When is muhammad alis birthday

Ali died on June 2, His memorial was held in his hometown and attracted around , mourners. So whether you loved him for his skill or charisma or devotion to his beliefs — or even if you disliked him for any of those things — I think we can all agree on one thing: there will never be another Ali.

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action for the first time since the team's loss to Duke in the Champions Classic. And they'll be taking on a familiar face. Just three nights after the season-opener, Kentucky is set to take on Robert Morris at The Wildcats put on a show as they trounced the North Alabama Lions in a victory. Shaedon Sharpe is signed, sealed and delivered as a Kentucky Wildcat, putting pen to paper on the first day of the early signing period.

Aamil Wagner was supposed to be a Kentucky Wildcat. After all, he's known Vince Marrow for at least seven years. He visited UK's campus at least a dozen times, as recently as last weekend. His older brother, Ahmad Wagner, played at Kentucky and is In his first amateur bout in , he won the fight by split decision.

Clay went on to win the Golden Gloves tournament for novices in the light heavyweight class. Three years later, he won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, as well as the Amateur Athletic Union's national title for the light heavyweight division. In , Clay won a spot on the U. Olympic boxing team, and traveled to Rome, Italy, to compete.

At six feet, three inches tall, Clay was an imposing figure in the ring, but he also became known for his lightning speed and fancy footwork. After winning his first three bouts, Clay defeated Zbigniew Pietrzkowski of Poland to win the light heavyweight Olympic gold medal. After his Olympic victory, Clay was heralded as an American hero. He soon turned professional with the backing of the Louisville Sponsoring Group and continued overwhelming all opponents in the ring.

Clay joined the Black Muslim group Nation of Islam in At first, he called himself Cassius X before settling on the name Muhammad Ali. The boxer eventually converted to orthodox Islam during the s. Ali started a different kind of fight with his outspoken views against the Vietnam War.

Drafted into the military in April , he refused to serve on the grounds that he was a practicing Muslim minister with religious beliefs that prevented him from fighting.

He was arrested for committing a felony and almost immediately stripped of his world title and boxing license. The U. Department of Justice pursued a legal case against Ali, denying his claim for conscientious objector status.

He was found guilty of violating Selective Service laws and sentenced to five years in prison in June but remained free while appealing his conviction. Unable to compete professionally in the meantime, Ali missed more than three prime years of his athletic career.

Ali returned to the ring in with a win over Jerry Quarry, and the U. Supreme Court eventually overturned the conviction in June Ali had a career record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts before his retirement from boxing in at the age of Often referring to himself as "The Greatest," Ali was not afraid to sing his own praises.

He was known for boasting about his skills before a fight and for his colorful descriptions and phrases. In one of his more famously quoted descriptions, Ali told reporters that he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" in the boxing ring.

A few of his more well-known matches include the following:. After winning gold at the Olympics, Ali took out British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in He then knocked out Sonny Liston in to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

Ali recovered quickly, but the judges awarded the decision to Frazier, handing Ali his first professional loss after 31 wins. Dubbed the "Thrilla in Manila," the bout nearly went the distance, with both men delivering and absorbing tremendous punishment. However, Frazier's trainer threw in the towel after the 14th round, giving the hard-fought victory to Ali. Another legendary Ali fight took place in against undefeated heavyweight champion George Foreman. After 15 rounds, Frazier was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

In the legendary match called the "Rumble in the Jungle," which took place in Zaire in , Ali fought reigning heavyweight champion George Foreman.

Though he was the underdog, Ali delivered a knockout punch in the eighth round, winning the match. Ali, who was married four times and had nine children, including daughter Laila Ali, found a lifelong ally in sportscaster Howard Cosell, who supported the superstar during his "conscientious objector" trial. The two had an easy camaraderie that played out well in front of the cameras. In 's "Thrilla in Manila" bout in the Philippines, Ali won but not before he and Joe Frazier went more than 14 grueling rounds.

When he won a rematch against Leon Spinks in , Ali, 36, became the first man to win the World Heavyweight Champion title three times; he remains the only boxer with that distinction today.

By , Ali's boxing career was over, and he went from pugilist to philanthropist, focusing on the values he promoted outside the ring, such as racial justice and equality. After announcing he had Parkinson's disease in , Ali became involved in fund-raising; in , he established the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix.

Here, he hangs with Michael J. Fox at a event in Philadelphia for Fox's own Parkinson's foundation. The one-time Olympian, who was still one of the most recognized and admired sports figures in the world, surprised viewers when he stepped out of the shadows to light the Olympic torch during the Summer Games in Atlanta.

Bush in Ali lived out his final years under the radar, making rare public appearances like a set visit to Dancing with the Stars to watch daughter Laila, pictured and even rarer public statements, speaking out in when Donald Trump called to ban Muslims from entering the U. Hospitalized in late and early , he again received medical care for a respiratory issue in June of , shortly before his death on June 3 at the age of