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I would have probably never been such a huge fan of his had it not been for my dad. An ardent fan, whose respect for the great boxer borders on reverence, my father would often relate stories about him when we were growing up. A boxer and mind you a successful one at that, my father has always spoken highly of Muhammad Ali. Therefore, begins my tribute to that amazing pugilist.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Junior was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay; Sr. He later changed his name to Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam and subsequently converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.

Boxing Career
Standing tall at 6'3", Ali possessed a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. Rather than the normal boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on his ability to avoid a punch. In Louisville, October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts.
Soon, he became the top contender for Sonny Liston's title. The fight was to be held on February 25, 1964 in Miami, Florida. During the weigh-in on the previous day, the ever-boastful Ali—who frequently taunted Liston dubbing him "the big ugly bear"—declared that he would "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,"

and, in summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

Liston was over-confident and misread Clay's exuberance as nervousness. He was losing his ground and only in the 4th round did he make an attempt at a come back, as Clay was blinded by a foreign substance. It is officially unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose; however, insiders recall 2 other Liston fights in which a similar situation occurred, suggesting the possibility that the Liston corner deliberately attempted to cheat.

Clay struggled to recover his vision and simultaneously, he sought to escape Liston's punches until his sweat and tears cleaned the foreign substance. By the sixth round, he was looking for a finish and dominated Liston. Then Liston behaved like a spoilsport and shocked the world when he did not come out for the seventh round to continue the fight; he later claimed to have injured his shoulder.
Ali had a penchant for making news. He was made more famous when he revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam. Clay was renamed Muhammad Ali. Only a few journalists accepted it at that time. The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a member of the Nation of Islam.

In 1964, Ali failed the 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 1A. He refused to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector. Ali refused to respond to his name being read out as Cassius Clay. By refusing this, Ali was banned from fighting in the United States and forced to accept bouts abroad for most of 1966.
From his rematch with Liston in May 1965, to his final defense against Zora Folley in March 1967, he defended his title nine times. Few other heavyweight champions in history have fought so much in such a short period.
On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring