Muhammad Ali, American legendary boxer passed away on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74.
Nicknamed The Greatest, Ali is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century, and is frequently ranked as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
Born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, Ali became a Muslim after 1961. He won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in a major upset in 1964, at 22.
Also that year, he renounced his birth name as a "slave name" and formally changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
He fought in several historic boxing matches, such as his highly publicised fights with Sonny Liston, 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 in The Rumble in the Jungle.
Ali thrived in the spotlight at a time when many boxers let their managers do the talking, and he became renowned for his provocative and outlandish persona. He was famous for trash-talking, often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry incorporating elements of hip hop.
1. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't
2. Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth
3. I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I can't possibly be beat
4. Don’t count the days; make the days count
5. It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am
6. It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe
7. If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologise
8. Braggin' is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say
9. I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was
10. Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even
