Muhammad Ali

 

Muhammad Ali was a professional boxer in the United States, as well as an activist, performer, poet, and philanthropist.

He is widely considered as one of the most significant and celebrated sporting figures of the twentieth century, and is regularly listed as the best heavyweight boxer and greatest athlete of the century. He is known as "The Greatest."

He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, including the Fight of the Century, which has been dubbed "the biggest boxing event, if not the biggest sporting event, of all time," and the Thrilla in Manila, as well as his fight with George Foreman, dubbed "The Rumble in the Jungle," which was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1.2 million people.

Ali thrived in the spotlight at a time when most fighters preferred to let their management do the talking, and he was frequently controversial and absurd.

He was noted for his trash-talking and for free-styling using rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, foreshadowing hip hop elements.

He was named the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time by Sports Illustrated, as well as the finest sportsman of the twentieth century by Sports Illustrated and the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century.

When he was a bright 22-year-old set to face world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, he said one of his most famous quotes: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see."