Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Ali was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. At 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and turned professional later that year. He became a Muslim after 1961. He won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at age 22. On March 6, 1964, he announced that he no longer would be known as Cassius Clay but as Muhammad Ali. In 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military, citing his religious beliefs and ethical opposition to the Vietnam War. He was found guilty of draft evasion so he faced 5 years in prison and was stripped of his boxing titles. He stayed out of prison as he appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, but he had not fought for nearly four years and lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation, and he was a very high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career. As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam (NOI). He later disavowed the NOI, adhering to Sunni Islam, and supporting racial integration like his former mentor Malcolm X.
Ali was a leading heavyweight boxer of the 20th century, and he remains the only three-time lineal champion of that division. His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years. He is the only fighter to have been ranked as the world's best heavyweight by BoxRec twelve times. He has been ranked among BoxRec's ten best heavyweights seventeen times, the third most in history. He won 8 fights that were rated by BoxRec as 5-Star, the third most in the history of the heavyweight division. Ali is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times. He has been ranked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, such as the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle, which has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century" and was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide, becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time. Ali thrived in the spotlight at a time when many fighters let their managers do the talking, and he was often provocative and outlandish. He was known for trash-talking, and often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, anticipating elements of hip hop.
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It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years ...
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Celebrating the 30 year anniversary of Michael Jackson's solo career, this legendary performance too...
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Death Has Fallen on Deaf Ears in the World of Professional Sports. Step into the ring and watch all ...
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Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true "free lan...
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Soul Power is a 2008 documentary film about the Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa which accompanie...
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Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion....
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In October of 1980 Muhammad Ali was preparing to fight for an unprecedented fourth heavyweight title...
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Chuck Wepner is a liquor salesman from Bayonne, N.J., who drives a Cadillac with “Champ” vanity plat...
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Walk the dark and hallowed path of he who cannot be buried. The Apocalyptic Warrior who has denied s...
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Muhammad Ali’s historic Supreme Court battle from behind closed doors. When Ali was drafted into the...
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A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great p...
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A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent...
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The true story of pilot Barry Seal, who transported contraband for the CIA and the Medellin cartel i...
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New York City, October 10, 1965. A group of wooden giant figures from Pamplona, representing Basque ...
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A cinematic journey into the secrets of genius as told through the greatest athletes of all time. It...
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An ambitious and wide-ranging documentary exploring Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated car...
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This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works, and t...
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How African artists have spread African culture all over the world, especially music, since the hars...
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Four African-American Vietnam veterans return to Vietnam. They are in search of the remains of their...
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Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in te...
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From a chance meeting to a tragic fallout, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali's extraordinary bond cracks un...
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Christy Martin broke boundaries and noses as she rose in the boxing world, but her public persona be...
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Recent movies
| # | Name | Character | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WWE Hall of Fame 2024 (2024) | Muhammad Ali | 7 | |
| 2 | Beatles '64 (2024) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 3 | Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 4 | Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021) | Self (archive footage) | 7 | |
| 5 | Untold: Deal with the Devil (2021) | Self - Professional Boxer (archive footage) | 8 | |
| 6 | Pelé (2021) | Self (archive Footage) | 6 | |
| 7 | Da 5 Bloods (2020) | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 7.3 | |
| 8 | Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 9 | Africa Rising (2019) | Self - Boxer (archive footage) | - | - |
| 10 | Black Is Beltza (2018) | Self (voice) (archive footage) | - | - |
| 11 | In Search of Greatness (2018) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 12 | Andre the Giant (2018) | Self (archive footage) | 8 | |
| 13 | American Made (2017) | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 7.1 | |
| 14 | O.J.: Made in America (2016) | Self (archive footage) | 10 | |
| 15 | Best of Enemies (2015) | Self (archival) | - | - |
| 16 | I Am Ali (2014) | Self (archive footage) | 7 | |
| 17 | Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013) | Himself (archive footage) | - | - |
| 18 | WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak (2012) | Self (archive footage) | 8 | |
| 19 | The Real Rocky (2011) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 20 | Soul Power (2009) | Self (archive footage) | 7 | |
| 21 | Facing Ali (2009) | Self | 8 | |
| 22 | Muhammad and Larry (2009) | Himself | - | - |
| 23 | Tyson (2008) | Self (archive footage) | 7.6 | |
| 24 | Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008) | Self (archive footage) | 8.5 | |
| 25 | Legends Never Die (2006) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 26 | Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration (2001) | Self | 5 | |
| 27 | When We Were Kings (1996) | Self | 8.3 | |
| 28 | WCW Halloween Havoc 1994 (1994) | Himself (Ringside) | 8 | |
| 29 | WrestleMania (1985) | Muhammad Ali (Enforcer) | 6.3 | |
| 30 | Doin' Time (1985) | Himself | - | - |
| 31 | The Greatest (1977) | Director / Writer | 7 | |
| 32 | Malcolm X (1972) | Self (archive footage) | - | - |
| 33 | Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) | Himself (as Cassius Clay) | 7 |

