Jr. olympic gold light heavyweight.
After winning the Olympics, Ali embarked on a career as a professional boxer with consistent wins in fights and a unique talent for self-promotion.
Before the fight, Ali predicted a round in which his opponent would be defeated, which often came true.
In February 1964, in a duel with Sonny Liston, Ali won at the end of the sixth round, becoming the world heavyweight champion. Over the next three years, he defended his title in nine bouts.
In the same year, he changed his name to Mohammed Ali, inspired by the ideology of the US black Muslim movement and converted to Islam.
His refusal to serve in the army marked the end of the first stage of his career: the World Boxing Association stripped him of the championship title, giving it to Joe Fraser. Ali paid a fine and was forced to stop his sports career in order not to go to jail.
A few years later, Ali was able to return to the ring and in 1974 won a brilliant victory over Joe Frazier, which, however, did not bring him the title, as Frazier had lost the title earlier in a duel with George Foreman.
Image copyright AP Image caption This fight between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in Zaire went down in boxing history as "The Rumble in the Jungle"In October 1974 in Zaire, Ali regained the heavyweight title, knocking out Foreman in the eighth round. Ali was then 32 years old, and he became the second person in history to regain the championship title.
In October 1975, Joe Fraser tried to reclaim the league title by meeting Muhammad Ali in Manila, however, to no avail.
Gift from Brezhnev
In 1978, at the height of the Cold War, Mohammed Ali visited the Soviet Union at the invitation of the USSR Sports Committee. Here he was treated primarily as a "fighter for peace and the rights of blacks", but was also respected as a boxer.
On Soviet television, sparrings were shown that the champion had with Soviet heavyweight boxers Pyotr Zaev, Evgeny Gorstkov and Igor Vysotsky.
Eyewitnesses recall that these were not really real fights, and in each of them Ali demonstrated different styles, even fooling around to some extent. The three-minute rounds ended with Zaev's victory, loss to Gorstkov and a draw with Vysotsky.
It was received by Brezhnev himself, who presented the champion with a copy of his book "Small Land" and a personalized watch. Mohammed Ali spoke about all this at a press conference upon his return to his homeland.
However, the Soviet press did not particularly write in those days that, in addition to Moscow, Mohammed Ali visited Uzbekistan, where he visited Ulugbek's observatory and a mosque.
Fighter in life
In the fall of 1976, Ali said that he decided to leave the big sport and devote himself to religion. Ali's announcement was received with skepticism by the public, and few were surprised when Ali announced a new bout.
In 1978, in a duel with the younger Leon Spinks, Ali was defeated, however, managed to regain the title eight months later, having won a clear victory on points. Although many would be happy if Ali ended his career as a world champion, the boxer himself postponed this decision, devoting a lot of time, in particular, to cinema.
However, after two lost fights - to Larry Holmes in October 1980 and Trevor Berbick in December 1981 - Ali announced the end of his sports career.
In April 1984, Ali stated that he intended to use his popularity to draw attention to his religion, however, increasing press attention was drawn to his health, due to problems with speech, unsteady gait and sleepiness.
Image copyright AP Image caption Mohammed Ali with his wife Yolanda Williams at the opening of the London Olympic Games on July 28, 2012.Doctors diagnosed Ali with Parkinson's disease, promising that if he took the medication, he could lead a relatively normal life.
In October 1989, while taking part in the promo campaign for the film "Champion Forever" with George Foreman and Joe Fraser, Ali demonstrated that despite the obvious effect of illness on his body, former champion the world does not cease to demonstrate the sharpness of the mind.
After leaving big sport Mohammed Ali took an active part in charity events, collecting money for both former athletes and for the Islamic school in Chicago named after him.
In 1980, as President Jimmy Carter's Special Representative for Africa, he called for support for the boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow, was a member of the Peace Corps Advisory Council and Honorary Consul of Bangladesh in Chicago.
Ali has been married four times and has six children (four from his second marriage and two from his third).
Image copyright AFP Getty Images Image caption Mohammed Ali's daughter Laila Ali fought 24 fights, in which she won 24 victories, 21 of them by knockout. She has held the IBA, WIBA and IWBF World Champion titles.The life of a famous boxer in numbers and facts
- Cassius Marcellus Clay was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
- In 1960, he won the title of Olympic champion in boxing in light heavyweight, in 1964 - in heavyweight, already as a professional boxer.
- After winning the title in 1964, he changed his name to become Muhammad Ali.
- After nine successful battles, he was stripped of his title in 1967 for refusing to do military service. He regained the title against George Foreman in 1974 at the age of 32.
- After ten successful fights, in February 1978 he again lost the title in a duel with Leon Spinks.
- Eight months later, in September 1978, he defeated Spinks, returning the world title, but in 1979 announced his retirement.
- Returned to the sport in 1980 to fight Larry Holmes for the world title; Ali finished the fight in the tenth round. Fought another unsuccessful fight with Trevor Berbick in 1981. Image copyright AP Image caption In 1999, Mohammed Ali was awarded the titles "Sports Personality of the Century" and "Sportsman of the Century"
In 1964, a boxing legend, one of the most famous boxers in the history of world boxing, Cassius Marcellus Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali. From birth, Ali called his name "a slave name" and called himself a new name when he converted to Islam.
In 1961, Muhammad Ali officially joined the "Nation of Islam", at the same time he first attended a meeting of this organization. So Ali continued to attend meetings of the African American Islamic movement, whose goal was to improve the living conditions of African Americans in the United States.
One of the main figures in the organization "Nation of Islam" was Malcolm X, who became the spiritual and political mentor of Muhammad Ali. Before Cassius was then converted to Islam, Malcolm turned to him Cassius X.
The young boxer has already made a name for himself and became famous as Clay, winning several fights. At first, journalists did not perceive Cassius under his new name. Then Ali said: “Cassius Clay is a slavish name. I didn't choose him and I didn't want him. I am Muhammad Ali, this is a free name and I insist that people use it when talking to me. "
Ali's choice and words inspired many. A journalist for The New York Times wrote: “Ali's behavior and actions changed my opinion about the greatness of athletes. The jump shot or the ability to immediately stop was no longer that impressive. What have you done for the freedom of your people? What have you done to make your country live in accordance with its fundamental principles? "
The legend of world boxing, inspirer of millions and simply the greatest personality of the XX-XXI century passed away on June 3 at the age of 75. Ali has been battling Parkinson's for over 30 years and was admitted to a hospital in the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona last week due to a deteriorating health condition caused by lung problems. Ali is survived by seven daughters and two sons, who reportedly gathered next to their father after hearing of his deteriorating health.
In Rome (Italy), Cassius Clay became the Olympic champion in light heavyweight under his own name. After that he became a professional.
In 1963, Cassius Clay defeated Doug Jones. The fight received the status of "fight of the year" according to the magazine "Ring"
In 1964, Cassius Clay earned his first title in a fight with Sonny Liston, defeating him by TKO in the seventh round. In the same year, Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
On May 25, 1965, a re-fight took place between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, in which Ali again defeated.
In 1966-1967, the boxer defended his title against Brian London, Karl Mildenberger, Cleveland Williams, Ernie Terrell and Zora Folly.
In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Mohammed Ali was drafted into the US Army, but refused to participate in the war. His title was canceled, and the boxer himself was sentenced to five years for evasion from service. At this time, Ali was forbidden to box. In 1970, the US Supreme Court overturned the sentence, and the boxer returned to the ring.
In March 1971, Mohammed Ali entered the ring for the first time against Joe Fraser. This fight was subsequently named "Fight of the Year" by Ring magazine. In the 15th round, Ali was knocked down, and after the end of the fight, the judges concluded that he had lost the fight. This was Ali's first career defeat.
In 1974, the second duel took place between Mohammed Ali and Joe Fraser. Ali won this fight, winning him on points.
On October 30, 1974, a fight for the title of world champion took place between George Foreman, the reigning champion, and challenger Muhammad Ali. Experts consider this fight as "the greatest and unforgettable". It was won by Ali, becoming the champion.
On October 1, 1975, Ali had another fight, which also forever remained in the history of world boxing. It was a duel in which Mohammed Ali met with Joe Fraser for the third time and defeated him again.
In 1976, Mohammed Ali successfully defended his titles against Jean-Pierre Koopman, Jimmy Young and Richard Dunn. In 1977 he defeated Alfredo Evangelista and Ernie Shavers.
In 1978, Mohammed Ali decided to end his boxing career. For the final fight, the 1976 Olympic champion Leon Spinks was chosen, to whom Ali lost. The fight received the status of "Fight of the Year" according to the "Ring" magazine.
Ali challenged Leon Spinks to a rematch on September 15, 1978. This time Ali won by unanimous decision. Then he left boxing. Due to financial difficulties, he soon had to enter the ring again. But only to lose two fights - one in October 1980 against Larry Holmes and the second against Trevor Berbick in December 1981. After which Ali finally retired from boxing.
Soon the athlete was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
In 1990, Ali was elected to the National Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1996, he carried the torch at the Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Mohammed Ali - champion of the 1960 Olympic Games, absolute world heavyweight champion (1964-1966, 1974-1978), world heavyweight champion according to the WBC versions (1974-1978), WBA (1967, 1974-1978, 1978). Ring Magazine recognized him as "Boxer of the Year" five times (1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978) and, in addition, "Boxer of the Decade" (1970s). In 1999, Sports Illustrated and the BBC named Ali