Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky.

At the age of 12, a thief stole his bike. Clay told police officer, Joe Martin, who trained young boxers at the local gym, that he wanted to ‘whup’ the thief. “Well, you better learn how to fight,” Martin said. Ali’s boxing apprenticeship had begun.

Clay was a Golden Gloves middleweight championship in 1959 and 1960 and he won an Olympic gold medal in Rome the following year.

In February 1964, Clay beat Sonny Liston, the world heavyweight champion and then beat him again a year later, knocking him down in the first round. Ali towered over Liston and yelled, “Get up and fight, sucker!” The picture is one of boxing’s most enduring images.

In the same year, Clay was befriended by Malcolm X and became a member of the radical Nation of Islam. He took the name Muhammad Ali.

Ali sung his own praises with rap poetry and a stream of consciousness commentary. He told reporters that he was “the greatest!” and that in the ring he would, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” It was good PR and played a part in the psych-war against his opponents.

In 1967, Ali said his religious beliefs prevented him from fighting in Vietnam. He told reporters, “I ain’t got no quarrel with the Viet Cong”, becoming a hero to young conscientious objectors but alienating the white establishment.

He was arrested, fined $10,000 for draft evasion and sentenced to five years in jail, which was later quashed on appeal. He was stripped of his heavyweight title and his licence to fight.

During his three-year suspension, Ali toured university campuses and spoke to students about fighting racism and the injustice of the Vietnam war.

He had dyslexia and rarely used speaking notes, preferring simple and powerful language such as, “Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated, can reach down to the bottom of his soul, and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

In 1970, Ali returned to the ring. He fought Joe Fraser twice. On losing the first fight, it was reported that President Nixon ecstatically jumped up and down and cheered the defeat of “that draft-dodger asshole”. Ali won the second fight.

He fought George Foreman in Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) in October 1974 – billed as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’. Foreman at that time was a brooding, intimidating fighter. Almost no one gave the former champion any chance of winning. They were worried he’d get killed.

Ali used the ‘rope-a-dope’ technique made famous in the documentary Once We Were Kings. He leaned back on the ropes and absorbed the terrifying body blows his younger and more powerful opponent dished out.

“You’re not hitting at all George,” Ali would whisper to an enraged Foreman. “Is that all you’ve got?” By the end of the sixth round, Foreman was spent. Ali took him out in the eight and regained the world title.

On 1 October 1975, Ali fought Joe Frazier for the third time. The ‘Thrilla in Manila’ is ranked as the greatest heavy weight fight in history – a battle between boxing’s titans. Both fighters could hardly stand after going 14 punishing rounds in stifling tropical heat.

Ali won after Frazier’s corner threw in the towel. Ali said the fight was “the closest thing to death”. He never watched a replay.

Ali lost his title in 1978 to Leon Spinks, a fighter 12-years his junior. In a rematch the same year, he regained the heavyweight championship for a third time and retired at age 40.

Muhammad Ali recorded 56 wins (37 knockouts) and 5 losses. The most famous bouts were against Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. He became the first and only three-time lineal Heavyweight Champion of the World.

At 6 feet 3 inches, he was an imposing figure in the ring. He had lightening in his left hand and his footwork was extraordinarily fast, almost balletic. His prime fighting weight was around 210-214 pounds.

In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons. He had two daughters from extramarital relationships. He died on June 3, 2016.

Ali was more than a fighter. He was a force of nature – a part of our psyche. His legacy cannot be contained within a boxing ring. A generation of children who watched Ali fight on TV, stood with him as he ‘whuped’ racial prejudice and fought for religious freedom and equality.

As Ali said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

Muhammad Ali was the Greatest.