Muhammad Ali Facts for Kids

A Picture of Muhammad Ali
  • Name: Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.)
  • Profession: Activist and Professional Boxer
  • Born: January 17th, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States
  • Died: June 3rd, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
  • Resting Place: Cave Hill Cemetery
  • Legacy: Famous for being one of the greatest boxes in history

23 Muhammad Ali Facts for Kids

  1. Muhammad Ali was a professional American box and activist.
  2. Muhammad Ali is most famous for being one of the most popular and best American boxes of all time.
  3. Muhammad Ali was born on January 17th, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
  4. Muhammad Ali legal birthname was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.
  5. Muhammad Ali was the son of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa O’Grady Clay.
  6. Muhammad Ali had a younger brother named Rudolph Valentino Clay (Rahman Ali).
  7. Muhammad Ali was married four times throughout his lifetime. His first wife was Sonji Roi (1964 to 1966). His second wife was Belinda Boyd (1967 to 1977). His third wife was Veronica Porché Ali (1977 to 1986). His fourth wife was Yolanda Williams and they remained married until his death.
  8. Muhammad Ali and Belinda Boyd had four children together.
  9. Muhammad Ali had nine children with his various wives, including professional boxer Laila Amaria Ali.
  10. Muhammad Ali died at the age of 74 from a respiratory illness on June 3rd, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
  11. In 1954, Ali had his first amateur boxing match against Ronnie O’Keefe and won by split decision.
  12. In 1960, Ali won the light heavyweight gold medal for boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
  13. On October 29th, 1960, Ali had his first pro boxing match against Tunney Hunsaker and won by split decision.
  14. In 1961, Ali became a Muslim when he converted to Islam.
  15. On February 25th, 1964, Ali fought Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Championship. Ali won the match by technical knockout and became the WBA/WBC World Heavyweight Champion.
  16. On March 6th, 1964, Ali changes his legal name from Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. to Muhammad Ali. He took his first name Muhammad after the leader of the Nation of Islam. He took his last name from the cousin of a prophet.
  17. On May 25th, 1965, Ali defended his World Heavyweight Champion against Sonny Liston. This boxing match is one of the most controversial and only lasted one round. Ali won the match with a 1st round knockout.
  18. In 1966, Ali was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War. He would refuse to be induced into the U.S. Army and be stripped of his boxing license and titles.
  19. On June 28th, 1971, the United States Supreme Court overturned Ali’s 1967 conviction of refusing to be drafted. The case was known as Clay v. United States and the justices ruled 8-0 in his favor.
  20. On October 30th, 1974, Ali fought George Foreman in one of the most historical matches in boxing history. The match was called “The Rumble in the Jungle”. Ali defeated Foreman via knockout in the 8th round.
  21. On October 1st, 1975, Ali fought Joe Frazier for a third time. The match was called the “Thrilla in Manila”. They would fight 13 rounds before Ali won by technical knockout.
  22. On October 2nd, 1980, Ali fought his last boxing match against Larry Holmes. They fought 11 rounds and Ali’s corner stopped the fight because Holmes was dominating Ali.
  23. In 1996, Ali attends the Atlanta Olympic Games and lights the Olympic cauldron.

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