Barrister

Illustration of an early 20th-century French barrister
Occupation
Activity sectors	Law
Description
Competencies	Advocacy and interpersonal skills, analytical mind, critical thinking, commercial sense
Education required	Bar Professional Training Course (and possibly Common Professional Examination)

A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions. They can be contrasted with solicitors – the other class of lawyer in split professions – who have more direct access with clients, and may do transactional-type legal work. Barristers are rarely hired by clients directly but instead are retained (or instructed) by solicitors to act on behalf of clients.

The historical difference between the two professions – and the only essential difference in England and Wales today – is that a solicitor is an attorney, which means they can act in the place of their client for legal purposes (as in signing contracts) and may conduct litigation on their behalf by making applications to the court, writing letters in litigation to the client's opponent and so on. A barrister is not an attorney and is usually forbidden, either by law or professional rules or both, from "conducting" litigation. This means that while the barrister speaks on the client's behalf in court, he or she can do so only when instructed by a solicitor or certain other qualified professional clients, such as patent agents.

Many countries with common law legal systems, such as the United States, do not observe a distinction between barristers and solicitors. In countries with civil law or other kinds of legal systems the legal profession is often separated into divisions but these divisions rarely shadow those of barristers and solicitors.

Differences between barristers and solicitors[link]

Differences[link]

An artist's rendition of an early 20th century English barrister

Essentially, barristers are the lawyers who represent litigants as their advocate before the courts of that jurisdiction. They speak in court and present the case before a judge or jury. In some jurisdictions they undertake additional training in order to hone their skills with evidence law, ethics, and court practice and procedure. In contrast, solicitors generally engage in preparatory work and advice, such as drafting and reviewing legal documents, dealing with and receiving instructions from the client, preparing evidence, and managing the day-to-day administration of a matter. Solicitors can provide a crucial support role to a barrister when in court, be it in managing large volumes of documents in the case or even negotiating settlements outside the courtroom while the trial continues inside.

Other differences include the following:

• A barrister will usually have rights of audience in the higher courts, whereas other legal professionals will often have more limited access, or will need to take additional qualifications to do so. In this regard, the profession of barrister corresponds to that part of the role of legal professionals found in civil law jurisdictions relating to appearing in trials or pleading cases before the courts.
• Barristers usually have particular knowledge of case law, precedent and the skill of 'building' a case. When a solicitor in general practice is confronted with an unusual point of law, they sometimes seek the "opinion of counsel" on the issue.^[1]
• In most countries, barristers operate as sole practitioners, and are prohibited from forming partnerships or working as a barrister as part of a corporation (although in England and Wales the Clementi report^[2] has recommended the abolition of this restriction). However, barristers normally band together into 'chambers' to share clerks (administrators) and operating expenses. Some chambers grow to be large and sophisticated, and have a distinctly corporate feel. In some jurisdictions, some barristers are employed by firms of solicitors, banks or corporations as in-house legal advisers.
• Solicitors work directly with the client and are responsible for engaging an appropriate barrister; whereas barristers generally have little or no direct contact with their 'lay clients', particularly without the presence or involvement of the solicitor. All correspondence, inquiries, invoices, and so on, will be addressed to the solicitor, who is primarily responsible for the barrister's fees.
• In court, barristers are often visibly distinguished from solicitors by their apparel. For example, in Ireland, England and Wales, barristers usually wear a horsehair wig, stiff collar, bands and a gown. As of January 2008 Solicitor advocates have also been entitled to wear a wig, but will wear a different gown.^[3]

In many countries the traditional divisions between barristers and solicitors are breaking down. Barristers once enjoyed a monopoly on appearances before the higher courts, but in England, Wales and Scotland this has now been abolished, and solicitor advocates can generally appear for clients at trial. Increasingly, firms of solicitors are keeping even the most advanced advisory and litigation work in-house for economic and client relationship reasons. Similarly, the prohibition on barristers taking instructions directly from the public has also been widely abolished, but in practice, direct instruction is still a rarity in most jurisdictions, partly because barristers with narrow specialisations or who are only really trained for advocacy are not equipped to provide general advice to members of the public.

Historically barristers have had a major role in trial preparation, including drafting pleadings and reviewing evidence. In some areas of law, that is still the case. In others, it is relatively common for a barrister to only receive a "brief" from an instructing solicitor to represent a client at trial a day or two before the hearing.^[4]

Justification for a split profession[link]

The reasons for a split profession are largely historical, but a number of reasons are still advanced^{[by whom?]} for maintaining the split:

• Having an independent barrister reviewing a course of action gives the client a fresh and independent opinion from an expert in the field, something it is alleged^{[by whom?]} rarely happens in jurisdictions with fused professions. However, attorneys in a "fused" profession often serve differing roles for the same client, for example as in-house counsel and outside counsel.
• In many jurisdictions, judges are appointed from the bar; and because barristers are independent,^[vague] this results in a more independent judiciary.
• Having recourse to all of the specialist barristers at the bar enables smaller firms, who could not maintain large specialist departments, to compete with larger firms.
• A barrister acts as a check on the solicitor conducting the trial; if it becomes apparent that the claim or defence has not been properly conducted by the solicitor prior to trial, the barrister can (and usually has a duty to) advise the client of a separate possible claim against the solicitor.
• Having trials conducted by experienced specialist advocates makes for smoother,^[vague] more professionally^[vague] run trials.

Against the above, a number of disadvantages are put forward:^{[by whom?]}

• A multiplicity of legal advisers leads to higher costs (something that caused no small amount of concern to Sir David Clementi in his review of the English legal profession).^{[citation needed]}
• As barristers are dependent upon solicitors for referrals of work, it is open to question^{[by whom?]} how willing barristers are to criticise those who instruct them to the client.
• Barristers are sometimes criticised^{[by whom?]} for being "over-specialised" and not having sufficient general expertise outside of what can be highly specialised fields.

A detailed examination of the justifications for a split legal profession and of the arguments in favour of a fused profession can be found in English solicitor Peter Reeve’s 1986 book, Are Two Legal Professions Necessary?^[5]

Regulation[link]

Barristers are regulated by the Bar for the jurisdiction where they practise, and in some countries, by the Inn of Court to which they belong. In some countries, there is external regulation.

Inns of Court, where they exist, regulate admission to the profession. Inns of Court are independent societies that are titularly responsible for the training, admission (calling), and discipline of barristers. Where they exist, a person may only be called to the Bar by an Inn, of which they must first be a member. In fact, historically, call to and success at the Bar, to a large degree, depended upon social connections made early in life.^[6]

A Bar collectively describes all members of the profession of barrister within a given jurisdiction. While as a minimum the Bar is an association embracing all its members, it is usually the case, either de facto or de jure, that the Bar is invested with regulatory powers over the manner in which barristers practice.

Barristers around the world[link]

In the common law tradition, the respective roles of a lawyer – that is as legal adviser and advocate – were formally split into two separate, regulated sub-professions, the other being the office of solicitor. Historically, the distinction was absolute, but in the modern legal age, some countries that had a split legal profession now have a fused profession – anyone entitled to practice as a barrister may also practice as a solicitor, and vice versa. In practice, the distinction may be non-existent, minor, or marked, depending on the jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, such Australia, Scotland and Ireland, there is little overlap.

Australia[link]

In the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland there is a split profession. Nevertheless, subject to conditions, barristers can accept direct access work from clients. Each state Bar Association regulates the profession and essentially has the functions of the English Inns of Court. In the states of South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, as well as the Australian Capital Territory, the professions of barrister and solicitor are fused, but nonetheless an independent bar exists, regulated by the Legal Practice Board of the state or territory. In the state of Tasmania the profession is fused, although a very small number of practitioners operate as an independent bar.

Generally counsel dress in the traditional English manner (wig, gown and jabot) before superior courts, although they no longer robe for appearances in lower jurisdictions. Wigs are no longer worn in the highest civil court in New South Wales, the Court of Appeal. Wigs are still worn in the Supreme Court, while only robes without wigs are worn in the District Courts in civil matters. Robes and wigs are worn in all criminal cases.^[7]

Each year the Bar Association appoints certain barristers of seniority and eminence to the rank of "Senior Counsel" (in New South Wales) or "Queen's Counsel" (in the Northern Territory). Such barristers carry the title "SC" or "QC" after their name. The appointments are made after a process of consultation with members of the profession and the judiciary. Senior Counsel appear in particularly complex or difficult cases. They make up about 14 per cent of the bar in New South Wales.

Canada[link]

In Canada (except Quebec), the professions of barrister and solicitor are fused, and many lawyers refer to themselves with both names, even if they do not practice in both areas. In colloquial parlance within the Canadian legal profession, lawyers often term themselves as "litigators" (or "barristers"), or as "solicitors", depending on the nature of their law practice though some may in effect practice as both litigators and solicitors. However, "litigators" would generally perform all litigation functions traditionally performed by barristers and solicitors; in contrast, those terming themselves "solicitors" would generally limit themselves to legal work not involving practice before the courts (not even in a preparatory manner as performed by solicitors in England), though some might practise before chambers judges.

The situation is somewhat different in Quebec as a result of its civil law tradition. The profession of solicitor, or avoué, never took hold in colonial Quebec, so attorneys^[8] (avocats) have traditionally been a fused profession, arguing and preparing cases in contentious matters, whereas Quebec's other type of lawyer, civil-law notaries (notaires), handle out-of-court non-contentious matters. However, a number of areas of non-contentious private law are not monopolized by notaries so that attorneys often specialise in handling either trials, cases, advising, or non-trial matters. The only disadvantage is that attorneys cannot draw up public instruments that have the same force of law as notarial acts. Most large law firms in Quebec offer the full range of legal services of law firms in common-law provinces. Intending Quebec attorneys must earn a Bachelor's degree in civil law, pass the provincial bar examination, and successfully complete a legal internship to be admitted to practice. Attorneys are regulated by the Quebec Law Society (Barreau du Québec).

England and Wales, UK[link]

Gray's Inn, London

Although England and Wales are separate in some aspects of the political structure of the United Kingdom, they compose a single legal jurisdiction. Accordingly, they are served by a single bar.

The profession of barrister in England and Wales is a separate profession from that of solicitor. It is, however, possible to hold the qualification of both barrister and solicitor at the same time. It is not necessary to leave the bar to qualify as a solicitor.

Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board, a division of the General Council of the Bar. A barrister must be a member of one of the Inns of Court, which traditionally educated and regulated barristers. There are four Inns of Court: The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, and The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. All are situated in central London, near the Royal Courts of Justice. They perform scholastic and social roles, and in all cases, provide financial aid to student barristers (subject to merit) through scholarships. It is the Inns that actually "call" the student to the Bar at a ceremony similar to a graduation. Social functions include dining with other members and guests and hosting other events.

Student barristers must take a Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC - previously Bar Vocational Course or BVC) (usually one year full-time) at one of the institutions authorised by the Bar Council to offer the BPTC.^[9] On successful completion of the BPTC student barristers are "called" to the bar by their respective inns and are elevated to the degree of "Barrister". However, before they can practise independently they must first undertake 12 months of pupillage. The first six months of this period is spent shadowing more senior practitioners, after which pupil barristers may begin to undertake some court work of their own. Following successful completion of this stage, most barristers then join a set of Chambers, a group of counsel who share the costs of premises and support staff whilst remaining individually self-employed.

In December 2004 there were just over 11,500 barristers in independent practice, of whom about ten percent are Queen's Counsel and the remainder are junior barristers. Many barristers (about 2,800) are employed in companies as 'in-house' counsel, or by local or national government or in academic institutions.

Certain barristers in England and Wales are now instructed directly by members of the public.^[10] Members of the public may engage the services of the barrister directly; a solicitor is not involved at any stage. Barristers undertaking public access work can provide legal advice and representation in court in almost all areas of law (see the Public Access Information on the Bar Council website)^[11] and are entitled to represent clients in any court or tribunal in England and Wales. Once instructions from a client are accepted, it is the barrister (rather than the solicitor) who advises and guides the client through the relevant legal procedure or litigation.

Before a barrister can undertake Public Access work, he must have completed a special course. At present, about one in 20 barristers has so qualified. There is also a separate scheme called 'Licensed Access', available to certain nominated classes of professional client; it is not open to the general public.

The ability of barristers to accept such instructions is a recent development; it results from a change in the rules set down by the General Council of the Bar in July 2004. The Public Access Scheme has been introduced as part of the drive to open up the legal system to the public and to make it easier and cheaper to obtain access to legal advice. It further reduces the distinction between solicitors and barristers. The distinction remains however because there are certain aspects of a solicitor's role that a barrister is not able to undertake.

France[link]

In France, avocats, or attorneys, were, until the 20th century, the equivalent of barristers. The profession included several grades ranked by seniority: stagiaire (pupil, student-at-law), plaignant (junior barrister), and consultant (senior barrister). Since the 14th century and during the course of the 19th in particular, French barristers competed in territorial battles over respective areas of legal practice against the conseil juridique (chamber-counselor) and avoué (solicitor), and expanded to become the generalist legal practitioner. After the 1971 and 1990 legal reforms, the avocat was fused with the solicitor and chamber-counselor, making the avocat (or, if female, avocate) an all-purpose lawyer for matters of contentious jurisdiction, analogous to an American attorney. French attorneys may specialize as litigators (trial lawyers) and legal consultants (advising lawyers), known respectively as avocat plaidant and avocat-conseil. All intending attorneys must pass a legal practice examination and two-year traineeship to be admitted to general practice and enrolled, but to have rights of audience at a given court, an attorney must join that court's bar (barreau) by passing its specific bar examination. Each bar is regulated by a Bar Council (Ordre du barreau).

Germany[link]

In Germany, lawyers may only plead at the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) if they are admitted to that court.^[12] Fewer than 50 lawyers are admitted to the Bundesgerichtshof;^[13] those lawyers may not plead at other courts, in practice deal only with litigation, and are usually instructed by a lawyer who represented the client in the lower courts. However, these restrictions do not apply to criminal cases, nor to pleadings at courts of the other court systems (labour, administrative, taxation, and social courts, as well as the EU court system).

Hong Kong[link]

The legal profession in Hong Kong is also divided into two branches: barristers (where the Cantonese name daai lut si, 大律師 is also used) and solicitors (where the Cantonese name lut si, 律師 is also used).

In the High Court and the Court of Final Appeal, only barristers are allowed to speak on behalf of any party, which means that solicitors are restricted from doing so. In these two courts, barristers dress in the traditional English manner, as do the judges and other lawyers.

In Hong Kong, the rank of Queen's Counsel was granted prior to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China in 1997. After the handover to China, the rank has been replaced by Senior Counsel (postnominal SC). Senior Counsel may still, however, style themselves as silks, like their British counterparts.

Ireland[link]

In the Republic of Ireland, admission to the Bar by the Chief Justice of Ireland is restricted to those on whom a Barrister-at-Law degree (B.L.) has first been conferred. The Honorable Society of King's Inns^[14] is the only educational establishment which runs vocational courses for barristers in the Republic and degrees of Barrister-at-Law can only be conferred by King's Inns. King's Inns are also the only body with the capacity to call individuals to the bar and to disbar them.

Most Irish barristers choose to be governed thereafter by the Bar Council of Ireland, a quasi-private entity. Senior members of the profession may be selected for elevation to the Inner Bar, when they may describe themselves as Senior Counsel ("S.C."). Admission to the Inner Bar is made by declaration before the Supreme Court, patents of precedence having been granted by the Government. Irish barristers are sole practitioners and may not form chambers or partnerships if they wish to remain members of the Bar Council's Law Library.

To practise under the Bar Council of Ireland's rules, a newly qualified barrister is apprenticed to an experienced barrister of at least seven years' experience. This apprenticeship is known as pupillage or devilling. Devilling is compulsory for those barristers who wish to be members of the Law Library and lasts for one legal year. It is common to devil for a second year in a less formal arrangement but this is not compulsory.

Japan[link]

Legal professionals in Japan are mainly divided into two branches. The term "lawyer" usually refers to barristers, while scrivener means solicitor. There are also two kinds of scriveners: administrative scriveners and judicial scriveners.

Netherlands[link]

The Netherlands used to have a semi-separated legal profession comprising the lawyer and the procureur, the latter resembling, to some extent, the profession of barrister. Under that system, lawyers were entitled to represent their clients in law, but were only able to file cases before the court at which they were registered. Cases falling under the jurisdiction of another court had to be filed by a procureur registered at that court, in practice often another lawyer exercising both functions. Questions were raised on the necessity of the separation, given the fact that its main purpose – the preservation of the quality of the legal profession and observance of local court rules and customs – had become obsolete. For that reason, the procureur as a separate profession was abolished and its functions merged with the legal profession in 2008.^[15] Currently, lawyers can file cases before any court, regardless of where they are registered. The only notable exception concerns cases brought before the Supreme Court, which have to be handled by lawyers registered in the district of South Holland, mainly for qualitative reasons.

New Zealand[link]

In New Zealand, the professions are formally fused. Practitioners are enrolled in the High Court as "Barristers and Solicitors", although their annual practising certificate may (by choice) nominate them as either or both. A significant proportion however practise solely as barristers, usually in "chambers" (following the British terminology), and receive "instructions" from other practitioners, at least nominally. They usually conduct the proceedings entirely.

Nigeria[link]

In Nigeria, there is no formal distinction between barristers and solicitors. All students who pass the bar examinations – offered exclusively by the Nigerian Law School – are called to the Nigerian bar, by the Body of Benchers. Lawyers may argue in any Federal trial or appellate court as well as any of the courts in Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Legal Practitioner's Act, refers to Nigerian lawyers as Legal Practitioners, and following their call to the Bar, Nigerian lawyers enter their names in the register or Roll of Legal Practitioners kept at the Supreme Court. Perhaps for this reason, a Nigerian lawyer is also often referred to as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and many Nigerian lawyers term themselves Barrister-at-Law complete with the postnominal initials "B.L.".

The vast majority of Nigerian lawyers combine contentious and non-contentious work, although there is a growing tendency for practitioners in the bigger practices to specialise in one or the other. In colloquial parlance within the Nigerian legal profession, lawyers may for this reason be referred to as "litigators" or as "solicitors".

Consistent with the practice in England and elsewhere in the Commonwealth, senior members of the profession may be selected for elevation to the Inner Bar by conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Northern Ireland, UK[link]

In April 2003 there were 554 barristers in independent practice in Northern Ireland. 66 were Queen's Counsel (QCs), barristers who have earned a high reputation and are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor as senior advocates and advisers.

Those barristers who are not QCs are called Junior Counsel and are styled "BL" or "Barrister-at-Law". The term "junior" is often misleading since many members of the Junior Bar are experienced barristers with considerable expertise.

Benchers are, and have been for centuries, the governing bodies of the four Inns of Court in London and King's Inns, Dublin. The Benchers of the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland governed the Inn until the enactment of the Constitution of the Inn in 1983, which provides that the government of the Inn is shared between the Benchers, the Executive Council of the Inn and members of the Inn assembled in General Meeting.

The Executive Council (through its Education Committee) is responsible for considering Memorials submitted by applicants for admission as students of the Inn and by Bar students of the Inn for admission to the degree of Barrister-at-Law and making recommendations to the Benchers. The final decisions on these Memorials are taken by the Benchers. The Benchers also have the exclusive power of expelling or suspending a Bar student and of disbarring a barrister or suspending a barrister from practice.

The Executive Council is also involved with: education; fees of students; calling counsel to the Bar, although call to the Bar is performed by the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland on the invitation of the Benchers; administration of the Bar Library (to which all practising members of the Bar belong); and liaising with corresponding bodies in other countries.

The Bar Council is responsible for the maintenance of the standards, honour and independence of the Bar and, through its Professional Conduct Committee, receives and investigates complaints against members of the Bar in their professional capacity.

Scotland, UK and the British Crown dependencies[link]

In Scotland an advocate is, in all respects except name, a barrister, but there are significant differences in professional practice.

In Scotland, admission to and the conduct of the profession is regulated by the Faculty of Advocates (as opposed to an Inn).

In the Bailiwick of Jersey, there are solicitors (called ecrivains) and advocates (French avocat). In the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man, Advocates perform the combined functions of both solicitors and barristers.

South Africa[link]

Dr. Willem Eduard Bok (1880–1956), South African lawyer, dressed in barrister's robes and wig

In South Africa the employment and practice of barristers (known as advocates) is consistent with the rest of the Commonwealth. Advocates carry the rank of Junior or Senior Counsel (SC), and are mostly briefed and paid by solicitors (known as attorneys). They are usually employed in the higher courts, particularly in the Appeal Courts where they often appear as specialist counsel. South African solicitors (attorneys) follow a practice of referring cases to Counsel for an opinion before proceeding with a case, when Counsel in question practices as a specialist in the case law at stake. Aspiring advocates currently spend one year in pupillage (formerly only six months) before being admitted to the bar in their respective provincial or judicial jurisdictions. The term 'Advocate' is sometimes used in South Africa as a title, e. g. 'Advocate John Doe, SC' ('Advokaat' in Afrikaans) in the same fashion as 'Dr. John Doe' for a medical doctor.

South Korea[link]

There is no distinction between two branches. A person who passed the national bar exam, after 2 years of national education, becomes a judge, a prosecutor or a "lawyer" in accordance of their grades upon graduation. A "lawyer" does not have any limitation of practice.

Spain[link]

Spain has a division that somewhat corresponds to the division in Britain between barristers/advocates and solicitors. Procuradores represent the litigant procedurally in court, generally under the authority of a power of attorney executed by a civil law notary, while abogados represent the substantive claims of the litigant through trial advocacy. Essentially, Procuradores are court agents and their practice is confined to the locality of the court to which they are admitted. Procuradores are regulated by Royal Decree 2046 of 1982, which approved the General Statute of the Procuradores, and the Organic Law no.6 of 1985. The General Statute regulates the qualifications and conduct of the procuradores. Thus, obligations to act pro bono are laid down by Article 13.

United States[link]

The United States does not draw a distinction between lawyers as pleaders (barristers) and lawyers as agents (or solicitors). All lawyers who have passed a bar examination and have been admitted to practice may prosecute or defend in the courts of the state where they are admitted. Historically, a distinction was made, and a separate label for barristers (called "counselors") existed in certain states, though both professions have long since been fused into the all-purpose attorney.^{[citation needed]} Attorneys specializing in court procedure, combining advocacy and case preparation, are called trial attorneys.

South Carolina still requires attorneys to be licensed separately to plead in a courtroom. Additionally, some state appellate courts require attorneys to obtain a separate certificate of admission to plead and practice in the appellate court. Federal courts require specific admission to that court's bar to practice before it. At the state appellate level and in Federal courts, there is generally no separate examination process, although some U.S. district courts require an examination on practices and procedures in their specific courts. Unless an examination is required, admission is usually granted as a matter of course to any licensed attorney in the state where the court is located. Some federal courts will grant admission to any attorney licensed in any U.S. jurisdiction.

See also[link]

• Serjeant-at-law

In popular culture[link]

• The Channel 4 court drama series North Square contains interactions between Barristers and Solicitors.
• Rumpole of the Bailey
• Kavanagh Q.C. (TV Series 1995–2001) (U.K.)
• Silk (TV Series 2011-) (U.K.)

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up barrister in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Barrister.

Australia[link]

• Australian Bar Association (barristers in the Commonwealth of Australia)
• Bar Association of New South Wales (Australia)
• The Victorian Bar (Australia)
• Queensland Bar Association (Australia)
• South Australian Bar Association (Australia)
• Western Australian Bar Association (Australia)

UK and Ireland[link]

• The Barrister magazine
• The Inner Temple
• Bar Council (barristers in England and Wales)
• Bar Library of Northern Ireland
• Faculty of Advocates in Scotland
• Irish Bar Council (barristers in the Republic of Ireland)
• The difference between barristers and solicitors
• Open source legal search tool free access
• Advice on structure and training for the Bar

Other countries[link]

• Hong Kong Bar Association (barristers in Hong Kong)
• Law Society of Hong Kong (solicitors in Hong Kong)
• Canadian Bar Association

Sabir Khan is an Indian sarangi player.^[1] He belongs to Sikar gharana (school) of music who have given several stalwarts to Indian classical music.

Early life[link]

Born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan^[2] to sarangi player and vocalist Ustad Sultan Khan. He trained under his father and his uncle Ustad Nasir khan. He is the ninth generation to take up Sarangi. His great grand father Ustad Azim Khan sahab was a court musician at Sikar Rajasthan.^[3]

Career[link]

Sabir Khan started was exposed to music when he was six year old through his grand father Ustad Gulab khan. He shares the stage with his father and apart from solo concerts.

Sabir khan is well known today for his delicate mastery of sarangi. His technique of playing is rare combination of sur and laya (note and rhythm).

Sabir khan performs with his father in concert and also solo. He has performed along side artists such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, pt.Kumar Bose,pt. Anindo Chatterjee. He has also played with artists like gazal maestro Ustad Gulam Ali, Talat Aziz, Asha bhosle and The Hazards at a terrace gig near Citi Centre and recently played in the album of great Lata Mangeshkar.

He played in several feature films like Chameli, Rog,Dor, Anwar, Sanwariya, Chodon na yaar, Jodha Akbar.

His cousin, Dilshad Khan, is also a popular Sarangi player.

References[link]

This Indian music-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Muhammad Ali
Ali in 1967
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Greatest The People's Champion The Louisville Lip
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1942-01-17) January 17, 1942 (age 70) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	61
Wins	56
Wins by KO	37
Losses	5
Draws	0
No contests	0
Medal record Men's boxing Competitor for the USA Summer Olympics Gold 1960 Rome Light heavyweight

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer,^[1] philanthropist^[2] and social activist.^[2] Considered a cultural icon, Ali was both idolized and vilified.^[3][4]

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.^{[clarification needed][5]} 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11][12]

Biography[link]

Amateur career and Olympic gold[link]

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky.^[13] 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,^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15]

Clay was first directed toward boxing by the white Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin,^[16] 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.^[17] For the last four years of Clay's amateur career he was trained by legendary boxing cutman Chuck Bodak.^[18]

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.^[19][20] 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.^[21] 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.^[13] 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.^[13] 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.^[22] 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 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),^[23] 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.^[24] 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.^[24]

By the third round, Clay was ahead on points and had opened a cut under Liston's eye.^[24] Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a substance in his eyes.^[24] It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or deliberately applied to Liston's gloves;^[24] however, Bert Sugar has claimed that "in two of his previous fights, Liston's opponents had complained about their eyes 'burning,'"^[25] 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.^[26]

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.^[27] 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 10 feet (3.0 m) of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet that was still lodged in his body. Ali beat Williams in three rounds. Bert Sugar wrote that it had been Ali's greatest performance in the ring.^[28]

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^[13] and had his professional boxing license suspended.

Conversion to the Nation of Islam[link]

Ali at an address by Elijah Muhammad

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^[where?] that it was Ali's brother, Rudy Clay, who converted to Islam first (estimating the date as 1961). Others wrote^[where?] that Clay had been seen at Muslim rallies a few years before he fought Liston. Ali's own version^[where?] 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."^[29] 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."^[29] 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.^[30]

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.^[13] 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.^[13] 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.^[31][32]

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.^[33]

At the trial on June 20, 1967, after only 21 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Ali guilty.^[13] 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.^[13] 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.^[34]

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.^[37] 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 won six boxing matches including one over light-heavyweight champion of the world Bob Foster.

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.^[13] Taking place in the Philippines, the bout was promoted as the Thrilla in Manila^[13] 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 100 °F (38 °C). 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]

Ali being interviewed by WBAL-TV's Curt Anderson, 1978, Baltimore, Maryland

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.^[38] 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.^[39] 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.^[38]

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.^[40]

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.^[41] 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.^[42]

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.^[43]

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

In retirement[link]

Muhammad Ali in retirement

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984,^[44][45] a disease to which those subject to severe head trauma, such as boxers, are many times more susceptible than average.^[46] Despite the disability, he remains a beloved and active public figure. In 1985, he served as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania event.^[47][48] 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.^[49] 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.

The Muhammad Ali Center, alongside Interstate 64 on Louisville's riverfront

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.^[50]

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,^[51] receiving more votes than the other four contenders combined. His daughter Laila Ali became a boxer in 1999,^[52] 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."^[53]

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.^[54]

Ali's Presidential Medal of Freedom on display at the Ali Center

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."^[55]

On November 17, 2002, Muhammad Ali went to Afghanistan as "U.N. Messenger of Peace".^[56] He was in Kabul for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the UN.^[57]

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,^[58][59] 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).

As Mrs. Lonnie Ali looks on, President George W. Bush embraces Muhammad Ali after presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005, during ceremonies at the White House.

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.^[60]

Ali lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his fourth wife, Yolanda "Lonnie" Ali.^[61] 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.^[62] Lonnie converted to Islam from Catholicism in her late 20s.^[63]

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.^[64] 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.^[65]

Ranking in heavyweight history[link]

Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves are preserved in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History

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.^[66]

Ali was named the second greatest fighter in boxing history by ESPN.com behind only welterweight and middleweight great Sugar Ray Robinson.^[67] In December 2007, ESPN listed Ali second in its choice of the greatest heavyweights of all time, behind Joe Louis.^[68]

The Associated Press voted Ali the No. 1 heavyweight of the 20th century in 1999.^[69]

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.^{[citation needed]} 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,^[70] 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).^[71] Maryam has a career as an author and rapper.^[72]

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.^[73] 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.^{[71][74][75][76][77]}

Ali was a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey in the early 1970s.^[78] Ali has two other daughters, Miya and Khaliah, from extramarital relationships.^[71][79]

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.^[80] 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.^[81] 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,^[82] and the 2001 biopic Ali garnered an Oscar nomination for Will Smith's portrayal of the lead role.^[83]

For contributions to the entertainment industry, Ali was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.^[84]

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.^[81] 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.^[85][86]

Professional boxing record[link]

56 Wins (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), 5 Losses (4 decisions, 1 TKO), 0 Draws[1]
Res.	Opponent	Type	Round, Time	Date	Age	Location	Notes
Loss	Trevor Berbick	Decision (unanimous)	10 (10)	01981-12-11December 11, 1981	&1000000000000003900000039 years, &10000000000000328000000328 days	Nassau, Bahamas	"Drama in the Bahamas"[87]
Loss	Larry Holmes	TKO (Corner Stoppage)	10 (15)	01980-10-02October 2, 1980	&1000000000000003800000038 years, &10000000000000259000000259 days	Las Vegas, NV	Lost The Ring World Heavyweight title. For WBC World Heavyweight title.
Win	Leon Spinks	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01978-09-15September 15, 1978	&1000000000000003600000036 years, &10000000000000241000000241 days	New Orleans, LA	Won The Ring & WBA World Heavyweight titles; Vacated WBA title on 1979-09-06.
Loss	Leon Spinks	Decision (split)	15 (15)	01978-02-15February 15, 1978	&1000000000000003600000036 years, &1000000000000002900000029 days	Las Vegas, NV	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Earnie Shavers	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01977-09-29September 29, 1977	&1000000000000003500000035 years, &10000000000000255000000255 days	New York City	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Alfredo Evangelista	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01977-05-16May 16, 1977	&1000000000000003500000035 years, &10000000000000119000000119 days	Landover, MD	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Ken Norton	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01976-09-28September 28, 1976	&1000000000000003400000034 years, &10000000000000255000000255 days	The Bronx, New York	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Richard Dunn	TKO	5 (15)	01976-05-24May 24, 1976	&1000000000000003400000034 years, &10000000000000128000000128 days	Munich, West Germany	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Jimmy Young	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01976-04-30April 30, 1976	&1000000000000003400000034 years, &10000000000000104000000104 days	Landover, MD	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Jean-Pierre Coopman	KO	5 (15)	01976-02-20February 20, 1976	&1000000000000003400000034 years, &1000000000000003400000034 days	San Juan, Puerto Rico	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Joe Frazier	TKO	14 (15), 0:59	01975-10-01October 1, 1975	&1000000000000003300000033 years, &10000000000000257000000257 days	Quezon City, Philippines	"The Thrilla in Manila"; Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Joe Bugner	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01975-06-30June 30, 1975	&1000000000000003300000033 years, &10000000000000164000000164 days	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Ron Lyle	TKO	11 (15)	01975-05-16May 16, 1975	&1000000000000003300000033 years, &10000000000000119000000119 days	Las Vegas, NV	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Chuck Wepner	TKO	15 (15), 2:41	01975-03-24March 24, 1975	&1000000000000003300000033 years, &1000000000000006600000066 days	Richfield, OH	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	George Foreman	KO	8 (15), 2:58	01974-10-30October 30, 1974	&1000000000000003200000032 years, &10000000000000286000000286 days	Kinshasa, Zaire	"The Rumble in the Jungle"; Won The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Joe Frazier	Decision (unanimous)	12 (12)	01974-01-28January 28, 1974	&1000000000000003200000032 years, &1000000000000001100000011 days	New York City, NY	Retained NABF Heavyweight title; Vacated title later in 1974.
Win	Rudi Lubbers	Decision (unanimous)	12 (12)	01973-10-20October 20, 1973	&1000000000000003100000031 years, &10000000000000276000000276 days	Jakarta, Indonesia
Win	Ken Norton	Decision (split)	12 (12)	01973-09-10September 10, 1973	&1000000000000003100000031 years, &10000000000000236000000236 days	Inglewood, CA	Won NABF Heavyweight title.
Loss	Ken Norton	Decision (split)	12 (12)	01973-03-31March 31, 1973	&1000000000000003100000031 years, &1000000000000007300000073 days	San Diego, CA	Lost NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	Joe Bugner	Decision (unanimous)	12 (12)	01973-02-14February 14, 1973	&1000000000000003100000031 years, &1000000000000002800000028 days	Las Vegas, NV
Win	Bob Foster	KO	7 (12)	01972-11-21November 21, 1972	&1000000000000003000000030 years, &10000000000000309000000309 days	Stateline, NV	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	Floyd Patterson	TKO	7 (12)	01972-09-20September 20, 1972	&1000000000000003000000030 years, &10000000000000247000000247 days	New York City, NY	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	Alvin Lewis	TKO	11 (12), 1:15	01972-07-19July 19, 1972	&1000000000000003000000030 years, &10000000000000184000000184 days	Dublin, Ireland
Win	Jerry Quarry	TKO	7 (12), 0:19	01972-06-27June 27, 1972	&1000000000000003000000030 years, &10000000000000162000000162 days	Las Vegas, NV	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	George Chuvalo	Decision (unanimous)	12 (12)	01972-05-01May 1, 1972	&1000000000000003000000030 years, &10000000000000105000000105 days	Vancouver, Canada	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	Mac Foster	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01972-04-01April 1, 1972	&1000000000000003000000030 years, &1000000000000007500000075 days	Tokyo, Japan
Win	Jürgen Blin	KO	7 (12), 2:12	01971-12-26December 26, 1971	&1000000000000002900000029 years, &10000000000000343000000343 days	Zurich, Switzerland
Win	Buster Mathis	Decision (unanimous)	12 (12)	01971-11-17November 17, 1971	&1000000000000002900000029 years, &10000000000000304000000304 days	Houston, TX	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	12 (12), 2:10	01971-07-26July 26, 1971	&1000000000000002900000029 years, &10000000000000190000000190 days	Houston, TX	Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title.
Loss	Joe Frazier	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01971-03-08March 8, 1971	&1000000000000002900000029 years, &1000000000000005000000050 days	New York City, NY	"The Fight of the Century"; Lost The Ring World Heavyweight title. For WBA & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Oscar Bonavena	TKO	15 (15), 2:03	01970-12-07December 7, 1970	&1000000000000002800000028 years, &10000000000000324000000324 days	New York City, NY	Retained The Ring World Heavyweight title.
Win	Jerry Quarry	TKO	3 (15)	01970-10-26October 26, 1970	&1000000000000002800000028 years, &10000000000000282000000282 days	Atlanta, GA	Retained The Ring World Heavyweight title.
Win	Zora Folley	KO	7 (15), 1:48	01967-03-22March 22, 1967	&1000000000000002500000025 years, &1000000000000006400000064 days	New York City, NY	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles; Stripped of titles on 1967-04-28.
Win	Ernie Terrell	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01967-02-06February 6, 1967	&1000000000000002500000025 years, &1000000000000002000000020 days	Houston, TX	Retained The Ring WBC & won WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Cleveland Williams	TKO	3 (15)	01966-11-14November 14, 1966	&1000000000000002400000024 years, &10000000000000301000000301 days	Houston, TX	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Karl Mildenberger	TKO	12 (15)	01966-09-10September 10, 1966	&1000000000000002400000024 years, &10000000000000236000000236 days	Frankfurt, West Germany	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Brian London	KO	3 (15)	01966-08-06August 6, 1966	&1000000000000002400000024 years, &10000000000000201000000201 days	London, England	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Henry Cooper	TKO	6 (15), 1:38	01966-05-21May 21, 1966	&1000000000000002400000024 years, &10000000000000124000000124 days	London, England	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	George Chuvalo	Decision (unanimous)	15 (15)	01966-03-29March 29, 1966	&1000000000000002400000024 years, &1000000000000007100000071 days	Toronto, Canada	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Floyd Patterson	TKO	12 (15), 2:18	01965-11-22November 22, 1965	&1000000000000002300000023 years, &10000000000000309000000309 days	Las Vegas, NV	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Sonny Liston	KO	1 (15), 2:12	01965-05-25May 25, 1965	&1000000000000002300000023 years, &10000000000000128000000128 days	Lewiston, ME	Retained The Ring & WBC World Heavyweight titles.
Win	Sonny Liston	TKO	7 (15)	01964-02-25February 25, 1964	&1000000000000002200000022 years, &1000000000000003900000039 days	Miami Beach, FL	Won The Ring, WBA & WBC World Heavyweight titles; Stripped of WBA title on 1964-06-19.
Win	Henry Cooper	TKO	5 (10), 2:15	01963-06-18June 18, 1963	&1000000000000002100000021 years, &10000000000000152000000152 days	London, England
Win	Doug Jones	Decision (unanimous)	10 (10)	01963-03-13March 13, 1963	&1000000000000002100000021 years, &1000000000000005500000055 days	New York City, NY
Win	Charley Powell	KO	3, 2:04	01963-01-24January 24, 1963	&1000000000000002100000021 years, &100000000000000070000007 days	Pittsburgh, PA
Win	Archie Moore	TKO	4 (10), 1:35	01962-11-15November 15, 1962	&1000000000000002000000020 years, &10000000000000302000000302 days	Los Angeles, CA
Win	Alejandro Lavorante	KO	5 (10), 1:48	01962-07-20July 20, 1962	&1000000000000002000000020 years, &10000000000000184000000184 days	Los Angeles, CA
Win	Billy Daniels	TKO	7 (10), 2:21	01962-05-19May 19, 1962	&1000000000000002000000020 years, &10000000000000122000000122 days	New York City, NY
Win	George Logan	TKO	4 (10), 1:34	01962-04-23April 23, 1962	&1000000000000002000000020 years, &1000000000000009600000096 days	New York City, NY
Win	Don Warner	TKO	4, 0:34	01962-03-28March 28, 1962	&1000000000000002000000020 years, &1000000000000007000000070 days	Miami Beach, FL
Win	Sonny Banks	TKO	4 (10), 0:26	01962-02-10February 10, 1962	&1000000000000002000000020 years, &1000000000000002400000024 days	New York City, NY
Win	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	7 (10), 1:55	01961-11-29November 29, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &10000000000000316000000316 days	Louisville, KY
Win	Alex Miteff	TKO	6 (10), 1:45	01961-10-07October 7, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &10000000000000263000000263 days	Louisville, KY
Win	Alonzo Johnson	Decision (unanimous)	10 (10)	01961-07-22July 22, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &10000000000000186000000186 days	Louisville, KY
Win	Duke Sabedong	Decision (unanimous)	10 (10)	01961-06-26June 26, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &10000000000000160000000160 days	Las Vegas, NV
Win	LaMar Clark	KO	2 (10), 1:27	01961-04-19April 19, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &1000000000000009200000092 days	Louisville, KY
Win	Donnie Fleeman	TKO	7 (8)	01961-02-21February 21, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &1000000000000003500000035 days	Miami Beach, FL
Win	Jim Robinson	KO	1 (8), 1:34	01961-02-07February 7, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &1000000000000002100000021 days	Miami Beach, FL
Win	Tony Esperti	TKO	3 (8), 1:30	01961-01-17January 17, 1961	&1000000000000001900000019 years, &100000000000000000000000 days	Miami Beach, FL
Win	Herb Siler	KO	4 (8)	01960-12-27December 27, 1960	&1000000000000001800000018 years, &10000000000000345000000345 days	Miami Beach, FL
Win	Tunney Hunsaker	Decision (unanimous)	6 (6)	01960-10-29October 29, 1960	&1000000000000001800000018 years, &10000000000000286000000286 days	Louisville, KY

See also[link]

	African American portal
	Biography portal

• 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]