Events[link]

1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shāhnāmeh.

1126 – Following the death of his mother Urraca, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of Castile and León.

1576 – Spanish explorer Diego García de Palacio first sights the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Copán.

1618 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.

1655 – John Casor becomes the first legally-recognized slave in England's North American colonies.

1702 – Anne Stuart, sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

1722 – The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at The Battle of Gulnabad, pushing Iran into anarchy.

1736 – Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.

1775 – An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes "African Slavery in America", the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

1777 – Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutiny in the town of Ochsenfurt.

1782 – Gnadenhütten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indians.

1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.

1844 – King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.

1862 – American Civil War: The iron-clad (formerly ) is launched at Hampton Roads, Virginia.

1868 – Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai near Osaka.

1910 – French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's license.

1911 – International Women's Day is launched in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany.

1916 – World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.

1917 – International Women's Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (so named because it was February on the Julian calendar).

1917 – The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.

1920 – The Arab Kingdom of Syria, the first modern Arab state to come into existence, is established.

1921 – Spanish Premier Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.

1924 – The Castle Gate mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.

1936 – Daytona Beach Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.

1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.

1942 – World War II: The Dutch surrender to Japanese forces on Java.

1949 – Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally") is condemned to prison for treason.

1957 – Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal after the Suez Crisis.

1957 – The 1957 Georgia Memorial to Congress, which petitions the U.S. Congress to declare the ratification of the 14th & 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution null and void, is adopted by the U.S. state of Georgia.

1957 – Ghana joins the United Nations.

1963 – The Ba'ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d'état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council of the Revolutionary Command.

1966 – A bomb planted by Irish Republicans destroys Nelson's Pillar in Dublin.

1974 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.

1978 – The first radio episode of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', by Douglas Adams, is transmitted on BBC Radio 4.

1979 – Philips demonstrates the Compact Disc publicly for the first time.

1983 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan calls the Soviet Union an "evil empire".

1985 – A failed assassination attempt on Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon, kills at least 45 and injures 175 others.

1999 – The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing.

2004 – A new constitution is signed by Iraq's Governing Council.

Births[link]

1286 – John III, Duke of Brittany (d. 1341)

1293 – Beatrice of Castile, queen of Portugal (d. 1359)

1495 – John of God, Portuguese-born friar and saint (d. 1550)

1514 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1562)

1566 – Don Carlo Gesualdo, Italian composer (d. 1613)

1659 – Isaac de Beausobre, French Protestant pastor (d. 1738)

1702 – Anne Bonny, Irish-American pirate (d. 1782)

1712 – John Fothergill, English physician (d. 1780)

1714 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer (d. 1788)

1726 – Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, Royal Navy admiral of the fleet (d. 1799)

1746 – André Michaux, French botanist (d. 1802)

1748 – William V of Orange, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic (d. 1806)

1783 – Hannah Van Buren, wife of Martin Van Buren (d. 1819)

1799 – Simon Cameron, 26th U.S. Secretary of War (d. 1889)

1804 – Alvan Clark, American telescope maker and astronomer (d. 1887)

1814 – Ede Szigligeti, Hungarian dramatist (d. 1878)

1822 – Ignacy Lukasiewicz, Polish inventor (d. 1882)

1827 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (d. 1875)

1830 – João de Deus, Portuguese poet (d. 1896)

1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 1935)

1847 – John Lister, English politician (d. 1933)

1856 – Bramwell Booth, the 2nd General of The Salvation Army (d. 1929)

1856 – Colin Campbell Cooper, American Impressionist painter (d. 1937)

1859 – Kenneth Grahame, English author (d. 1932)

1865 – Frederic Goudy, American type designer (d. 1947)

1879 – Otto Hahn, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1968)

1886 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1972)

1897 – Damerla Rama Rao, Indian artist, (d. 1925)

1891 – Sam Jaffe, American actor (d. 1984)

1892 – Mississippi John Hurt, American blues singer and guitarist (d. 1966)

1892 – Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet (d. 1979)

1896 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian politician (d. 1975)

1899 – Elmer Keith, American firearms developer (d. 1984)

1900 – Howard Aiken, American computing pioneer (d. 1973)

1902 – Louise Beavers, American actress (d. 1962)

1902 – Jennings Randolph, America politician, United States Senator from West Virginia (d. 1998)

1907 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek politician (d. 1998)

1910 – Bernard Benjamin, British statistician (d. 2002)

1910 – Claire Trevor, American actress (d. 2000)

1911 – Alan Hovhaness, American composer (d. 2000)

1912 – Preston Smith, America politician, 40th Governor of Texas (d. 2003)

1914 – Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, Russian physicist (d. 1987)

1915 – Tapio Rautavaara, Finnish athlete, actor, and singer (d. 1979)

1916 – John W. Seybold, American businessman, father of computer typesetting (d. 2004)

1918 – Jacques Baratier, French director and screenwriter (d. 2009)

1920 – Douglass Wallop, American novelist and playwright (d. 1985)

1921 – Alan Hale, Jr., American actor (d. 1990)

1921 – Fritz Luchsinger, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1983)

1922 – Ralph H. Baer, German-born American inventor

1922 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (d. 2008)

1922 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (d. 1989)

1922 – Yevgeny Matveyev, Russian actor and film director (d. 2003)

1922 – Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese soldier and manga artist

1924 – Georges Charpak, Ukrainian-born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2010)

1925 – Warren Bennis, American educator and author

1926 – Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor (d. 2001)

1927 – Dick Hyman, American pianist and composer

1927 – Stanisław Kania, Polish politician

1929 – Hebe Camargo, Brazilian television presenter, actress and singer

1930 – Bob Grim, American baseball player (d. 1996)

1931 – Neil Adcock, South African Cricket player

1931 – John McPhee, American writer and professor

1931 – Gerald Potterton, British/Canadian director, producer and animator

1931 – Neil Postman, American cultural critic (d. 2003)

1933 – Evelyn Margaret Ay, American beauty pageant winner (d. 2008)

1933 – Luca Ronconi, Italian theater and opera director

1934 – Marv Breeding, American baseball player (d. 2006)

1936 – Sue Ane Langdon, American actress

1936 – Gábor Szabó, Hungarian guitarist (d. 1982)

1937 – Richard Farina, American folksinger (d. 1966)

1937 – Juvénal Habyarimana, President of Rwanda (d. 1994)

1938 – Pete Dawkins, American football player

1938 – Hans Fogh, Canadian competition sailor

1938 – Bruno Pizzul, Italian sports journalist

1939 – Jim Bouton, American baseball player and author

1939 – Lidia Skoblikova, Russian skater

1939 – Robert Tear, Welsh tenor

1940 – Susan Clark, Canadian actress

1940 – Jacques Doucet, radio play-by-play voice for the Montreal Expos (1972-2004)

1941 – Andrei Mironov, Soviet actor (d. 1987)

1942 – Dick Allen, American baseball player

1942 – Palito Ortega, Argentine singer and actor

1942 – Ann Packer, British athlete

1943 – Lynn Redgrave, English actress (d. 2010)

1943 – Dionysis Simopoulos, Greek physicist and astronomer

1944 – Buzz Hargrove, Canadian labour leader

1944 – Sergey Nikitin, Russian composer

1944 – Pepe Romero, Spanish guitarist

1945 – Bruce Broughton, American composer

1945 – Jim Chapman, American politician

1945 – Micky Dolenz, American musician (The Monkees)

1945 – Anselm Kiefer, German painter

1946 – Randy Meisner, American musician (The Eagles and Poco)

1947 – Mike Allsup, American musician (Three Dog Night)

1947 – Carole Bayer Sager, American composer

1947 – Florentino Pérez, Spanish football executive

1948 – Gyles Brandreth, British broadcaster and former Conservative Member of Parliament

1948 – Peggy March, American pop singer

1948 – Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

1949 – Natalia Kuchinskaya, Soviet gymnast

1949 – Karel Lismont, Belgian athlete

1949 – Antonello Venditti, Italian singer-songwriter

1950 – Richard Ouzounian, Canadian/American theatre director and critic

1950 – Dimitris Spentzopoulos, Greek footballer

1952 – George Felix Allen, American politician, 67th Governor of Virginia

1953 – Jim Rice, American baseball player

1953 – Don Werner, American baseball player

1954 – Cheryl Baker, British singer (Bucks Fizz)

1954 – Bob Brozman, American musician (R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders)

1954 – David Wilkie, Scottish swimmer

1955 – Don Ashby, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1981)

1955 – Joellyn Auklandus, American writer

1956 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (d. 1989)

1956 – John Kapelos, Canadian actor

1957 – Clive Burr, British musician (Iron Maiden)

1957 – John Butcher, American baseball player

1957 – Billy Childs, American composer/pianist

1957 – Cynthia Rothrock, American actress

1957 – Bob Stoddard, American baseball player

1958 – Nick Capra, American baseball player

1958 – Gary Numan, British singer (Tubeway Army)

1959 – Lester Holt, American television journalist

1959 – Aidan Quinn, American actor

1960 – Max Metzker, Australian swimmer

1960 – Buck Williams, American basketball player

1961 – Camryn Manheim, American actress

1961 – Larry Murphy, Canadian hockey player

1961 – Mark Salas, American baseball player

1962 – Kim Ung-Yong, Korean child prodigy

1963 – Mike Lalor, Canadian hockey player

1964 – Kate Betts, American fashion editor

1964 – Thomas Bezucha, American screenwriter and director

1964 – Lance McCullers, American baseball player

1965 – Fátima Lopes, Portuguese fashion designer

1965 – Kenny Smith, American basketball player

1966 – Cheryl James, American rapper and actress (Salt-n-Pepa)

1967 – Joel Johnston, American baseball player

1968 – Michael Bartels, German race car driver

1968 – Jim Dougherty, American baseball player

1968 – Ellen Forney, American cartoonist

1968 – Shawn Mullins, American singer/songwriter

1970 – Jason Elam, American football player

1970 – Andrea Parker, American actress, ballet dancer

1971 – Kit Symons, Welsh footballer

1972 – Georgios Georgiadis, Greek footballer

1972 – Angie Hart, Australian singer (Frente! and Splendid)

1972 – Fergal O'Brien, Irish snooker player

1973 – Anneke van Giersbergen, Dutch singer (The Gathering)

1973 – Boris Kodjoe, Austrian-born American actor and former model

1973 – Mark Lukasiewicz, American baseball player

1973 – Kurt Mollekens, Belgian racing car driver

1973 – Justin Thompson, American baseball player

1974 – Fardeen Khan, Indian actor

1974 – Mike Moriarty, American baseball player

1974 – Stefan Müller, German footballer

1975 – Mauro Briano, Italian footballer

1975 – Peggy Zina, Greek singer

1976 – Gaz Coombes, English singer (Supergrass, The Jennifers and The Hotrats)

1976 – Juan Encarnacion, American baseball player

1976 – Ryan Freel, American baseball player

1976 – Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor

1976 – Hines Ward, American football player

1977 – James Van Der Beek, American actor

1977 – Johann Vogel, Swiss footballer

1978 – Mohammed Bouyeri, Dutch-Moroccan assassin

1978 – Nick Zano, American actor

1979 – Tom Chaplin, English singer (Keane)

1979 – Andy Ross, American guitarist (OK Go)

1980 – Charli Delaney, Australian singer (Hi-5)

1980 – Stephen Milne, Australian rules footballer

1981 – Michael Beauchamp, Australian footballer

1981 – Timothy Jordan II, American musician (The All American Rejects, Jonezetta) (d. 2005)

1981 – Joost Posthuma, Dutch professional cyclist

1982 – Nicolas Armindo, French race car driver

1982 – Leonidas Kampantais, Greek footballer

1982 – Craig Stansberry, American baseball player

1982 – Kat Von D, Mexican-born American tattoo artist

1983 – André Santos, Brazilian footballer

1983 – Mark Worrell, American baseball player

1984 – Rafik Djebbour, Algerian footballer

1984 – Dave Moffatt, Canadian singer and actor (The Moffatts)

1984 – Ross Taylor, New Zealand cricketer

1984 – Sasha Vujačić, Slovenian basketball player

1985 – Ewa Sonnet, Polish model and pop singer

1986 – Princess Tsuguko of Takamado, Japanese princess

1988 – Armanti Edwards, American college football player

1988 – Elly Jackson, British singer and songwriter (La Roux)

1989 – Robbie Hummel, American basketball player

1990 – Kristinia DeBarge, American R&B; singer

1990 – Petra Kvitová, Czech tennis player

1990 – Ben Tozer, English footballer

1991 – Devon Werkheiser, American actor and musician

1992 – Charlie Ray, American actress

1997 – Jurina Matsui, Japanese singer (AKB48, SKE48)

Deaths[link]

1126 – Urraca of León (b. 1082)

1144 – Pope Celestine II

1223 – Wincenty Kadłubek, Polish chronicler (b. 1161)

1550 – John of God, Portuguese-born friar and saint (b. 1495)

1641 – Xu Xiake, Chinese adventurer (b. 1587)

1674 – Charles Sorel, sieur de Souvigny, French writer (b. 1597)

1702 – William III of England (b. 1650)

1731 – Ferdinand Brokoff, Czech sculptor (b. 1688)

1757 – Thomas Blackwell, Scottish classical scholar (b. 1701)

1771 – Louis August le Clerc, French-born sculptor (b. 1688)

1819 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American doctor, Massachusetts militia officer, member of the Massachusetts legislature (b. 1739)

1844 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (b. 1763)

1855 – William Poole, American criminal, member of New York City's Bowery Boys gang (b. 1821)

1869 – Hector Berlioz, French composer (b. 1803)

1872 – Cornelius Krieghoff, Canadian painter (b. 1815)

1874 – Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States (b. 1800)

1887 – Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (b. 1813)

1887 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer (b. 1820)

1889 – John Ericsson, Swedish inventor (b. 1803)

1907 – Marinos Antypas, Greek lawyer and journalist, one of the country's first socialists (b. 1872)

1917 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German aircraft manufacturer (b. 1838)

1923 – Krišjānis Barons, Latvian writer (b. 1835)

1923 – Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch Nobel laureate (b. 1837)

1930 – William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States (b. 1857)

1930 – Edward Terry Sanford, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1865)

1935 – Hachiko, famous dog (b. 1923)

1937 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1902)

1941 – Sherwood Anderson, American author (b. 1876)

1942 – José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player (b. 1888)

1945 – Frederick Bligh Bond, English architect, illustrator, archaeologist and psychical researcher (b.1864)

1951 – Martha Beck, American convicted murderer (b. 1920)

1951 – Raymond Fernandez, American convicted murderer (d. 1914)

1957 – Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer and conductor (b. 1886)

1961 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (b. 1879)

1971 – Harold Lloyd, American actor (b. 1893)

1972 – Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, German Nazi official (b. 1899)

1973 – Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, American musician (Grateful Dead) (b. 1945)

1975 – George Stevens, American director (b. 1904)

1976 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian military commander (b. 1908)

1981 – Joseph Henry Woodger, British theoretical biologist (b. 1894)

1983 – William Walton, English composer (b. 1902)

1985 – Edward Andrews, American actor (b. 1914)

1986 – Kersti Merilaas, Estonian author, poet (b. 1913)

1988 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjabi folk singer (b. 1961)

1988 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist (b. 1912)

1988 – Henryk Szeryng, Polish-born violinist (b. 1918)

1989 – Charles Exbrayat, French novelist (b. 1906)

1991 – John Bellairs, American mystery author (b. 1938)

1993 – Billy Eckstine, American singer (b. 1914)

1995 – Ingo Schwichtenberg, German drummer (Helloween) (b. 1965)

1996 – Jack Churchill, eccentric British soldier (b.1906)

1998 – Ray Nitschke, American football player (b. 1936)

1999 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentine writer (b. 1914)

1999 – Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian (b. 1924)

1999 – Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1914)

1999 – William Wrigley III, President of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (b. 1933)

2001 – Edward Winter, American actor (b. 1937)

2003 – Adam Faith, English singer and actor (b. 1940)

2003 – Karen Morley, American actress (b. 1909)

2004 – Abu Abbas, founder of the Palestine Liberation Front (b. 1948)

2004 – Robert Pastorelli, American actor (b. 1954)

2005 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist (b. 1924)

2005 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen leader (b. 1951)

2006 – Brian Barratt-Boyes, New Zealand heart surgeon (b. 1924)

2007 – John Inman, English actor (b. 1935)

2007 – Viky Vanita, Greek actress (b. 1948)

2007 – John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach (b. 1947)

2007 – Christopher Barrios Jr., American Murder Victim (b. 2001)

2008 – Carol Barnes, British news presenter (b. 1944)

2009 – Ali Bongo, British magician (b. 1929)

2009 – Hank Locklin, American country music singer and songwriter (b. 1918)

2009 – Zbigniew Religa, Minister of Health of the Republic of Poland (b. 1938)

2011 – St. Clair Lee, American vocalist (The Hues Corporation) (b. 1944)

2011 – Mike Starr, American Musician (Alice in Chains, Sun Red Sun and Days of the New) (b. 1966)

2012 – Leslie Cochran, American peace activist (b.1951)

2012 – Simin Daneshvar, Iranian academic, novelist, fiction writer and translator (b.1921)

Holidays and observances[link]

Christian Feast Day:

*John of God

*Philemon the actor

Earliest day on which Canberra Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March. (Australian Capital Territory)

Earliest day on which Commonwealth Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March. (Commonwealth of Nations)

Earliest day on which Passion Sunday can fall, while April 17 is the latest; observed on the fifth Sunday of Lent. (Christianity)

International Women's Day or Mother's Day (primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc)

Revolution Day (Syria)

World Kidney Day

External links[link]

On This Day in Canada

BBC: On This Day

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Category:Days of the year Category:March

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Name	Joe Frazier
Realname	Joseph William Frazier
Nationality	American
Nickname	Smokin' Joe
Height
Reach
Weight	Heavyweight
Birth date	January 12, 1944
Birth place	Beaufort, South Carolina, United States
Death date	November 07, 2011
Death place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Home	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Style	Orthodox
Total	37
Wins	32
Ko	27
Losses	4
Draws	1
No contests	0
Medaltemplates	}}

}}

Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), also known as Smokin' Joe, was an American professional boxer and Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981.

Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late 1960s, defeating opponents that included Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in 1970, and followed up by defeating Muhammad Ali on points in the highly-anticipated "Fight of the Century" in 1971. Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was knocked out by George Foreman. He fought on, beating Joe Bugner, losing a rematch to Ali and beating Quarry and Ellis again.

Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in their brutal rubbermatch. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman. He made a comeback in 1981, fighting just once, before retiring for good. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time. He was an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Frazier's style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano. He was dependent on bobbing, weaving, grunting, snorting as he grimaced with all out aggression wearing down his opponents with relentless pressure. His best known punch was a powerful left hook, which accounted for most of his knockouts.

After retiring, Frazier made cameo appearances in several Hollywood movies, and two episodes of ''The Simpsons''. His son Marvis became a boxer — trained by Frazier himself — although was unable to recreate his father's success. Frazier continued to train fighters in his gym in Philadelphia. His later years saw the continuation of his bitter rivalry with Ali, in which the two periodically exchanged insults, interspersed with brief reconciliations.

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011 and admitted to hospice care. He died November 7, 2011.

Early life [link]

Joe Frazier was the 12th child born to Rubin and Dolly Frazier in Beaufort, South Carolina. He was raised in a rural community of Beaufort called Laurel Bay. Frazier said he was always close to his father, who carried him when he was a toddler "over the 10 acres of farmland" that the Fraziers owned, "to the still where he made his bootleg corn liquor, and into town on Saturdays to buy the necessities that a family of 10 needed." The young Frazier was affectionately called "Billy Boy."

Rubin had his left hand and part of his forearm amputated a year before Frazier was born. While Rubin and Dolly were in the car a friend named Arthur Smith, who was drunk at the time and was fond of meeting women, passed by and made a move for Dolly and was rebuffed. When Frazier's parents drove away Smith fired several bullets, hitting Dolly once in the foot and Rubin several times in the arm, which was hanging outside the car. Arthur Smith went to prison for the shooting, but did not stay long. As Joe's mother put it, "If you were a good workman, the white man took you out of jail and kept you busy on the farm."

His parents owned the 10 acre farm which they worked with "two mules, Buck and Jenny." Frazier said the land was what country folk called "white dirt, which is another way of saying it isn't worth a damn." The Frazier family couldn't grow peas or corn on it, they were only able to grow cotton and watermelon.

In the early '50s, Frazier's father got a black and white television. His father, his mother, her brothers and other people from the neighborhood would come to watch boxing matches on it. Frazier's mother sold drinks for a quarter as they watched fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep and Rocky Graziano. One night Frazier walked onto the porch of his house when his Uncle Israel noticed Frazier's stocky build. "That boy there...that boy is gonna be another Joe Louis" he remarked. The words made an impression on Joe. At school, his classmates would give him a sandwich or a quarter to walk with them at final bell so that bullies would not mess with them. Joe remarked, "Any 'scamboogah' (a disrespectful, low-down and foul person) who got in my face would soon regret it: Billy Boy could kick anybody's ass." The next day after Joe was labeled the next Joe Louis, he got an old burlap sack and filled it with rags, corncobs, a brick in the middle and Spanish moss that grew on trees all over Beaufort County. He then tied a rope to it and hung the makeshift heavybag from an oak tree in the backyard where the mules were kept. "For the next 6, 7 years, damn near every day I'd hit that heavybag for an hour at a time. I'd wrap my hands with a necktie of my Daddy's, or a stocking of my Momma's or sister's, and get to it" Joe remarked.

It was not long after Joe started working out that his left arm was seriously damaged because of the Fraziers' ornery 300 pound hog. The hog was very nasty from time to time, but sometimes Joe could not resist teasing it. One day Joe poked the hog with a stick and ran away, but someone had left the gate to the pigpen open and the hog ran through the gate, chasing Joe. In his hurry, Joe fell and hit his left arm on a brick. The arm was torn badly, but as the Frazier family was unable to pay for a doctor, the arm had to heal on its own. The arm eventually did heal, but Joe was never able to keep it fully straight again. It was crooked and lacking a full range of motion. But as it existed, it was as though it was cocked for the left hook — permanently cocked.

By the time Joe was 15 years old, he was working on a farm for a family named Bellamy. They were both white men, Mac who was the younger of the two and more easy going, and Jim who was a little rougher and somewhat backward. One day a little black boy of about 12 years old, damaged one of the Bellamy's tractors without meaning to. Jim Bellamy became so enraged he took off his belt and whipped the boy with his belt right there in the field. Joe saw the event and went back to the packing house on the farm and told his black friends what he had seen. It wasn't long before Jim Bellamy saw Joe and asked him why he told what he had witnessed. Joe then told Bellamy he didn't know what he was talking about, but Bellamy didn't believe Joe and threatened Joe to get off the farm before he took off his belt again. Joe told him he better keep his pants up because he wasn't going to use his belt on him. Jim then analyzed Joe for a bit and eventually said "Go on, get the hell outta here." Joe knew from that moment it was time for him to leave Beaufort; he could only see hard times and low-rent for himself. Even his Momma could see it. She told Joe "Son, if you can't get along with the white folks, then leave home because I don't want anything to happen to you."

The train fare from Beaufort to the cities up North was costly, and the closest bus-stop was in Charleston, away. Luckily by 1958, the bus (The Dog, as called by locals in Beaufort) had finally made Beaufort a stop on its South Carolina route. Joe had a brother, Tommy, in New York. He was told he could stay with Tommy and his family. Joe had to save up a bit before he could make the bus trip to New York and still have some money in his pocket, and so first he went to work at the local Coca-Cola plant. Joe remarked that the white guy would drive the truck and he would do the real work, stacking and unloading the crates. Joe stayed with Coca-Cola until the government began building houses for the marines stationed at Parris Island; at which time he was hired on a work crew.

Nine months eventually passed since he got the boot from the Bellamy farm. One day, with no fanfare, no tearful goodbyes, Joe packed quickly and got the first bus heading northward. "I climbed on the Dog's back and rode through the night" Joe remarked. "It was 1959, I was 15 years old and I was on my own."

Amateur career [link]

During Frazier's amateur career, he won Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championships in 1962, 1963 and 1964. His only loss in three years as an amateur was to Buster Mathis. Mathis would prove to be Joe's biggest obstacle to making the 1964 U.S. Olympic Boxing team. They met in the final of the U.S. Olympic Trial at the New York World's Fair in the summer of 1964. Their fight was scheduled for three rounds and they fought with 10 oz gloves and with headgear, even though the boxers who made it to Tokyo would wear no headgear and would wear 8 oz gloves. Joe was eager to get back at Mathis for his only amateur loss and KO'd two opponents to get to the finals. But once again, when the dust settled, the judges had called it for Mathis, undeservedly Joe thought. "All that fat boy had done was run like a thief- hit me with a peck and backpedal like crazy." Joe would remark.

Mathis had worn his trunks very high, so that when Joe hit Mathis with legitimate body shots the referee took a dim view of them. In the second round, the referee had gone so far as to penalize Joe two points for hitting below the belt. "In a three-round bout a man can't afford a points deduction like that," Joe would say. Joe then returned to Philadelphia feeling as low as he'd ever been and was even thinking of giving up boxing. Duke Dugent and his trainer Yank Durham were able to talk Joe out of his doldrums and even suggested Joe make the trip to Tokyo as an alternate, in case something happened to Mathis. Joe agreed and while there, he was a workhorse, sparring with any of the Olympic boxers who wanted some action. "Middleweight, light heavyweight, it didn't matter to me, I got in there and boxed all comers" Joe would say. In contrast, Mathis was slacking off. In the morning, when the Olympic team would do their roadwork, Mathis would run a mile, then start walking saying "Go ahead, big Joe. I'll catch up."

1964 Olympics [link]

In 1964 heavyweight representative Buster Mathis qualified but was injured so Frazier was sent as a replacement. At the Heavyweight boxing event, Frazier knocked out George Oywello of Uganda in the first round, then knocked out Athol McQueen of Australia 40 seconds into the third round. He was then into the semi-final, as the only American boxer left, facing the 6 foot 4, 230 lb Russian Vadim Yemelyanov.

"My left hook was a heat seeking missile, careening off his face and body time and again. Twice in the second round I knocked him to the canvas. But as I pounded away, I felt a jolt of pain shoot through my left arm. ''Oh damn, the thumb.''" Joe would say. Joe knew immediately the thumb of his left hand was damaged, though he wasn't sure as to the extent. "In the midst of the fight, with your adrenaline pumping, it's hard to gauge such things. My mind was on more important matters. Like how I was going to deal with Yemelyanov for the rest of the fight." The match ended when The Russian handlers threw in the towel, at 1:49 in the second round, the referee raised Joe's injured hand in victory.

Now that Joe was into the final, he didn't mention his broken thumb to anyone. He went back to his room and soaked his thumb in hot water and Epsom salts. "Pain or not, Joe Frazier of Beaufort, South Carolina, was going for gold." Joe proclaimed. Joe would fight a 30-year-old German mechanic named Hans Huber, who failed to make it on the German Olympic wrestling team. By now Joe was used to fighting bigger guys, but he was not used to doing it with a damaged left hand. When the opening bell sounded on fight night, Joe came out and started winging punches, he threw his right hand more than usual that night. Every so often he'd used his left hook, but nothing landed with the kind of impact he managed in previous bouts. Under Olympic rules, 5 judges judge a bout, and that night three voted for Joe.

Professional career [link]

After Frazier won the USA's only 1964 Olympic boxing gold medal, his trainer Yancey "Yank" Durham helped put together Cloverlay, a group of local businessmen (including a young Larry Merchant) who invested in Frazier's professional career and allowed him to train full-time. Durham was Frazier's chief trainer and manager until Durham's death in August 1973.

Frazier turned professional in 1965, defeating Woody Goss by a technical knockout in the first round. He won three more fights that year, all by knockout, none going past the third round.

Joe's second contest was of interest in that he was decked in round 1 by Mike Bruce. Frazier took an "8" count by referee Bob Polis but rallied for a TKO over Bruce in round 3.

In 1966, as Frazier's career was taking off, Durham contacted Los Angeles trainer Eddie Futch. The two men had never met, but Durham had heard of Futch through the latter's reputation as one of the most respected trainers in boxing. Frazier was sent to Los Angeles to train, before Futch agreed to join Durham as an assistant trainer. With Futch's assistance, Durham arranged three fights in Los Angeles against Al Jones, veteran contender Eddie Machen and George "Scrapiron" Johnson. Frazier knocked out Jones and Machen, but surprisingly went 10 rounds with journeyman Johnson to win a unanimous decision. Johnson had apparently bet all his purse that he'd survive to the final bell, noted Ring magazine, and somehow he achieved it. But Johnson was known in the trade as 'impossibly durable.'

After the Johnson match, Futch became a full-fledged member of the Frazier camp as an assistant trainer and strategist, who advised Durham on matchmaking. It was Futch who suggested that Frazier boycott the 1967 WBA Heavyweight Elimination Tournament to find a successor to Muhammad Ali after the Heavyweight Champion was stripped of his title for refusing to be inducted into the military, although Frazier was the top-ranked contender at the time.

Futch proved invaluable to Frazier as an assistant trainer, helping modify his style. Under his tutelage, Frazier adopted the bob-and-weave defensive style, making him more difficult for taller opponents to punch, while giving Frazier more power with his own punches. While Futch remained based in Los Angeles, where he worked as a supervisor with the U.S. Postal Service, he was flown to Philadelphia to work with Frazier during the final preparations for all of his fights.

After Durham died of a stroke on August 30, 1973, Futch was asked to succeed him as Frazier's head trainer and manager—at the same time he was training heavyweight contender Ken Norton. Norton lost a rematch against Ali less than two weeks after Durham's death. At that point, Norton's managers, Robert Biron and Aaron Rivkind, demanded that Futch choose between training Frazier and Norton, with Futch choosing Frazier.

Mid to late 1960s [link]

Now in his second year, in September 1966 and somewhat green, Frazier won a close decision over rugged contender Oscar Bonavena, despite Bonavena flooring him twice in the second round. A third knockdown in that round would have ended the fight under the three knockdown rule. Frazier rallied and won a decision after 12 rounds. The Machen win followed this contest.

In 1967 Frazier stormed ahead winning all six of his fights, including a sixth-round knockout of Doug Jones and a brutal fourth round (TKO) of Canadian George Chuvalo. No boxer had ever stopped Chuvalo before, but Frazier, despite the stoppage, was unable to floor Chuvalo, who would never be dropped in his career.

By February 1967 Joe had scored 14 wins and his star was beginning to rise. This culminated with his first appearance on the cover of Ring Magazine. In this month he met Ali, who hadn't yet been stripped of his title. Ali said Joe would never stand a chance of "whipping" him, not even in his wildest dreams. Later that year, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight title due to his refusal to be inducted into the military during the Vietnam War.

To fill the vacancy, the New York State Athletic Commission held a bout between Frazier and Buster Mathis, with the winner to be recognized as "World Champion" by the state of New York. Although the fight was not recognized as a World Championship bout by some, Frazier won by a knockout in the 11th round and staked a claim to the Heavyweight Championship. He then defended his claim by beating hard hitting prospect Manuel Ramos of Mexico in two rounds.

He closed 1968 by again beating Oscar Bonavena via a 15-round decision in a hard-fought rematch. Bonavena fought somewhat defensively, allowing himself to be often bulled to the ropes, which let Frazier build a wide points margin. Ring magazine showed Bonavena afterwards with a gruesomely bruised face. It had been a punishing match.

1969 saw Frazier defend his NYSAC title in Texas, beating Dave Zyglewicz, who'd only lost once in 29 fights, by a first-round knockout. Then he beat Jerry Quarry in a 7th round stoppage. The competitive, exciting match with Quarry was named 1969 ''Ring Magazine'' fight of the year. Frazier showed he could do a lot more than just slug. He'd used his newly honed defensive skills to slip, bob and weave a barrage of Quarry punches despite Quarry's reputation as an excellent counter punching heavyweight.

Wins World Championship – Ellis [link]

On February 16, 1970, Frazier faced WBA Champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden. Ellis had outpointed Jerry Quarry in the final bout of the WBA elimination tournament for Ali's vacated belt. Frazier had himself declined to participate with the WBA tournament to protest their decision to strip Ali. Ellis also held a win over Oscar Bonavena. Beforehand, Ali had announced his retirement and relinquished the Heavyweight title, allowing Ellis and Frazier to fight for the undisputed title. Frazier won by a TKO when Ellis' trainer Angelo Dundee would not let him come out for the 5th round following two 4th round knockdowns (the first knockdowns of Ellis' career). His decisive win over Ellis was a frightening display of power and tenacity.

In his first title defense, Frazier traveled to Detroit to fight World Light Heavyweight Champion Bob Foster, who would go on to set a record for the number of title defenses in the light-heavyweight division. Frazier (26–0) retained his title by twice flooring the hard punching Foster in the second round. The second knock down came on a devastating left hook and Foster could not beat the count. Then came what was hyped as the "Fight Of The Century," his first fight with Muhammad Ali, who had launched a comeback in 1970 after a three year suspension from boxing. This would be the first meeting of two undefeated heavyweight champions (and last until Mike Tyson faced Michael Spinks in 1988), since Ali (31–0) had not lost his title in the ring, but rather been stripped because of his refusal to be inducted in the Armed Forces, some considered him to be the true champion. This fight was to crown the one, true heavyweight champion.

Fight of the Century [link]

On March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, Frazier and Ali met in the first of their three bouts which was widely called the "Fight of the Century" in pre-bout publicity and the press feeding frenzy. With a worldwide television audience and an in-house audience that included luminaries such as Frank Sinatra (as a photographer for ''Life'' magazine to get a ringside seat), comedian Woody Allen, singer Diana Ross and actors Dustin Hoffman and Burt Lancaster (who served as "color commentator" with fight announcer Don Dunphy), the two undefeated heavyweights met in the kind of media-frenzied atmosphere not seen since Joe Louis' youth.

Several factors came together for Frazier in this fight. He was 27 years old and at his lifetime peak boxing-wise, physically and mentally, while Ali, 29, was coming back from a three-year absence but had kept in training, taking on Frazier three months after a bruising battle with Oscar Bonavena, whom Ali had defeated by a TKO in 15. Joe did his 'homework' training with famed coach Eddie Futch, who had developed a strategy based on Ali's tendency to throw the right-hand uppercut from a straight standing position after dropping the hand in preparation to throw it with force. Futch instructed Frazier to watch Ali's right hand and, at the moment Ali dropped it, to throw a left hook at the spot where they knew Ali's face would be a second later. Frazier's major staggering of Ali in the 11th round and his knock-down of Ali in the 15th were both executed precisely in this way.

In a brutally competitive contest, Frazier lost a number of early rounds but took Ali's combinations without backing down. As Ali started to slow in the middle rounds, Frazier came on strong, landing hard shots to the body as well as the powerful left hooks to the head.

Consequently, Frazier won a clear, 15-round, unanimous decision. Ali was taken to the hospital immediately after the fight to have his badly swollen jaw x-rayed and Frazier spent time in the hospital during the ensuing month, the exertions of the fight having been exacerbated by his existing health problems, such as hypertension and a kidney infection. Some time later he fought a 3-round exhibition against Cleveland Williams.

In 1972, Frazier successfully defended the title twice, beating Terry Daniels and Ron Stander, both by knockout, in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. It's worth noting Daniels had drawn with Jerry Quarry and Stander had KO'd Earnie Shavers.

Loses title to George Foreman [link]

Ultimately, Frazier lost his undefeated record of 29–0 and his world championship, at the hands of the unbeaten George Foreman on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica. Despite Frazier being the overall favorite, Foreman towered 4" over the shorter, more compact champion and soon dominated the brief bout as Frazier came in too open. Two minutes into the first round, Frazier was knocked down. After being knocked down a sixth time referee Arthur Mercante, Sr. stopped the contest. It was the first two knockdowns that were decisive.

Frazier won his next fight, a 12-round tough decision and floored Joe Bugner in London to begin his quest to regain the title. Many felt it was Bugner's best career effort.

Mid 1970s [link]

Frazier's second fight against Ali took place on January 28, 1974, in New York City. In contrast to their previous meeting, the bout was a non-title fight, with Ali winning a clear 12-round unanimous decision.

Five months later, Frazier again battled Jerry Quarry in Madison Square Garden, with a wicked left hook to the ribs by Frazier ending the fight in the fifth round.

In March 1975, Frazier again fought Jimmy Ellis, the man from whom he had originally taken the WBA title, in Melbourne, Australia, knocking him out again in nine rounds. The win again established him as the number one heavyweight challenger for the title that was now held by Ali, following an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" in October 1974.

Thrilla In Manila [link]

Ali and Frazier met for the third and final time in Quezon City (a district within the metropolitan area of Manila), the Philippines, on October 1, 1975: the "Thrilla in Manila." Ali took every opportunity to mock Frazier, again calling him '"The Gorilla," and generally trying to irritate him.

The fight was far more action-filled than the previous encounter, and was a punishing display on both sides under oppressively hot conditions. During the course of the fight, Ali said to Frazier, "They said you were through, Joe." Frazier's terse reply quickly followed: "They lied, pretty boy." After 14 grueling rounds, Eddie Futch stopped the fight after Frazier was determined to finish the fight despite both eyes being swollen shut. Ali won the battle, but said afterward that it was the closest he ever felt to death.

Foreman again [link]

In 1976, Frazier (32–3) personally wished to retry against George Foreman. With a shaved head for a new image Frazier fought well enough, somewhat more restrained than usual, avoiding walking onto the big shots which he had done in their first match. However, Foreman awaited his moment and then lobbed in one tremendous left hook that lifted Frazier off his feet. After a second knock down it was stopped in the fifth. Joe retired.

Frazier made a cameo appearance in the movie ''Rocky'' later in 1976 and dedicated himself to training local boxers in Philadelphia, where he grew up, including some of his own children. He helped train Duane Bobick a while.

Music career [link]

During the late 1970s, Frazier created a soul-funk group called "Joe Frazier and the Knockouts," being mentioned in Billboard and recording a number of singles.

1980s comeback and coaching career [link]

In 1981, Frazier attempted a comeback. He drew over 10 rounds with hulking Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings in Chicago, Illinois. It was a bruising battle with mixed reviews. He then retired for good.

After that, Frazier involved himself in various endeavors. Among his sons who turned to boxing as a career, he helped train Marvis Frazier, a challenger for Larry Holmes's world heavyweight title and trained his daughter, Jackie Frazier-Lyde, whose most notable fight to date was a close points loss against Laila Ali, the daughter of his rival.

Frazier's overall record was 32 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 27 wins by knockout. He won 73 percent of his fights by knockout, compared to 60 percent for Ali and 84 percent for Foreman. He was a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

In 1986, Frazier appeared as the "corner man" for Mr. T against Roddy Piper at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as part of WrestleMania 2. In 1989, Frazier joined Ali, Foreman, Norton and Holmes for the tribute special ''Champions Forever''.

Media appearances [link]

Frazier appeared as himself in an episode of ''The Simpsons'' ("Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?") in 1992, in which he was supposed to have been beaten up by Barney Gumble in Moe's Tavern. Frazier's son objected and Frazier was instead shown beating up Gumble and putting him in a trash can. Frazier appeared in another episode of ''The Simpsons'' ("Homer's Paternity Coot") in 2006. He appeared on-screen in the 8th series of The Celebrity Apprentice (USA) television show as a guest-attendee at the Silent Auction event held for the season finale (won by Joan Rivers). Frazier appeared as himself in the Academy Award winning 1976 movie, ''Rocky''. Since the debut of the Fight Night series of games, Frazier appeared in ''Fight Night 2004'', ''Fight Night Round 2'', ''Fight Night Round 3'', ''Fight Night Round 4'' and Fight Night Champion, games made by EA Sports.

Autobiography [link]

Frazier released his autobiography in March 1996, entitled ''Smokin' Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, Smokin' Joe Frazier''. Frazier promoted the book shortly before its release with a memorable appearance on ''The Howard Stern Show'' on January 26, 1996.

Financial issues and legal battles [link]

According to an article from The ''New York Times'', "over the years, Frazier has lost a fortune through a combination of his own generosity and naïveté, his carousing, failed business opportunities, and a deep hatred for his former chief boxing rival, Muhammad Ali. The other headliners from his fighting days — Ali, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes — are millionaires." Asked about his situation, Frazier became playfully defensive, but would not reveal his financial status. "Are you asking me how much money I have?" he said. "I got plenty of money. I got a stack of $100 bills rolled up over there in the back of the room." Frazier blamed himself, partly, for not effectively promoting his own image.

His daughter Jackie Frazier-Lyde is a lawyer and worked on her father’s behalf in pursuit of money which they claimed he was owed in a Pennsylvania land deal. In 1973, Frazier purchased 140 acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for $843,000. Five years later, a developer agreed to buy the farmland for $1.8 million. Frazier received annual payments from a trust that bought the land with money he had earned in the ring. When the trust went bankrupt, the payments ceased.

Frazier sued his business partners, claiming that his signature was forged on documents and that he had no knowledge of the sale. In the ensuing years, the land was subdivided and turned into a residential community. The property is now worth an estimated $100 million.

Relationship with Muhammad Ali [link]

While Ali's characteristic taunts of his opponent began typically enough, after regaining his title, his taunts eventually turned personal. Joe was painted by Ali as the white man's hope and as an "Uncle Tom," interjecting a racial element into an already contentious and controversial series of great bouts. Bryant Gumble joined the pro-Ali, anti-Frazier bandwagon by writing a major magazine article that asked "Is Joe Frazier a white champion with black skin?", and many younger boxing fans who had no issues with Frazier sided with Ali in their feud because of their admiration for Ali's anti-war and anti-racism views (Frazier rarely spoke publicly about social or political issues).

Frazier petitioned U.S. President Richard Nixon to have Ali's right to box reinstated, setting up the whole series of matches. (Frazier had boycotted the 1967 WBA heavyweight elimination tournament to find a successor to Muhammad Ali, after the champion had been stripped of the title.)

After years of remaining bitter, Frazier told ''Sports Illustrated'' in May 2009 that he no longer held hard feelings for Ali.

Ali was among those who attended the private funeral services for Frazier in Philadelphia on November 14, 2011. The Rev. Jesse Jackson gave remarks during the service and at one point asked those in attendance to stand and "show your love." It was reported that Ali stood with the audience and clapped "vigorously."

Later years [link]

Frazier lived in Philadelphia where he owned and managed a boxing gym. Frazier put the gym up for sale in mid 2009. He was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. He and his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, alternated over the years between public apologies and public insults. In 1996, when Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta, Frazier told a reporter that he would like to throw Ali into the fire. Frazier made millions of dollars in the 1970s, but the article cited mismanagement of real-estate holdings as a partial explanation for his economic woes. Frazier stated repeatedly that he no longer had any bitter feelings towards Ali.

Frazier continued to train young fighters, although he needed multiple operations for back injuries sustained in a car accident. He and Ali reportedly attempted a reconciliation in his final years, but in October 2006 Frazier still claimed to have won all three bouts between the two. He declared to a ''Times'' reporter, when questioned about his bitterness toward Ali, "I am what I am."

Frazier attempted to revive his music interests in late 2009/2010 notably popular for singing 'Mustang Sally' both Frazier and manager Leslie R. Wolff teamed up with Welsh Rock Solo artist Jayce Lewis to release his repertoire in the U.K, later visiting the Welshman in U.K to a host a string of After dinner Speeches and music developments, it would notably be Frazier's last U.K appearance.

Death [link]

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011. Within a few weeks, the cancer had metastasized. By November 2011, he was under hospice care, where he died on November 7. Upon hearing of Frazier's death, Muhammad Ali said, "The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration." Frazier's private funeral took place on November 14 at the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia and in addition to friends and family was attended by Muhammad Ali, Don King, Larry Holmes, Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, among others. He was later buried at the Ivy Hill Cemetery, a short drive from the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.

In popular culture [link]

Some of the most memorable moments in the 1976 boxing-themed feature film, ''Rocky'' — such as Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as part of his training regimen — are taken from Frazier's real-life exploits, for which he received no credit. Though ironically he makes a cameo appearance promoting the fight between Rocky and Apollo. He challenges the latter to a fight. In March 2007, a Joe Frazier action figure was released as part of a range of toys based on the Rocky film franchise, developed by the American toy manufacturer, Jakks Pacific.

In the Wu-Tang Clan's first single "Protect Ya Neck," Inspectah Deck name-drops Joe Frazier in his opening rhymes.

On the remix of DJ Khaled's, "I'm So Hood," Lil Wayne raps, "It Go Down Like Frazier And I Aint Talking Kelsey Grammer." This is a reference to Joe Frazier and not the titular character in the television series Frasier.

As a result of his physical resemblance to Frazier, West Indian cricketer Sir Vivian Richards was nicknamed "Smokin' Joe" or "Smokey" during his youth when he was an amateur boxer in Antigua.

In ''Super Punch-Out!!'' and the Wii remake of ''Punch-out!!'', the character Mr. Sandman is similar to Frazier.

Professional boxing record [link]

|- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|32 Wins (27 knockouts, 5 decisions), 4 Losses (3 knockouts, 1 decision), 1 Draw |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Round | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw |32-4-1 |align=left| Floyd Cummings |MD |10 |03/10/1981 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |32–4 |align=left| George Foreman |TKO |5 |15/06/1976 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |32–3 |align=left| Muhammad Ali |RTD |14 |01/10/1975 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |32–2 |align=left| Jimmy Ellis |TKO |9 |02/03/1975 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |31–2 |align=left| Jerry Quarry |TKO |5 |17/06/1974 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |30–2 |align=left| Muhammad Ali |UD |12 |28/01/1974 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |30–1 |align=left| Joe Bugner |PTS |12 |02/07/1973 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |29–1 |align=left| George Foreman |TKO |2 |22/01/1973 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |29–0 |align=left| Ron Stander |TKO |5 |25/05/1972 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |28–0 |align=left| Terry Daniels |TKO |4 |15/01/1972 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |27–0 |align=left| Muhammad Ali |UD |15 |08/01/1971 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |26–0 |align=left| Bob Foster |KO |2 |18/11/1970 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |25–0 |align=left| Jimmy Ellis |TKO |5 |16/02/1970 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |24–0 |align=left| Jerry Quarry |TKO |7 |23/06/1969 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |23–0 |align=left| Dave Zyglewicz |KO |1 |22/04/1969 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |22–0 |align=left| Oscar Bonavena |UD |15 |10/12/1968 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |21–0 |align=left| Manuel Ramos |TKO |2 |24/06/1968 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |20–0 |align=left| Buster Mathis |TKO |11 |04/03/1968 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |19–0 |align=left| Marion Connor |TKO |3 |18/12/1967 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |18–0 |align=left| Tony Doyle |TKO |2 |17/10/1967 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |17–0 |align=left| George Chuvalo |TKO |4 |19/07/1967 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |16–0 |align=left| George Johnson |UD |10 |04/05/1967 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |15–0 |align=left| Jefferson Davis |TKO |5 |11/04/1967 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |14–0 |align=left| Doug Jones |KO |6 |21/02/1967 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |13–0 |align=left| Eddie Machen |TKO |10 |21/11/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |12–0 |align=left| Oscar Bonavena |MD |10 |21/09/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |11–0 |align=left| Billy Daniels |RTD |6 |25/07/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |10–0 |align=left| Memphis Al Jones |KO |1 |26/03/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |9–0 |align=left| Chuck Leslie |KO |3 |19/05/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |8–0 |align=left| Don Smith |KO |3 |28/04/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |7–0 |align=left| Charley Polite |TKO |2 |04/04/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |6–0 |align=left| Dick Wipperman |TKO |5 |04/03/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |5–0 |align=left| Mel Turnbow |KO |1 |17/01/1966 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |4–0 |align=left| Abe Davis |KO |1 |11/11/1965 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |3–0 |align=left| Ray Staples |TKO |2 |28/09/1965 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |2–0 |align=left| Mike Bruce |TKO |3 |20/09/1965 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |1–0 |align=left| Woody Goss |TKO |1 |16/08/1965 |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center

See also[link]

List of heavyweight boxing champions

List of WBA world champions

List of WBC world champions

Notable boxing families

References [link]

Further reading [link]

External links [link]

Official Website

documentary on Joe Frazier

Official Collection Website

Official Facebook Fan Page

Sports Reference Profile

''Daily Telegraph Obituary''

''Articles at Guardian UK''

{{s-ttl | title= NYSAC Heavyweight Champion | years =March 4, 1968 – February 16, 1970}} {{s-ttl | title= WBC Heavyweight Champion Undisputed Heavyweight Champion | years =February 16, 1970 – January 22, 1973}} {{s-ttl | title=WBA Heavyweight Champion | years =February 16, 1970 – January 22, 1973}}

Category:African American boxers Category:Boxers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:Boxers from Pennsylvania Category:Cancer deaths in Pennsylvania Category:Deaths from liver cancer Category:Heavyweight boxers Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Olympic boxers of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic medalists in boxing Category:People from Beaufort, South Carolina Category:Sportspeople from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:World heavyweight boxing champions Category:1944 births Category:2011 deaths

ar:جو فريزر an:Joe Frazier bn:জো ফ্রেজিয়ার be:Джо Фрэйзер be-x-old:Джо Фрэйзэр bcl:Joe Frazier (boksingero) bg:Джо Фрейзър bs:Joe Frazier ca:Joe Frazier cs:Joe Frazier cy:Joe Frazier da:Joe Frazier de:Joe Frazier et:Joe Frazier es:Joe Frazier eu:Joe Frazier fa:جو فریزیر fr:Joe Frazier ga:Joe Frazier gl:Joe Frazier id:Joe Frazier it:Joe Frazier he:ג'ו פרייזר ka:ჯო ფრეიზიერი lv:Džo Freizers lb:Joe Frazier hu:Joe Frazier mk:Џо Фрејзер ml:ജോ ഫ്രേസിയർ ms:Joe Frazier nl:Joe Frazier ja:ジョー・フレージャー no:Joe Frazier nds:Joe Frazier pl:Joe Frazier pt:Joe Frazier ro:Joe Frazier ru:Фрейзер, Джо sq:Joe Frazier simple:Joe Frazier sl:Joe Frazier sr:Џо Фрејзер sh:Џо Фрејзер fi:Joe Frazier sv:Joe Frazier ta:ஜோ பிரேசியர் tr:Joe Frazier uk:Джо Фрейзер vi:Joe Frazier yo:Joe Frazier zh:喬·弗雷澤

name	Muhammad Ali
nationality	American
nickname	The GreatestThe People's ChampionThe Louisville Lip
height
reach
weight	Heavyweight
birth date	January 17, 1942
birth place	Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
style	Orthodox
total	61
wins	56
ko	37
losses	5
draws	0
no contests	0
Medaltemplates	}}

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist. Considered a cultural icon, Ali was both idolized and vilified.

Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975, and more recently practicing Sufism. In 1967, three years after Ali had won the World Heavyweight Championship, he was publicly vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali stated, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong... No Viet Cong ever called me nigger" – one of the more telling remarks of the era.

Widespread protests against the Vietnam War had not yet begun, but with that one phrase, Ali articulated the reason to oppose the war for a generation of young Americans, and his words served as a touchstone for the racial and antiwar upheavals that would rock the 1960s. Ali's example inspired Martin Luther King Jr. – who had been reluctant to alienate the Johnson Administration and its support of the civil rights agenda – to voice his own opposition to the war for the first time.

Ali was eventually arrested and found guilty on draft evasion charges; he was stripped of his boxing title, and his boxing license was suspended. He was not imprisoned, but did not fight again for nearly four years while his appeal worked its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was eventually successful.

Ali would go on to become the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion.

Nicknamed "The Greatest," Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these were three with rival Joe Frazier, which are considered among the greatest in boxing history, and one with George Foreman, where he finally regained his stripped titles seven years later. Ali was well known for his unorthodox fighting style, which he described as "float[ing] like a butterfly, sting[ing] like a bee", and employing techniques such as the Ali Shuffle and the rope-a-dope. Ali had brought beauty and grace to the most uncompromising of sports and through the wonderful excesses of skill and character, he had become the most famous athlete in the world. He was also known for his pre-match hype, where he would "trash talk" opponents, often with rhymes.

In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by ''Sports Illustrated'' and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the ''BBC''.

Biography [link]

Amateur career and Olympic gold [link]

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. The younger of two boys, he was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., who was named after the 19th century abolitionist and politician of the same name. His father painted billboards and signs, and his mother, Odessa O'Grady Clay, was a household domestic. Although Cassius Sr. was a Methodist, he allowed Odessa to bring up both Cassius and his elder brother Rudolph "Rudy" Clay (later renamed Rahman Ali) as Baptists. He is a descendant of pre-Civil War era American slaves in the American South, and is predominantly of African-American descent, with some Irish ancestry.

Clay was first directed toward boxing by the white Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin, who encountered the 12-year-old fuming over a thief taking his bicycle. He told the officer he was going to "whup" the thief. The officer told him he better learn how to box first. For the last four years of Clay's amateur career he was trained by legendary boxing cutman Chuck Bodak.

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.

Ali states in his 1975 autobiography that he threw his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio River after being refused service at a 'whites-only' restaurant, and fighting with a white gang. Whether this is true is still debated, although he was given a replacement medal at a basketball intermission during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he lit the torch to start the games.

Early professional career [link]

After his Olympic triumph, Clay returned to Louisville to begin his professional career. There, on October 29, 1960, he won his first professional fight, a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Standing at 6'3'' (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.

From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19–0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated boxers such as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug Jones and Henry Cooper.

Clay built a reputation by correctly predicting the round in which he would "finish" several opponents, and by boasting before his triumphs. Clay admitted he adopted the latter practice from "Gorgeous" George Wagner, a popular professional wrestling champion in the Los Angeles area who drew thousands of fans. Often referred to as "the man you loved to hate," George could incite the crowd with a few heated remarks, and Clay followed suit.

Among Clay's victims were Sonny Banks (who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous fights, and who had been Clay's trainer prior to Angelo Dundee). Clay had considered continuing using Moore as a trainer following the bout, but Moore had insisted that the cocky "Louisville Lip" perform training camp chores such as sweeping and dishwashing. He considered having his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson, as a manager, but instead hired Dundee.

Clay first met Dundee on February 19, 1957 when the latter was in Louisville the day before a fight with light heavyweight champ Willie Pastrano. The teenaged Golden Gloves winner traveled downtown to the fighter's hotel, called Dundee from the house phone, and was asked up to their room. He took advantage of the opportunity to query Dundee (who had worked with champions Sugar Ramos and Carmen Basilio) about what his fighters ate, how long they slept, how much roadwork (jogging) they did, and how long they sparred.

Following his bout with Moore, Clay won a disputed 10-round decision over Doug Jones in a matchup that was named "Fight of the Year" for 1963. Clay's next fight was against Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay down with a left hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was stopped in the fifth due to deep cuts over Cooper's eyes.

Despite these close calls, Clay became the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. However, although he had an impressive record, he was not widely expected to defeat the champ. The fight was scheduled for February 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida, but was nearly canceled when the promoter, Bill Faversham, heard that Clay had been seen around Miami and in other cities with the controversial Malcolm X, a member of The Nation of Islam. Because of this, news of this association was perceived as a potential gate-killer to a bout which, given Liston's overwhelming status as the favorite to win (7–1 odds), had Clay's colorful persona and nonstop braggadocio as its sole appeal.

Faversham confronted Clay about his association with Malcolm X (who, at the time, was actually under suspension by the Nation as a result of controversial comments made in the wake of President Kennedy's assassination). While stopping short of admitting he was a member of the Nation, Clay protested the suggested cancellation of the fight. As a compromise, Faversham asked the fighter to delay his announcement about his conversion to Islam until after the fight. The incident is described in the 1975 book ''The Greatest: My Own Story'' by Ali (with Richard Durham).

During the weigh-in on the day before the bout, the ever-boastful Clay, who frequently taunted Liston during the buildup by dubbing him "the big ugly bear" (among other things), declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and, summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

First title fight and aftermath [link]

At the pre-fight weigh-in, Clay's pulse rate was around 120, more than double his norm of 54. Liston, among others, misread this as nervousness. In the opening rounds, Clay's speed kept him away from Liston's powerful head and body shots, as he used his height advantage to beat Liston to the punch with his own lightning-quick jab.

By the third round, Clay was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston's eye. Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a substance in his eyes. It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston's gloves; however, Bert Sugar has claimed that "in two of his previous fights, Liston's opponents had complained about their eyes 'burning,'" suggesting the possibility that the Liston corner deliberately attempted to cheat.

Liston began the fourth round looking to put away the challenger. As Clay struggled to recover his vision, he sought to escape Liston's offensive. He was able to keep out of range until his sweat and tears rinsed the substance from his eyes, responding with a flurry of combinations near the end of the fifth round. By the sixth, he was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. Then, Liston shocked the boxing world when he failed to answer the bell for the seventh round, stating he had a shoulder injury. At the end of the fight, Clay boasted to the press that doubted him before the match, proclaiming, "I shook up the world!"

When Clay beat Liston, he was the youngest boxer (age 22) ever to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion, a mark that stood until Mike Tyson won the title (age 20) from Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986. At the time, Floyd Patterson (dethroned by Liston) had been the youngest heavyweight champ ever (age 21), but he won the title during an elimination tournament following Rocky Marciano's retirement by defeating Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion at the time.

In the rematch with Liston, which was held in May 1965 in Lewiston, Maine, Ali (who had by then publicly converted to Islam and changed his name) won by knockout in the first round as a result of what came to be called the "phantom punch." Many believe that Liston, possibly as a result of threats from Nation of Islam extremists, or in an attempt to "throw" the fight to pay off debts, waited to be counted out (see Muhammad Ali versus Sonny Liston). Others, however, discount both scenarios and insist that it was a quick, chopping Ali punch to the side of the head that legitimately felled Liston. Ali was declared the winner after 1 minute and 52 seconds.

Early title defenses [link]

On November 22, 1965, Ali fought Floyd Patterson in his second title defense. Patterson lost by TKO at the end of the 12th round. As would later occur with Ernie Terrell, many sportswriters accused Ali of "carrying" Patterson so that he could physically punish him without knocking him out. Ali countered that Patterson, who said his punching prowess was limited when he strained his sacroiliac, was not as easy to down as may have appeared. During the fight Ali called out "What's my name?" to Patterson, a gesture he would later repeat during the Terrell fight.

Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell (the WBA stripped Ali of his title after his agreement to fight a rematch with Liston) on March 29, 1966, but the llinois Athletic Commission wouldn't approve the Terrell fight unless Ali went to Chicago and apologized for his remarks about the war. The fight destination continued to change venues and ultimately was delayed. Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper by stoppage on cuts May 21, and knocked out Brian London in the third round in August. Ali's next defense was against German southpaw Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.

Ali returned to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland Williams in the Houston Astrodome. According to the Sports Illustrated account, the bout drew an indoor world record 35,460 fight fans. A year and a half before the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing one kidney and of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams in three rounds.

On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what is regarded as one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... What's my name?" Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 rounds on two judges' scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN on the sports channel's "Ali Rap" special, speculated that the fight continued only because Ali wanted to thoroughly punish and humiliate Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty." When asked about this during a replay of the fight on ABC's popular "Wide World of Sports" by host Howard Cosell, Ali said he was not unduly cruel to Terrell- boxers are paid to punch their opponents into submission or defeat. He pointed out that if he had not hit and hurt Terrell, Terrell would have hit and hurt him, which is standard practice. Cosell's repeated reference to the topic surprised Ali. Following his final defense against Zora Folley in March 1967, Ali was stripped of his title the following month for refusing to be drafted into the Army and had his professional boxing license suspended.

Conversion to the Nation of Islam [link]

After winning the championship from Liston in 1964, Clay revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam (often called the Black Muslims at the time) and the Nation gave Clay the name Cassius X, discarding his surname as a symbol of his ancestors' enslavement, as had been done by other Nation members. On Friday, March 6, 1964, Malcolm X took Clay on a guided tour of the UN building (for a second time). Malcolm X announced that Clay would be granted his "X." That same night, Elijah Muhammad recorded a statement over the phone to be played over the radio that Clay would be renamed Muhammad (one who is worthy of praise) Ali (fourth rightly guided caliph). Only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time. Venerable boxing announcer Don Dunphy addressed the champion by his adopted name, as did British reporters. The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Many sportswriters of the early 1960s reported that it was Ali's brother, Rudy Clay, who converted to Islam first (estimating the date as 1961). Others wrote that Clay had been seen at Muslim rallies a few years before he fought Liston. Ali's own version is that he would sneak into Nation of Islam meetings through the back door roughly three years before he fought Sonny Liston.

Aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning the outspoken but popular champion into one of that era's most recognizable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion—if not outright hostility—made Ali a target of outrage, as well as suspicion. Ali seemed at times to provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism. For example, Ali once stated, in relation to integration: "We who follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad don't want to be forced to integrate. Integration is wrong. We don't want to live with the white man; that's all." And in relation to inter-racial marriage: "No intelligent black man or black woman in his or her right black mind wants white boys and white girls coming to their homes to marry their black sons and daughters." Indeed, Ali's religious beliefs at the time included the notion that the white man was "the devil" and that white people were not "righteous." Ali claimed that white people hated black people.

Ali converted from the Nation of Islam sect to mainstream Sunni Islam in 1975. In a 2004 autobiography, written with daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali, Muhammad Ali attributes his conversion to the shift toward Sunni Islam made by Warith Deen Muhammad after he gained control of the Nation of Islam upon the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975. Later in 2005 he embraced spiritual practices of Sufism.

Vietnam War [link]

In 1964, Ali failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub-par. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified as 1A. This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the U.S. Army during a time when the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. When notified of this status, he declared that he would refuse to serve in the United States Army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector. Ali stated that "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." He famously said in 1966: "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong... They never called me nigger." Rare for a heavyweight boxing champion in those days, Ali spoke at Howard University, where he gave his popular "Black Is Best" speech to 4,000 cheering students and community intellectuals after he was invited to speak by sociology professor, Nathan Hare, on behalf of the Black Power Committee, a student protest group.

Appearing shortly thereafter for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. An officer warned him he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more, Ali refused to budge when his name was called. As a result, he was arrested and on the same day the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. Other boxing commissions followed suit. Ali would not be able to obtain a license to box in any state for over three years.

At the trial on June 20, 1967, after only 21 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Ali guilty. After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. During this time, the public began turning against the war and support for Ali began to grow. Ali supported himself by speaking at colleges and universities across the country, where opposition to the war was especially strong. On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court reversed his conviction for refusing induction by unanimous decision in ''Clay v. United States''. The decision was not based on, nor did it address, the merits of Clay's/Ali's claims ''per se''; rather, the Government's failure to specify ''which'' claims were rejected and which were sustained, constituted the grounds upon which the Court reversed the conviction.

Quotes about Vietnam war [link]

}}

The Fight of the Century [link]

In 1970, while his case was still on appeal, Ali was allowed to fight again. On August 12, 1970, with the help of Leroy R. Johnson, a Georgia State Senator, he was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission. In Atlanta on October 26, 1970, he stopped Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali had been unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier, who was himself undefeated.

Ali and Frazier met in the ring on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as "The Fight of the Century," was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had legitimate claims to the heavyweight crown. Frank Sinatra—unable to acquire a ringside seat—took photos of the match for ''Life'' magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard, leaping left hook in the 15th and final round. Frazier retained the title on a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss.

Ali rebounded with six victories in 1972, notching wins over Floyd Patterson and Jerry Quarry. In 1972 Muhammad Ali held the "Muhammad Ali Boxing Show," a series of exhibition matches between himself and other athletes. In San Antonio, Texas, during the exhibition series, on October 24, 1972, Ali lost against boxer Elmo Henderson.

In 1973, Ali fought Ken Norton, who had broken Ali's jaw and won by split decision over 12 rounds in their first bout in 1972. Ali won the rematch, by split decision, on September 10, 1973, which set up Ali-Frazier II, a nontitle rematch with Joe Frazier, who had already lost his title to George Foreman. The bout was held on January 28, 1974, with Ali winning a unanimous 12-round decision.

The Rumble in the Jungle [link]

In one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, Ali regained his title on October 30, 1974 by defeating champion George Foreman in their bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. Hyped as "The Rumble in the Jungle", the fight was promoted by Don King.

Almost no one, not even Ali's long-time supporter Howard Cosell, gave the former champion a chance of winning. Analysts pointed out that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton had given Ali four tough battles in the ring and won two of them, while Foreman had knocked out both of them in the second round. As a matter of fact, so total was the domination that, in their bout, Foreman had knocked down Frazier an incredible six times in only four minutes and 25 seconds.

During the bout, Ali employed an unexpected strategy. Leading up to the fight, he had declared he was going to "dance" and use his speed to keep away from Foreman and outbox him. However, in the first round, Ali headed straight for the champion and began scoring with a right hand lead, clearly surprising Foreman. Ali caught Foreman nine times in the first round with this technique, but failed to knock him out. He then decided to take advantage of the young champion's weakness: staying power. Foreman had won 37 of his 40 bouts by knockout, mostly within three rounds. Eight of his previous bouts did not go past the second round. Ali saw an opportunity to outlast Foreman, and capitalized on it.

In the second round, the challenger retreated to the ropes—inviting Foreman to hit him, while counterpunching and verbally taunting the younger man. Ali's plan was to enrage Foreman and absorb his best blows to exhaust him mentally and physically. While Foreman threw wide shots to Ali's body, Ali countered with stinging straight punches to Foreman's head. Foreman threw hundreds of punches in seven rounds, but with decreasing technique and potency. Ali leaned on the ropes while covering up his body as Foreman threw punches that were deflected and didn't land squarely. The technique was later termed "The Rope-A-Dope".

By the end of the seventh round, Foreman was exhausted. In the eighth, Ali dropped Foreman with a combination at center ring and Foreman failed to make the count. Against the odds, Ali had regained the title.

The "Rumble in the Jungle" was the subject of a 1996 Academy Award winning documentary film, ''When We Were Kings''. The fight and the events leading up to it are extensively depicted in both John Herzfeld's 1997 docudrama ''Don King: Only in America'' and Michael Mann's 2001 docudrama, ''Ali''.

The Thrilla in Manila [link]

In March 1975, Ali faced Chuck Wepner in a bout that inspired the original ''Rocky''. While it was largely thought that Ali would dominate, Wepner surprised everyone by not only knocking Ali down in the ninth round, but nearly going the distance. Ali eventually stopped Wepner in the fading minutes of the 15th round. Following a title defense with Ron Lyle, in July Ali faced Joe Bugner, winning a 15 round decision.

On October 1, 1975, Ali fought Joe Frazier for the third time. Taking place in the Philippines, the bout was promoted as the Thrilla in Manila by Don King, who had ascended to prominence following the Ali-Foreman fight. The anticipation was enormous for this final clash between two great heavyweights. Ali believed Frazier was "over the hill" by that point. Ali's frequent insults, slurs and demeaning poems increased the anticipation and excitement for the fight, but enraged a determined Frazier. Regarding the fight, Ali famously remarked, "It will be a killa... and a chilla... and a thrilla... when I get the gorilla in Manila."

The fight lasted 14 grueling rounds in temperatures approaching . Ali won many of the early rounds, but Frazier staged a comeback in the middle rounds, while Ali lay on the ropes. By the late rounds, however, Ali regained control and the fight was stopped when Frazier was unable to answer the bell for the 15th and final round (his eyes were swollen shut). Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to continue.

Subsequent bouts and retirement [link]

In February 1976, Ali easily beat Jean-Pierre Coopman. In April 1976, he defeated Jimmy Young and then Richard Dunn the following month, which would turn out to be Ali's last knockout victory.

Following that fight, he staged an exhibition match with professional wrestler and martial artist Antonio Inoki. Although widely perceived as a publicity stunt, the match against Inoki would have a long-term detrimental effect on Ali's mobility. Inoki spent much of the fight on the ground trying to damage Ali’s legs, while Ali spent most of the fight dodging the kicks or staying on the ropes. At the end of 15 rounds, the bout was called a draw. Ali's legs, however, were bleeding, leading to an infection. He suffered two blood clots in his legs as well.

In September 1976, at Yankee Stadium, Ali faced Ken Norton in their third fight, with Ali winning a close but unanimous 15-round decision. Soon after the fight, Ali temporarily quit boxing to spread the faith of Islam.

In May 1977, Ali defended his title against Alfredo Evangelista. In September of that year he faced a battering 15 rounds with Earnie Shavers. Fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco left Ali's camp following the Shavers fight after being rebuffed for advising Ali to retire.

In February 1978, Ali lost the heavyweight title to 1976 Olympic Light-Heavyweight Champion Leon Spinks. On September 15, 1978, Ali fought a rematch in the New Orleans Louisiana Superdome against Spinks for the WBA version of the Heavyweight title, winning it for a record third time. Ali retired following this victory on June 27, 1979, but returned in 1980 to face current champion Larry Holmes in an attempt to win a heavyweight title an unprecedented four times. Angelo Dundee refused to let his man come out for the 11th round, in what became Ali's only loss by anything other than a decision. The fight has been cited as a contributing factor in Ali's development of Parkinson's Disease. Ali's final fight, a loss by unanimous decision after 10 rounds, was to up-and-coming challenger Trevor Berbick in 1981.

Ali's legacy [link]

Muhammad Ali defeated every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. Ali was named "Fighter of the Year" by ''Ring Magazine'' more times than any other fighter, and was involved in more ''Ring Magazine'' "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He is an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and holds wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees. He is one of only three boxers to be named "Sportsman of the Year" by ''Sports Illustrated''.

In 1978, three years before Ali's permanent retirement, the Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, voted 6–5 to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard. This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen. Earlier that year, a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools considered renaming Central High School in his honor, but the motion failed to pass. At any rate, in time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.

In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete, out of over 800 dead or alive athletes, in America. The study found that over 97% of Americans over 12 years of age identified both Ali and Ruth.

He was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

In retirement [link]

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, a disease to which those subject to severe head trauma, such as boxers, are many times more susceptible than average. Despite the disability, he remains a beloved and active public figure. In 1985, he served as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania event. In 1987 he was selected by the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights in various high profile activities. Ali rode on a float at the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade, launching the U.S. Constitution's 200th birthday commemoration. He published an oral history, ''Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times'' by Thomas Hauser, in 1991. That same year Ali traveled to Iraq during the Gulf War and met with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali received a Spirit of America Award calling him the most recognized American in the world. In 1996, he had the honor of lighting the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

He appeared at the 1998 AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final, where Anthony Pratt invited him to watch the game. He greets runners at the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon every year. Since 1994, Ali has hosted an annual charity event in Phoenix, Arizona called "Celebrity Fight Night", which has raised more than $70 million for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and other charities.

In 1999, the ''BBC'' produced a special version of its annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony, and Ali was voted their Sports Personality of the Century, receiving more votes than the other four contenders combined. His daughter Laila Ali became a boxer in 1999, despite her father's earlier comments against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right here [patting his chest]. Get ''hit'' in the breast... ''hard''... and all that."

On September 13, 1999, Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.

In 2001, a biographical film, entitled ''Ali'', was made, directed by Michael Mann, with Will Smith starring as Ali. The film received mixed reviews, with the positives generally attributed to the acting, as Smith and supporting actor Jon Voight earned Academy Award nominations. Prior to making the Ali movie, Will Smith had continually rejected the role of Ali until Muhammad Ali personally requested that he accept the role. According to Smith, the first thing Ali said about the subject to him was: "Man, you're almost pretty enough to play me."

On November 17, 2002, Muhammad Ali went to Afghanistan as "U.N. Messenger of Peace". He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN.

On January 8, 2005, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on November 9, 2005, and the "Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold" of the UN Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work with the US civil rights movement and the United Nations (December 17, 2005).

On November 19, 2005 (Ali's 19th wedding anniversary), the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.

According to the Ali Center website, "Since he retired from boxing, Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavors around the globe. He is a devout Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year."

At the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 2, 2007, Ali was an honorary captain for the Louisville Cardinals wearing their white jersey, number 19. Ali was accompanied by golf legend Arnold Palmer, who was the honorary captain for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.

A youth club in Ali's hometown and a species of rose (''Rosa ali'') have been named after him. On June 5, 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony.

Ali lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his fourth wife, Yolanda "Lonnie" Ali. They own a house in Berrien Springs, Michigan, which is for sale. On January 9, 2007, they purchased a house in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky for $1,875,000. Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late 20s.

On August 17, 2009, it was voted unanimously by the town council of Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland to make Ali the first Freeman of Ennis. Ennis was the birthplace of Ali's great grandfather before he emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, before eventually settling in Kentucky. On September 1, 2009, Ali visited the town of Ennis and at a civic reception he received the honour of the freedom of the town.

Ranking in heavyweight history [link]

Ali is generally considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time by boxing commentators and historians. ''Ring Magazine'', a prominent boxing magazine, named him number 1 in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras.

Ali was named the second greatest fighter in boxing history by ''ESPN.com'' behind only welterweight and middleweight great Sugar Ray Robinson. In December 2007, ''ESPN'' listed Ali second in its choice of the greatest heavyweights of all time, behind Joe Louis.

The Associated Press voted Ali the No. 1 heavyweight of the 20th century in 1999.

Personal life [link]

Muhammad Ali has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons. Ali met his first wife, cocktail waitress Sonji Roi, approximately one month before they married on August 14, 1964. Roi's objections to certain Muslim customs in regard to dress for women contributed to the breakup of their marriage. They divorced on January 10, 1966.

On August 17, 1967, Ali married Belinda Boyd. After the wedding, she, like Ali, converted to Islam and more recently to Sufism, changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. They had four children: Maryum (b. 1968), Jamillah and Rasheda (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali Jr. (b. 1972). Maryam has a career as an author and rapper.

In 1975, Ali began an affair with Veronica Porsche, an actress and model. By the summer of 1977, Ali's second marriage was over and he had married Veronica. At the time of their marriage, they had a baby girl, Hana, and Veronica was pregnant with their second child. Their second daughter, Laila, was born in December 1977. By 1986, Ali and Veronica were divorced.

On November 19, 1986, Ali married Yolanda ("Lonnie") Williams. They had been friends since 1964 in Louisville. They have one son, Asaad Amin, who they adopted when Amin was five.

Ali was a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey in the early 1970s. Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital relationships.

In the media and popular culture [link]

As a world champion boxer and social activist, Ali has been the subject of numerous books, films and other creative works. In 1963, he released an album of spoken word on Columbia Records titled ''I am the Greatest!'' He has appeared on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' on 37 different occasions, second only to Michael Jordan. He appeared in the documentary film ''Black Rodeo'' (1972) riding both a horse and a bull. His autobiography ''The Greatest: My Own Story'', written with Richard Durham, was published in 1975. In 1977 the book was adapted into a film called ''The Greatest'', in which Ali played himself and Ernest Borgnine played Angelo Dundee. ''When We Were Kings'', a 1996 documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, won an Academy Award, and the 2001 biopic ''Ali'' garnered an Oscar nomination for Will Smith's portrayal of the lead role.

For contributions to the entertainment industry, Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

The Muhammad Ali Effect[link]

The Muhammad Ali Effect is a term used in psychology that was named after him when he stated, "I only said I was the greatest, not the smartest" in his autobiography ''The Greatest: My Own Story''. According to this effect, when people are asked to rate their intelligence and moral behavior in comparison to others, people will rate themselves as more moral, but not more intelligent than others.

Professional boxing record [link]

|- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|56 Wins (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), 5 Losses (4 decisions, 1 TKO), 0 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Round, Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Age | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Trevor Berbick | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| Nassau, Bahamas | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Larry Holmes | TKO | 10 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Leon Spinks | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| New Orleans, LA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Leon Spinks | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Earnie Shavers | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| New York City | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alfredo Evangelista | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Landover, MD | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ken Norton | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| The Bronx, New York | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Richard Dunn | TKO | 5 | | | Align=left| Munich, West Germany | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jimmy Young | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Landover, MD | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jean-Pierre Coopman | KO | 5 | | | Align=left| San Juan, Puerto Rico | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Frazier | TKO | 14 , 0:59 | | | Align=left| Quezon City, Philippines | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Bugner | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ron Lyle | TKO | 11 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Chuck Wepner | TKO | 15 , 2:41 | | | Align=left| Richfield, OH | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Foreman | KO | 8 , 2:58 | | | Align=left| Kinshasa, Zaire | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Frazier | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Rudi Lubbers | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Jakarta, Indonesia | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ken Norton | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Inglewood, CA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Ken Norton | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| San Diego, CA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Joe Bugner | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Bob Foster | KO | 7 | | | Align=left| Stateline, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Floyd Patterson | TKO | 7 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alvin Lewis | TKO | 11 , 1:15 | | | Align=left| Dublin, Ireland | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jerry Quarry | TKO | 7 , 0:19 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Chuvalo | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Vancouver, Canada | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Mac Foster | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Tokyo, Japan | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jürgen Blin | KO | 7 , 2:12 | | | Align=left| | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Buster Mathis | Decision | 12 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jimmy Ellis | TKO | 12 , 2:10 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Loss | Joe Frazier | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Oscar Bonavena | TKO | 15 , 2:03 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jerry Quarry | TKO | 3 | | | Align=left| Atlanta, GA | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Zora Folley | KO | 7 , 1:48 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Ernie Terrell | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Cleveland Williams | TKO | 3 | | | Align=left| Houston, TX | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Karl Mildenberger | TKO | 12 | | | Align=left| Frankfurt, West Germany | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Brian London | KO | 3 | | | Align=left| London, England | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Henry Cooper | TKO | 6 , 1:38 | | | Align=left| London, England | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Chuvalo | Decision | 15 | | | Align=left| Toronto, Canada | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Floyd Patterson | TKO | 12 , 2:18 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Sonny Liston | KO | 1 , 2:12 | | | Align=left| Lewiston, ME | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Sonny Liston | TKO | 7 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Henry Cooper | TKO | 5 , 2:15 | | | Align=left| London, England | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Doug Jones | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Charley Powell | KO | 3, 2:04 | | | Align=left| Pittsburgh, PA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Archie Moore | TKO | 4 , 1:35 | | | Align=left| Los Angeles, CA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alejandro Lavorante | KO | 5 , 1:48 | | | Align=left| Los Angeles, CA | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Billy Daniels | TKO | 7 , 2:21 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | George Logan | TKO | 4 , 1:34 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Don Warner | TKO | 4, 0:34 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Sonny Banks | TKO | 4 , 0:26 | | | Align=left| New York City, NY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Willi Besmanoff | TKO | 7 , 1:55 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alex Miteff | TKO | 6 , 1:45 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Alonzo Johnson | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Duke Sabedong | Decision | 10 | | | Align=left| Las Vegas, NV | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | LaMar Clark | KO | 2 , 1:27 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Donnie Fleeman | TKO | 7 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Jim Robinson | KO | 1 , 1:34 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Tony Esperti | TKO | 3 , 1:30 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | Align=left| |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Herb Siler | KO | 4 | | | Align=left| Miami Beach, FL | |- style="text-align:center;" | Win | Tunney Hunsaker | Decision | 6 | | | Align=left| Louisville, KY |

See also [link]

List of heavyweight boxing champions

List of North American Muslims

List of people from Louisville, Kentucky

List of WBA world champions

List of WBC world champions

Notable boxing families

Conscientious Objector

Notes [link]

References [link]

External links[link]

Barrow Neurological Institute: Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center

WLRN: Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami

Life Magazine: Cassius Clay: Before He Was Ali (photo essay)

BoxRec: list of world heavyweight champions?

BoxRec: list of world P4P champions?

William Addams Reitwiesner Genealogical Services: Ancestry of Muhammad Ali

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion | years = February 25, 1964 – June 19, 1964 (Stripped) }} {{S-ttl| title = WBC Heavyweight boxing champion | years = February 25, 1964 – March 11, 1969 (Stripped) }}

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion| | years = February 6, 1967 – April 28, 1967 (Stripped) }}

{{S-ttl| title = NABF Heavyweight boxing champion | years = December 17, 1970–1971 (Vacated) }}

{{S-ttl| title = NABF Heavyweight boxing champion | years = Ju1y 26, 1971 – March 31, 1973 }}

{{S-ttl| title = NABF Heavyweight boxing champion | years = September 10, 1973–1974 (Vacated) }}

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion | years = October 30, 1974 – February 15, 1978 }} {{S-ttl| title = WBC Heavyweight boxing champion | years = October 30, 1974 – February 15, 1978 }}

{{S-ttl| title = WBA Heavyweight boxing champion | years = September 15, 1978 – September 6, 1979 (Vacated) }}

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Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:African American boxers Category:African American Muslims Category:American anti–Vietnam War activists Category:American boxers of Irish descent Category:American conscientious objectors Category:American people of English descent Category:American Sufis Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Boxers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Category:Boxers from Kentucky Category:COINTELPRO targets Category:Converts to Islam Category:Converts to Islam from Christianity Category:Converts to Sufism Category:Former Nation of Islam members Category:Heavyweight boxers Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Kentucky colonels Category:Olympic boxers of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic medalists in boxing Category:People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky Category:People from Paradise Valley, Arizona Category:Presidential Citizens Medal recipients Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Professional wrestling referees Category:Sportspeople from Kentucky Category:Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:World heavyweight boxing champions Category:People with Parkinson's disease

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