Muhammad Ali 1942-2016
U.S. boxer and Olympic gold medalist Cassius Clay, who changed his name to Muhammad Ali and became a world-renowned cultural icon as a three-time heavyweight champion, died June 3, 2016, at the age of 74. The man known as "The Greatest" was a mesmerizing athlete who promoted his own ability to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," was considered the greatest heavyweight fighter in history.
Muhammad Ali
Boxer Cassius Clay is shown in 1954. Long before his dazzling footwork and punching prowess made him a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion known as Muhammad Ali, a young Clay honed his skills by sparring with neighborhood friends and running alongside the bus on the way to school.
Muhammad Ali
Cassius Clay, right, 18-year-old from Louisville, Ky., throws a right at Tony Madigan of Australia, during the light heavyweight boxing semifinals at the Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Sept. 3, 1960.
Muhammad Ali
A trio of U.S. boxers wear gold medals at the Olympic village in Rome, Sept. 6, 1960. Shown from left are Wilbert McClure of Toledo, Ohio, light middleweight; Cassius Clay of Louisville, Ky., light heavyweight; and Edward Crook of Fort Campbell, Ky., middleweight.
Muhammad Ali
Cheering students of Central High School surround Olympic boxing champion Cassius Clay, raising hand in center, and wearing his Olympic medal, Sept. 10, 1960, in Louisville, Ky.
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A young Cassius Clay is seen with his trainer Angelo Dundee at City Parks Gym in New York, Feb. 8, 1962.
Muhammad Ali
Young heavyweight fighter Cassius Clay is seen with his trainer Angelo Dundee at City Parks Gym in New York, Feb. 8, 1962.
Muhammad Ali
Young heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, points to a sign he wrote on a chalk board in his dressing room before his fight against Archie Moore in Los Angeles, Nov. 15, 1962, predicting he'd knock Moore out in the fourth round, which he went on to do. The sign also predicts Clay will be the next champ via a knockout over Sonny Liston in eight rounds. (He did it in seven.)
Muhammad Ali
The Beatles (from left, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison) take a fake blow from Cassius Clay while visiting the heavyweight contender at his training camp in Miami Beach, Fla., Feb. 18, 1964.
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Sonny Liston, right, lowers his head and works in close during the sixth round of heavyweight championship fight against Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) in Miami Beach, Fla., Feb. 25, 1964.
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Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, right, is shown with black Muslim leader Malcolm X outside the Trans-Lux Newsreel Theater in New York, March 1, 1964 after viewing a film about Ali's title fight with Sonny Liston.
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World heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, wearing the Nigerian brown-and-white-striped Agbada costume, shouts to the crowd of youngsters who met him on his arrival in Lagos, Nigeria, June 1, 1964.
Muhammad Ali
Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, stands over challenger Sonny Liston, shouting and gesturing shortly after dropping Liston with a short hard right to the jaw, May 25, 1965 in Lewiston, Maine. Ali was declared the winner. The bout lasted only one minute into the first round.
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Heavyweight boxing champ Cassius Clay paused on the step and greeted a friend March 17, 1966, as he arrived at the Veterans building to appeal his 1A draft classification. Behind him in a dark coat and hat is his attorney, Edward Jocko of New York.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali blows out the candles on a cake baked for his 25th birthday, in Houston. Ali's wife says the boxing great is still a "big kid" who enjoys his birthday parties, Jan. 17, 1967.
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Basketball star Wilt Chamberlain extends a long left in the direction of world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali as they meet at ABC's television studio in New York, March 10, 1967. Chamberlain stands 7 feet, 1 inch tall, and Ali is 6 feet, 2 inches tall. Chamberlain's reach is over 90 inches, Ali's is 79 inches. Their proposed fight, in all seriousness, never came off.
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Joe Frazier, right, a heavyweight boxer and a contender for champion Muhammad Ali's (Cassius Clay) title, is kidded by Clay at the champion's training quarters at Madison Square Garden in New York, March 15, 1967.
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Boxer Joe Frazier being directed to the ropes by referee Arthur Marcante after knocking down Muhammad Ali during the 15th round of the title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, March 8, 1971.
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Muhammad Ali, former world heavyweight boxing champion, toys with the finely combed hair of television sports commentator Howard Cosell before the start of the Olympic boxing trials, August 7, 1972, in West Point, N.Y.
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Boxer Muhammad Ali stands outside his home with his three children, March 1, 1972.
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Muhammad Ali during training for his fight with Al "Blue" Lewis held in Dublin, Republic of Ireland in 1972.
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Muhammad Ali throws a punch at Joe Frazier, right, during their bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, Jan. 28, 1974.
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Boxer Muhammad Ali makes a face during a press luncheon in New York, to promote the sale of tickets to Madison Square Garden where the battle against George Foreman in Zaire was shown on closed-circuit television, Aug. 29, 1974.
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Challenger Muhammad Ali is directed to a neutral corner by referee Zack Clayton moments after Ali caught an off-balance George Foreman flush on the button, knocking him to the mat and ending their title fight in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Africa, Oct. 30, 1974.
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World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali shouts "Joe Bugner must go!" to Malaysian fans during a training session for his fight against Bugner in Kuala Lumpur, June 15, 1975.
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Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fight for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on Oct. 1, 1975. The bout is often ranked as one of the greatest fights of 20th century boxing, and is the climax to the bitter rivalry between Ali and Frazier over who was the legitimate heavyweight champion.
Muhammad Ali
Sweat spray flies from the head of challenger Joe Frazier as heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali connects with a right in the ninth round of their heavyweight title fight in Manila, Philippines, Oct. 1, 1975. Ali won the fight, known as the "Thrilla in Manila" on a decision to retain the title.
More pictures: A look back: Thrilla in Manila
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali shouts while someone holds a poster predicting his third coming following his last workout in New Orleans, before attempting to claim the heavyweight title for a third time, against Leon Spinks, at the Superdome, Sept. 14, 1978.
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Challenger Muhammad Ali is pictured grimacing after champion Leon Spinks landed a left during their heavyweight title bout at the Superdome in New Orleans, La., Sept. 16, 1978. Ali regained the title with a 15-round unanimous decision.
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Muhammad Ali gestures at a press conference prior to his fight with Larry Holmes at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Oct. 2, 1980. Ali decided to end his retirement and face Holmes, his old sparring partner. Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, threw in the towel at the end of round 11.
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Trevor Berbick, left, and Muhammad Ali seem to have an equal reach as they slug it out during a heavyweight boxing match on Dec. 12, 1981 in Nassau, Bahamas, Dec. 12, 1981.
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Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is shown on camera before reporters prior to checking out of a New York hospital, Sept. 21, 1984, following four days of tests. Ali said, "I'm always tired," after being diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome.
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Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali looks on with Maryum Ali, March 1, 1990.
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Swimmer Janet Evans looks on as Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic flame during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony in Atlanta, Ga., July 19, 1996.
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Muhammad Ali touches a younger version of himself which is on the special edition Muhammad Ali Wheaties' box that marks the cereal's 75th anniversary Feb. 4, 1999. Wheaties, "The Breakfast of Champions," honored the man widely accepted as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
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President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton welcome former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali at the White House Millennium Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 31, 1999.
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Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, left, accepts his Award of Courage from host Rodney Peete, right and former boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard, during the HollyRod Foundation's 4th Annual Mercedes-Benz DesignCure Benefit fundraiser honoring Ali on June 22, 2002 in Encino, Calif.
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Former heavyweight champions Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in London England, June 16, 2004.
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Laila Ali receives a kiss from her father, boxing great Muhammad Ali, after stopping Erin Toughill in the second round during their fight for the WBC and WIBA Super Middleweight Championship at the MCI Center June 11, 2005 in Washington, D.C. Laila Ali won the WBC and WIBA titles by TKO in the second round.
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Boxer and honoree Muhammad Ali arrives at the 20th Annual "Midsummer Night's Magic Awards Dinner" on July 13, 2005 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
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President George W. Bush awards boxing great Muhammad Ali the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 9, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian award and recognizes exceptional meritorious service.
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Boxing legend Muhammad Ali is seen during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Tuesday, May 24, 2011, with other prominent American Muslim and clergy, as they joined the families of the two U.S. hikers detained in Iran to appeal for their release.
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Former boxing champion Muhammad Ali leaves after a memorial service for boxing legend Joe Frazier at the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, in Philadelphia.
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Boxing great Muhammad Ali, with his wife, Lonnie, waves to friends attending a celebration for his 70th birthday at the Muhammad Ali Center on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Louisville, Ky.
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Mollie Johnson, Muhammad Ali, and Isabella Lassere attend the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards at Louisville Marriott Downtown on September 19, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky.
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An exhibition assistant poses for a photograph with a pair of split boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali during his 1963 fight against Henry Cooper, during a preview of the Muhammad Ali exhibition entitled "I Am The Greatest," at the O2 Arena in London on March 3, 2016. The exhibition traces the story of the boxer from his childhood, through his glittering and brutal career to his elevation as a cultural and political icon.
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A statue of Muhammad Ali on display at the "I Am The Greatest" exhibition on March 3, 2016 in London, England.
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Left to right: Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman attend the Sports Illustrated Tribute to Muhammad Ali at the Muhammad Ali Center on October 1, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky.
More on CBS News Pictures: Look back: Thrilla in Manila