muhammad ali rare photos

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Born Cassius Clay Jr. in 1942 in the Southern U.S. state of Kentucky, Ali began his rise to fame in 1960 when he won a gold medal in light heavyweight division of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Four years later, he truly shot to superstardom after winning the WBA, WBC and lineal heavyweight titles. It was also during the late 1960s that he changed his name to Muhammed Ali, describing “Cassius Clay” as his “slave name”.

While mostly recognized for his efforts in the boxing ring, Ali was the voice behind quotes such as “float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee”. He was also a keen activist for black Americans’ civil rights, and strongly opposed the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam conflict, making him an icon of counterculture.

A young boxer Cassius Clay is shown in 1954.

A Trio Of U.S. Boxers Wear Gold Medals At The Olympic Village In Rome, September 6, 1960. From The Left Are: Wilbert Mcclure Of Toledo, Ohio, Light Middleweight; Cassius Clay Of Louisville, Ky, Light Heavyweight; And Edward Crook Of Fort Campbell, Ky, Middleweight.

As A Bubbly Teenager At The 1960 Olympics In Rome, Clay Parroted America’s Cold War Line. He Took The Gold Medal For Light Heavyweight Boxing, Beating Out Zbigniew Pietrzykowski Of Poland, Right, And The Joint Bronze Medalists Giulio Saraudi Of Italy And Anthony Madigan Of Australia.

Young Muhammad Ali Points To A Sign He Wrote In His Dressing Room Before His Fight Against Archie Moore In Los Angeles, Predicting He’d Knock Moore Out In The Fourth Round, Which He Went On To Do.

Young Muhammad Ali, Known As Cassius Clay At The Time, Is Seen With His Trainer Angelo Dundee At City Parks Gym In New York, Feb. 8, 1962.

Muhammad Ali behind the wheel April 2, 1963.

Muhammad Ali, The “Louisville Lip,” Holds Up Eight Fingers In London June 19, 1963 As He Predicts The Number Of Rounds It Will Take Him To Knock Out Sonny Liston If He Should Get A Chance At The World Heavyweight Championship.

Young Boxer Cassius Clay Is Seen With His Mother, Odessa Grady Clay, April 2, 1963.

Joking around with The Beatles - 1964

Heavyweight Boxing Champ Cassius Clay And His Wife Sonji Are Seen At A Press Conference After His Successful Title Defense In Lewiston, Me., May 25, 1965.

Perspiration Beads On The Face Of Ali, Shown In Training For His Fight With Sonny Liston At Lewiston, Maine, 1965

Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali Stands Over Fallen Challenger Sonny Liston, Shouting And Gesturing Shortly After Dropping Liston With A Short Hard Right To The Jaw On May 25, 1965, In Lewiston, Maine. The Bout Lasted Only One Minute Into The First Round.

Clay’s Handlers Held Him Back After He Beat Liston And Was Announced As The New Heavyweight Champion Of The World.

Muhammad Ali having fun with Michael Jackson and his brothers.

Muhammad Ali with a young Stevie Wonder.

Muhammad Ali Waits Patiently As A Young Fan, Six-Year-Old Manuel De La Sierra Sets His Camera For Another Picture Outside Houston’s Domed Stadium, Feb. 4, 1967

Basketball Star Wilt Chamberlain Extends A Long Left In The Direction Of World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali As They Met At An Abc Television Studio In New York, March 10, 1967. Chamberlain Stands 7 Feet, 1 Inch Tall, And Ali Is 6 Feet, 2 Inches Tall. Chamberlain’s Reach Is Over 90 Inches, Ali’s Is 79 Inches.

Muhammad Ali Is Photographed Carrying Then Wife, Sonji Clay, Over The Threshold After Their Wedding, 1967.

Muhammad Ali with Sammy Davis Jr..

Muhammad Ali with Sam Cooke.

Muhammad Ali with Bob Dylan.

Keith Green, 9-Year-Old Is Shown Striking A Victorious Pose After “Flooring” Muhammad Ali At Madison Square Garden In New York, March 14, 1967.

World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, Left, And Ernie Terrell Stand Face To Face During A Weigh-In For The Title Fight Tonight In Houston, Texas, On Feb. 6, 1967.

Lt. Col. J. Edwin Mckee Escorting Clay From The Armed Forces Examining Station In Houston On April 28, 1967, After He Refused To Be Drafted Into The Army, Requesting Conscientious Objector Status. Clay Was Stripped Of His Title By Boxing Commissions And Was Convicted Of Draft Evasion. He Did Not Fight For Three And A Half Years.

Muhammad Ali Makes A Point During A News Conference That He Conducted From Inside The Ring In Atlanta, Georgia, In This October 24, 1970.

Muhammad Ali And Joe Frazier Battle It Out In The Ring During Their Historic “Fight Of The Year” On March 8, 1971. The Outcome Resulted In Ali’s First Professional Defeat, A Close 15-Round Decision To Frazier.

Ali Stood Toe To Toe With Frazier And Slugged It Out As If Determined To Prove He Had Heart, That He Could Stand Up To Punishment. Frazier Won A 15-round Decision, But Both Men Suffered Noticeable Physical Damage.

Muhammad Ali With Basketball Player Elgin Baylor, Boxing Legend Sugar Ray Robinson, And Football Star O. J. Simpson In January Of 1971.

Muhammad Ali Gives A Quizzical Stare As He Ponders The Question Of What He Will Do With His $2.5 Million Dollar Share Of The March 8 Fight With Joe Frazier, March 5, 1971. Ali Spent Some Time With The Press After His Regularly Scheduled Workout In Miami Beach, Fla., Answering Questions Relative To The Upcoming Bout.

Muhammad Ali, Toys With The Finely Combed Hair Of Television Sports Commentator Howard Cosell Before The Start Of The Olympic Boxing Trials, Aug. 7, 1972, In West Point, NY.

Muhammad Ali with Pele.

Muhammad Ali with Martin Luther King.

Elvis And Ali In The Kings Hilton Hotel Suite In 1973 Where Elvis Presented Ali A Special One Of A Kind Robe Designed Just Like Famous Stage Jumpsuits.

Muhammad Ali Is Photographed With Fellow Boxer Ken Norton During The Time Of Their Anticipated Fight In March Of 1973.

Muhammad Ali spends some quality time with his daughter Maryum - 1974

Ali And His Mother, Odessa, In October 1974 In Zaire, Where He Was Training For His Match With Foreman.

Muhammad Ali chopping wood in 1974.

Sylvester Stallone, Who Was Inspired To Write Rocky After Seeing The Muhammad Ali/Chuck Wepner Fight In 1975, Meets Ali In The Locker Room To Wish Him Luck Before The Fight.

Muhammad Ali Is Photographed With Howard Cosell Backstage Before “The Muhammad Ali Variety Special” In July Of 1975.

Muhammad Ali Receives A Friendly Jab From Music Sensation Stevie Wonder During Ali’s Television Show Taping In 1975.

Muhammad Ali Hams It Up On Stage With Tennis Star Althea Gibson During A Press Party Television Special In July, 1975.

Spray Flies From The Head Of Challenger Joe Frazier As Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali Connects With A Right In The Ninth Round Of Their Title Fight In Manila, Philippines, October 1, 1975. Ali Won The Fight On A Decision To Retain The Title.

Muhammad Ali with Michael Jackson.

Muhammad Ali At London’s Heathrow Airport In 1977 When He Left For New York With His Daughters.

Muhammad Ali Is Photographed Taking Time Away From The Ring To Delight In Cuddling And Playing With Daughter, Baby Hana, 1977.

Ali And His Family In The RV Heading From Deer Lake To Washington, DC, For A Special White House Visit To See US President Jimmy Carter, 1977.

Muhammad Ali Is Pictured With Wife Veronica Porsche Ali And Daughter Hana Ali In 1977 While Touring Their Farm In Berrien Spring, Michigan.

Ali Trained His Legs By Running On The Sand In Heavy Combat Boots So His Boxing Shoes Would Feel Lighter In The Ring. Miami Beach, 1977.

Fifth Street Gym, Miami Beach, 1977. This Was Where Ali Began His Boxing Career After Winning Gold At The Olympics In 1960.

Ali And Earnie Shavers, Madison Square Garden, Nyc, 1977. Ali Won After 15 Rounds.

Ali On The Streets Of Detroit, Michigan, 1977, Having Stopped The Limo So He Could Meet Some Fans.

Mirror-boxing at Deer Lake - 1978

The Most Famous Boxing Corner In History, Wali “Blood” Muhammad And Drew “Bundini” Brown, At Work On The Champ Late In His First Fight Against Spinks In 1978. The 24-Year-Old Spinks Had Fought Only Seven Fights In His Career When He Beat Ali.

Muhammad Ali At The Fifth Street Gym, Miami Beach, Florida, Shortly After His Loss Of The World Heavyweight Championship To Leon Spinks, In 1978, At The Age Of 36. Seven Months Later, He Won It Back.

Muhammad Ali Beat Leon Spinks To Win The Heavyweight Championship Of The World For An Unprecedented Third Time , September 15, 1978.

Pope John Paul II Looks On As Muhammad Ali, Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Signs His Autograph In Vatican City, June 6, 1982.

Muhammad Ali Carried The Olympic Torch For A Kilometer In Louisville On Sunday, May 27, 1984.

Muhammad Ali Gets A Pinch To The Cheek From His 18-Year-Old Daughter Maryum “May May” At The Hard Rock Cafe In New York, May 12, 1988.

Muhammad Ali Looks On During A Bout Between Evander Holyfield And George Foreman At Caesar’s Palace In Las Vegas, Nevada, April 9, 1991.

Muhammad Ali Receives A Replacement Gold Medal For One He Lost Many Years Ago At The 1996 Centennial Olympic Games In Atlanta, Georgia.

Muhammad Ali Poses At The World Economic Forum In Davos, 2006.

Muhammad Ali And Robin Williams Practiced Their Punches At Celebrity Fight Night XII, Arizona, March 18, 2006.

Muhammad Ali Onstage During The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s 2010 Benefit “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s” At The Waldorf-astoria On November 13, 2010, In New York City.