1.  Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky  The eldest of two boys, he was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr  Ali was well known for his fighting style, which he described as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". He was involved in several historic boxing matches, including three with rival Joe Frazier and one with George Foreman

2. Cassius Clay won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay's amateur record was 100 wins with five losses.

3. Standing tall, at 6-ft, 3-in (1.91 m), Clay had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. Rather than the normal style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on foot speed and quickness to avoid punches and carried his hands low

4. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts

8.  Cassius Clay joined the nation of Islam after his first title fight with Sonny Liston  He eventually changed his name to Muhammad Ali  Ali became somewhat socially active in the civil rights movement of the day  In 1967 Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. military because of his religious beliefs

9. In 1967 Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his boxing title. His Boxing license was suspended.

10.  On June 28, 1971, the Supreme court unanimously reversed Ali’s conviction (Clay vs The U.S.)  Ali regained his boxing license and started his comeback to win back the heavyweight title.  This comeback would include several major legendary fights between Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

11. Ali would first lose to Frazier before winning the second match up. The third,“Thrilla in Manilla”, was also won by Ali.

12. Ali regained the Heavyweight title by defeating George Foreman in 1974

13. RETIREMENT Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's Syndrome in 1984. Despite the disability, he remains a beloved and active public figure

15. Ali receives an honorary gold medal

17. Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on November 9, 2005

20. Muhammad Ali remains of one the top iconic athletes in American and world history.