Won 56 (KOs 37)  |  Lost 5 (KOs 1)

Drawn 0  |  Bouts 61

Rounds 548  |  Debut 1960-10-29

61 Loss (56-5-0) vs Trevor Berbick

UD R10  |  Dec 11, 1981

60 Loss (56-4-0) vs Larry Holmes

RTD R10 (15), 3:00  |  Oct 2, 1980

For WBC and vacant The Ring heavyweight titles

59 Win (56-3-0) vs Leon Spinks

UD R15  |  Sep 15, 1978

Won WBA and The Ring heavyweight titles

58 Loss (55-3-0) vs Leon Spinks

SD R15  |  Feb 15, 1978

Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

57 Win (55-2-0) vs Earnie Shavers

UD R15  |  Sep 29, 1977

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

56 Win (54-2-0) vs Alfredo Evangelista

UD R15  |  May 16, 1977

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

55 Win (53-2-0) vs Ken Norton

UD R15  |  Sep 28, 1976

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

54 Win (52-2-0) vs Richard Dunn

TKO R5 (15), 2:05  |  May 24, 1976

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

53 Win (51-2-0) vs Jimmy Young

UD R15  |  Apr 30, 1976

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

52 Win (50-2-0) vs Jean-Pierre Coopman

KO R5 (15), 2:46  |  Feb 20, 1976

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

51 Win (49-2-0) vs Joe Frazier

RTD R14 (15), 3:00  |  Oct 1, 1975

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

50 Win (48-2-0) vs Joe Bugner

UD R15  |  July 1, 1975

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

49 Win (47-2-0) vs Ron Lyle

TKO R11 (15), 1:08  |  May 16, 1975

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

48 Win (46-2-0) vs Chuck Wepner

TKO R15 (15), 2:41  |  Mar 24, 1975

Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

47 Win (45-2-0) vs George Foreman

KO R8 (15), 2:58  |  Oct 30, 1974

Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

46 Win (44-2-0) vs Joe Frazier

UD R12  |  Jan 28, 1974

Retained NABF heavyweight title

45 Win (43-2-0) vs Rudie Lubbers

UD R12  |  Oct 20, 1973

44 Win (42-2-0) vs Ken Norton

SD R12  |  Sep 10, 1973

Won NABF heavyweight title

43 Loss (41-2-0) vs Ken Norton

SD R12  |  Mar 31, 1973

Lost NABF heavyweight title

42 Win (41-1-0) vs Joe Bugner

UD R12  |  Feb 14, 1973

41 Win (40-1-0) vs Bob Foster

KO R8 (12), 0:40  |  Nov 21, 1972

Retained NABF heavyweight title

40 Win (39-1-0) vs Floyd Patterson

RTD R7 (12), 3:00 Sep 20, 1972

Retained NABF heavyweight title

39 Win (38-1-0) vs Alvin Lewis

TKO R11 (12), 1:15  |  Jul 19, 1972

38 Win (37-1-0) vs Jerry Quarry

TKO R7 (12), 0:19  |  Jun 27, 1972

Retained NABF heavyweight title

37 Win (36-1-0) vs George Chuvalo

UD R12  |  May 1, 1972

Retained NABF heavyweight title

36 Win (35-1-0) vs Mac Foster

UD R15  |  Apr 1, 1972

35 Win (34-1-0) vs Jürgen Blin

KO R7 (12), 2:12  |  Dec 26, 1971

34 Win (33-1-0) vs Buster Mathis

UD R12  |  Nov 17, 1971

Retained NABF heavyweight title

33 Win (32-1-0) vs Jimmy Ellis

TKO 12 (12), 2:10  |  Jul 26, 1971

Won vacant NABF heavyweight title

32 Loss (31-1-0) vs Joe Frazier

UD R15  |  Mar 8, 1971

For WBA, WBC, and vacant The Ring heavyweight titles

31 Win (31-0-0) vs Oscar Bonavena

TKO R15 (15), 2:03  |  Dec 7, 1970

Won vacant NABF heavyweight title

30 Win (30-0-0) vs Jerry Quarry

RTD R3 (15), 3:00  |  Oct 26, 1970

29 Win (29-0-0) vs Zora Folley

KO R7 (15), 1:48  |  Mar 22, 1967

Retained WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

28 Win (28-0-0) vs Ernie Terrell

UD R15  |  Feb 6, 1967

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles
Won WBA heavyweight title

27 Win (27-0-0) vs Cleveland Williams

TKO R3 (15), 1:08  |  Nov 14, 1966

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

26 Win (26-0-0) vs Karl Mildenberger

TKO R12 (15), 1:30  |  Sep 10, 1966

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

25 Win (25-0-0) vs Brian London

KO R3 (15), 1:40  |  Aug 6, 1966

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

24 Win (24-0-0) vs Henry Cooper

TKO R6 (15), 1:38  |  May 21, 1966

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

23 Win (23-0-0) vs George Chuvalo

UD R15  |  Mar 29, 1966

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

22 Win (22-0-0) vs Floyd Patterson

TKO R12 (15), 2:18  |  Nov 22, 1965

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

21 Win (21-0-0) vs Sonny Liston

KO R1 (15), 2:12  |  May 25, 1965

Retained WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

20 Win (20-0-0) vs Sonny Liston

RTD R6 (15), 3:00  |  Feb 25, 1964

Won WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles

19 Win (19-0-0) vs Henry Cooper

TKO R5 (10), 2:15  |  Jun 18, 1963

18 Win (18-0-0) vs Doug Jones

UD R10  |  Mar 13, 1963

17 Win (17-0-0) vs Charlie Powell

KO R3 (10), 2:04  |  Jan 24, 1963

16 Win (16-0-0) vs Archie Moore

TKO R4 (10), 1:35  |  Nov 15, 1962

15 Win (15-0-0) vs Alejandro Lavorante

KO R5 (10), 1:48  |  Jul 20, 1962

14 Win (14-0-0) vs Billy Daniels

TKO R7 (10), 2:21 May 19, 1962

13 Win (13-0-0) vs George Logan

TKO R4 (10), 1:34  |  Apr 23, 1962

12 Win (12-0-0) vs Don Warner

TKO R4 (10), 0:34  |  Feb 28, 1962

11 Win (11-0-0) vs Sonny Banks

TKO R4 (10), 0:26  |  Feb 10, 1962

10 Win (10-0-0) vs Willi Besmanoff

TKO R7 (10), 1:55  |  Nov 29, 1961

9 Win (9-0-0) vs Alex Miteff

TKO R6 (10), 1:45  |  Oct 7, 1961

8 Win (8-0-0) vs Alonzo Johnson

UD R10  |  Jul 22, 1961

7 Win (7-0-0) vs Duke Sabedong

UD R10  |  Jun 26, 1961

6 Win (6-0-0) vs LaMar Clark

KO R2 (8), 1:27  |  Apr 19, 1961

5 Win (5-0-0) vs Donnie Fleeman

RTD R6 (8)  |  Feb 21, 1961

4 Win (4-0-0) vs Jim Robinson

KO R1 (8), 1:34  |  Feb 7, 1961

3 Win (3-0-0) vs Tony Esperti

TKO R3 (8), 1:30  |  Jan 17, 1961

2 Win (2-0-0) vs Herb Siler

TKO R4 (8), 1:00  |  Dec 27, 1960

1 Win (1-0-0) vs Tunney Hunsaker

UD R6  |  Oct 29, 1960

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.

He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, including the Fight of the Century (the biggest boxing event up until then), the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman known as The Rumble in the Jungle, which 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.

He has been ranked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and as the greatest sportsman of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

Outside the ring, Ali attained success as a spoken word artist, where he received two Grammy nominations. He also featured as an actor and writer, releasing two autobiographies. Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and focused on religion, philanthropy and activism. In 1984, he made public his diagnosis of Parkinson’s syndrome, which some reports attribute to boxing-related injuries, though he and his specialist physicians disputed this. He remained an active public figure globally, but in his later years made fewer public appearances as his condition worsened, and he was cared for by his family. Ali died on June 3, 2016.

Coverphoto: by Ira Rosenberg.

Source text: Wikipedia Mohammad Ali.