12 Interesting facts about the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., Muhammad Ali is considered to be one of the greatest sporting legends of 20th century. His sporting career and personal life have faced a whirlwind of controversies. A pop-culture icon and a celebrated athlete, he sure does "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.". Here are some interesting facts about the life and times of Muhammad Ali.

When 12-year-old Clay’s favourite bicycle was stolen in October 1954, he reported the theft to Louisville, Kentucky, police officer Joe Martin and vowed to pummel the culprit. Martin, who was also a boxing trainer, suggested that he learns to fight. He took him under his wings. Six weeks later, Clay won his first match in a split decision.

After defeating Liston he confirmed that he had become a member of the Nation of Islam. The new Heavyweight Champion told reporters that he had renounced his surname, which he called his “slave name,” and would be known as “Cassius X” until Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad gave him a holy name "Muhammad Ali" on March 6, 1964.

As the Vietnam War raged in 1967, Ali refused to serve in the U.S. military for religious reasons. The heavyweight champion was arrested and the New York State Athletic Commission immediately suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. He was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to the maximum of 5 years in prison and fined $10,000. In 1970, the Supreme Court ordered his boxing license restored and he returned to the ring by defeating Jerry Quarry in October 1970. The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Ali’s conviction.

Ali who was barred from boxing in 1969, starred in Broadway musical titled 'Buck White' to earn money. 'Buck White' closed four nights and seven performances later. In spite of the limited run, Ali, who played a militant black lecturer, received decent reviews. “He sings with a pleasant slightly impersonal voice, acts without embarrassment and moves with innate dignity,” wrote a New York Times.

He composed verses in which he taunted opponents and praised himself. His lyrics were so popular that Columbia Records released a 1963 spoken word album called “I am the Greatest” in which the 21-year-old rising star performed his poetry. The album also included two songs by the boxer, including a cover of the Ben E. King hit 'Stand by Me'.

His great-grandfather Abe Grady was an Irishman who emigrated to the United States and settled in Kentucky in the 1860s. There he married a freed slave, and one of their grandchildren was Ali’s mother, Odessa Lee Grady Clay. In 2009, Ali visited his great-grandfather’s ancestral hometown of Ennis, Ireland, and met fellow members of the O’Grady clan.

In 1974, a 32-year-old Ali earned a title shot against undefeated 25-year-old champion George Foreman. He won in an eight-round knockout to regain the heavyweight title that had been stripped from him seven years prior.

The 18-year-old fighter travelled to Rome and won the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He wrote in his 1975 autobiography that after returning to Louisville that he threw his gold medal off a bridge and into the Ohio River to protest the racism that he still encountered in his hometown. The account has been disputed, however, and it is believed that Ali lost the medal instead. During the 1996 Summer Olympics, at which he lit the cauldron in the opening ceremony, Ali received a replacement gold medal.

Almost 50 years to the day after Ali captured the heavyweight championship for the first time, an anonymous buyer purchased the gloves he wore to defeat Liston in the seventh-round technical knockout for $836,000. Ali only earned $630,000 for the victory itself.

Ali leaves behind three ex-wives (Sonji Roi, Belinda Boyd and Veronica Porsche Ali), his wife, Yolonda Williams, seven daughters and two sons. Perhaps the most famous member of his family is daughter Laila (mother: Veronica Porsche Ali), who went 24-0 as a boxer between 1999 and 2007, winning an array of world titles. She has also appeared on a number of television shows, including American Gladiators, Stars Earn Stripes and All in with Laila Ali.

On January 1980, Ali participated in the exhibition organised by Tamil Nadu State Amateur Boxing Association and Apeejay where he faced former heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis in Chennai’s Nehru stadium. “When I saw thousands turning up to the airport to meet me and greet me, it sent my spirits soaring and I am overwhelmed at the attention bestowed on me. In this short visit a bond has sprung up between us, and I shall treasure this all my life.” Ali said when he arrived at Chennai's Meenambakkam airport.

Ali began showing symptoms of Parkinson’s when he retired in 1981, although he wasn’t diagnosed until three years later when he was 42 years old. It has been speculated that his condition was a result of injuries to the brain during his boxing career.