Muhammad Ali (right) vs. George Foreman, Zaire, 1974 — morrisonhotelgallery.com
Muhammad Ali
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The world’s most celebrated boxing superstar and former three-time world heavyweight champion had a very illustrious and stellar career.
He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky but changed his name in 1964 after joining the Nation of Islam. Ali revealed his ability to fight at an early age, and at the age of 12, he enrolled for professional boxing lessons and went on to win his first heavyweight world championship title at 22.
Ali also participated in several other historic boxing matches including the Fight of the Century, Thrilla in Manila, Super Fight II, and the Rumble in the Jungle. In total, Ali participated in 61 fights, winning 56 and losing five. Of the 56 wins, 36 were knockouts. The boxing icon retired from boxing in 1981. He still is the only three-time world heavyweight champion, making him the world’s greatest boxer.
For more than three decades, the boxing legend battled a condition identified as Parkinson’s disease, which cut short his boxing career in the early 80s. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 74. Even in death, the boxing legend has been able to rake in $8 million over the past year.
“A Tag Heuer deal and a settlement with Fox Broadcasting over a Super Bowl ad that used Ali’s image lands the Greatest of All Time on our list for the first time,” Forbes said.
