Muhammad Ali, 'The Greatest,' Dead At 74

Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight boxing legend who began his career as the polarizing Cassius Clay before becoming an admired worldwide champion of religious freedom, political activism and racial equality, died in a Phoenix hospital late Friday night. He was 74.

Ali had been hospitalized since Thursday with what a family spokesman had called a “respiratory issue.” He suffered from Parkinson's Disease and had appeared especially frail and weak in recent public appearances.

"After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74," said a statement from Bob Gunnell, the family's spokesman. "The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening."

• SEE ALSO: Six of the Biggest Fights of Muhammad Ali's Career
• Muhammad Ali Surprised World at '96 Olympic Games
• The World Remembers Muhammad Ali, 'The Greatest'
• AND: Where Cassius Clay Discovered Islam
• Get Free Local News Alerts and Newsletters for Your Town - Right to Your Inbox

During his 21-year boxing career, he went from Clay — a scrappy and taunting fighter whose footwork and machine gun-like firing of his gloves confounded his opponents — to Ali, the punishing puncher and polarizing warrior who used his fame to promote a varied number of social issues.

His four-year break from boxing as he fought a prison sentence for refusing to enter the draft during the Vietnam War made him a hero of the anti-war counterculture movement of the 1960s and 70s. And his unapologetic embrace of his Muslim faith, and especially his racial pride, challenged a white establishment in sports and in culture at large.

His stances at the time were a source of affirmation by some and of outrage for many. In the end, he had evolved in the public mind to become an American icon admired by most, not just in the United States but around the world.

Sports Illustrated named him the “Sportsman of the Century” and BBC called him the “Sports Personality of the Century” in late 1999.

Ali left no doubts about his inner confidence, saying before his first heavyweight title fight against Sonny Liston that he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” After his stunning upset win, Ali declared “I must be the greatest!”

It was hard to argue otherwise.

Ali won 56 of his 61 professional fights, winning the heavyweight title in 1964, 1974 and 1978. His championship rematch with Liston in 1965, a first-round knockout, produced one of the most recognized sports photos in history. Post-suspension fights in the 1970s against Joe Frazier and George Foreman were true, global spectacles that drew massive TV audiences who saw him win two of the most memorable boxing matches — and sporting events — the world had ever witnessed.

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., the man who would become "the greatest" started boxing at 12 and made his professional debut at 18, establishing a 19-0 record.

No. 20 was the first title fight with Liston and shaped the tone and personality of his future bouts. At the pre-fight weigh-in, he said, “After I beat him I'm going to donate him to the zoo.”

He battled Liston for six rounds. Liston didn’t come out for a seventh.

The two met again a year later, with a major difference. Cassius Clay had become Muhammad Ali, having been accepted into the National of Islam, a black Muslim organization.

“Cassius Clay is my slave name,” Ali said at the time.

Their rematch didn’t last near as long as the first fight. Liston went down in the first round after what some called a “phantom punch” from Ali. Liston got up after nearly 20 seconds — Ali never retreated to a neutral corner — but the referee called off the fight and proclaimed Ali the winner.

Neil Leifer was situated on the opposite side of the ring from the judges, having been muscled there by a senior photographer who wanted the best view. Instead, it was Leifer who captured a screaming Ali, with his right glove up to his opposite shoulder, standing over a prone Liston as a stunned crowd looked on.

Sports Illustrated put the photo on the cover of "The Century's Greatest Sports Photos” issue.

After several title defenses over the next two years, Ali was 29-0 when the draft called. He didn’t answer. Ali once explained his objection to the war by stating that no Viet Cong had ever used vile racial slurs against him. He also said it violated the Quran’s teachings.

Ali was arrested, had his boxing license suspended and had his titles stripped. At a trial, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

A free man as he appealed the sentence, Ali turned to public speaking, primarily visiting college campuses around the country to talk about race and religion. His most famous address, a call for blacks to fashion their own identity in 1967 at Howard University, became known as the “Black is Best” speech.

President Barack Obama remembered Ali as a man who fought for what was right and who helped define today's America. 

"That’s the Ali I came to know as I came of age – not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right. A man who fought for us. He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t," Obama said in a statement Saturday. "His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing. It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognize today."

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned his prison sentence in 1971, and he was back in boxing.

After two title wins he was set to face the new heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Ali called the fighter a “dumb tool of the white establishment" and “too ugly to be champ.” Ali was beaten by unanimous decision after 15 rounds, his first professional loss, at what was billed as “The Fight of the Century.”

Three years later, Ali and Frazier met again in Madison Square. Ali won a unanimous decision.

Ali’s next fight would be known as “The Rumble in the Jungle,” a title fight against George Foreman in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There, he perfected his “rope-a-dope” strategy — stay up against the ropes in a protective stance, let the guy wail on you until he is exhausted, then hit him with a knockout blow.

Ali did that in the eighth round and was champion again.

"I'll admit it,” Foreman said after the fight. “Muhammad outthought me and outfought me.”

After a handful of defenses, Ali agreed to fight Frazier for the third time, this time in Manila, Philippines. The crowd of 28,000 people crammed into a massive arena there that was said to have been as hot as 100 degrees.

Ali went back to the rope-a-dope, and after a brutal 14 rounds, Frazier didn’t come back out for No. 15. Ali called the fight “the closest thing to dying that I know.”

His career ended like many athletes past their primes — with a few uninspiring wins and a couple sad defeats. Three of his five career losses came in his last four fights.

He had developed Parkinson’s Disease by the time he retired for good at age 40. Many said the repeated punches he took while a fighter contributed to the brain deterioration that causes the disease.

In 1996, Ali was the surprise guest at the Olympics in Atlanta. Hands trembling but heart determined, he lit the Olympic torch at the opening ceremonies to huge applause and more than a few tears.

He was largely silent late in life — a stark contrast to the proud, boisterous man he was at the height of his career. Ali made several public appearances, never speaking, as the Parkinson's worsened.

A career of quotes as colorful as the boxer, though, live on. He delivered this one after defeating Frazier in Manilla:

"This is the legend of Muhammad Ali, The greatest fighter that ever will be. He talks a great deal and brags, indeed. Of a powerful punch and blinding speed. Ali fights great, he's got speed and endurance. If you sign to fight him, increase your insurance. Ali's got a left, Ali's got a right; If he hits you once, you're asleep for the night."

He is survived by seven daughters and two sons.

Image via Library of Congress