Muhammad Ali

  • a.k.a. Cassius Clay
  • Cassius Marcellus Clay
  • Mohamed Ali
  • محمد علي

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Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Ali was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. At 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and turned professional later that year. He became a Muslim after 1961. He won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at age 22. On March 6, 1964, he announced that he no longer would be known as Cassius Clay but as Muhammad Ali. In 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military, citing his religious beliefs and ethical opposition to the Vietnam War. He was found guilty of draft evasion so he faced 5 years in prison and was stripped of his boxing titles. He stayed out of prison as he appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, but he had not fought for nearly four years and lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation, and he was a very high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career. As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam (NOI). He later disavowed the NOI, adhering to Sunni Islam, and supporting racial integration like his former mentor Malcolm X. Ali was a leading heavyweight boxer of the 20th century, and he remains the only three-time lineal champion of that division. His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years. He is the only fighter to have been ranked as the world's best heavyweight by BoxRec twelve times. He has been ranked among BoxRec's ten best heavyweights seventeen times, the third most in history. He won 8 fights that were rated by BoxRec as 5-Star, the third most in the history of the heavyweight division. Ali is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times. He has been ranked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, such as the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle, which has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century" and was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide, becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time. Ali thrived in the spotlight at a time when many fighters let their managers do the talking, and he was often provocative and outlandish. He was known for trash-talking, and often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, anticipating elements of hip hop.

France French (Français)

Muhammad Ali, multiple champion du monde des poids lourds, figure de l’opposition à la guerre du Vietnam et de la bataille pour la reconnaissance de l’égalité des droits des Noirs américains, a été élu par la BBC : personnalité sportive du XXe siècle. Né en 1942, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr a commencé sa carrière en tant que boxeur amateur, remportant les National Golden Gloves en catégorie mi-lourds en 1959, puis la médaille d’or aux Jeux olympiques de Rome dans la même catégorie en 1960. Passé professionnel, il fait ses armes à Louisville, puis à New York et Los Angeles jusqu’en 1964. Redoutable combattant, il obtient le droit de combattre Sonny Liston, champion du monde des poids lourds, en 1965. À la surprise générale, il le domine aisément lors de deux combats successifs et conserve son titre jusqu’en 1967. En 1965, il se convertit à l’islam et rejoint la Nation of Islam, ce qui lui vaudra quelques inimitiés, de même que sa proximité avec Malcolm X. En 1967, il refuse de se rendre au Vietnam pour aller y combattre les Viêt-Côngs et est condamné le 20 juin à une lourde peine, qui comprend la perte de sa licence de boxe. Il ne la récupèrera qu’en 1970 et sera acquitté par la Cour suprême en 1971. Son retour est marqué par une défaite contre Joe Frazier, qui conserve le titre mondial et une autre défaite contre Ken Norton. Entre l’automne 1973 et l’automne 1974, il vainc Ken Norton, Joe Frazier, puis l’invincible George Foreman, dans The Rumble in the jungle, à Kinshasa, considéré comme l’un des plus grands combats de tous les temps. Sa rivalité avec Frazier atteint son paroxysme à Manille, l’année suivante, mais Muhammad Ali, à présent rallié à l’islam sunnite, conserve son titre jusqu’en 1979, malgré une courte parenthèse où il le céda à Leon Spinks en 1976. Atteint de la maladie de Parkinson dès 1984, Muhammad Ali renouera avec Frazier à la fin des années 80 et sa notoriété mondiale lui valut un rôle de négociateur auprès de Saddam Hussein lors de la première guerre du Golfe. Il a participé aux cérémonies d’ouverture des Jeux olympiques d’Atlanta en 1996 et Londres en 2012. Sa fille, Laila Ali, a également embrassé une carrière de boxeuse. En 2001, le grand réalisateur Michael Mann (Le Dernier des Mohicans, Heat, Collateral) lui consacre le biopic Ali, avec Will Smith dans le rôle-titre. Le 3 juin 2016, Muhammad Ali décède à Phoenix, à l'âge de 74 ans.

Gender
male
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Date of Death
()

Credits

Crew

DepartmentJobMovie / TV ShowGenresReleaseRating
CrewThanksAmerican Gangster76% · 5,140
All credits on TMDb.org.