60 Facts About Cassius Clay

Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight championship, defeating from Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25,1964, at age 22.

Cassius Clay stayed out of prison while appealing the decision to the Supreme Court, where his conviction was overturned in 1971.

Cassius Clay did not fight for nearly four years and lost a period of peak performance as an athlete.

Cassius Clay fought in several historic boxing matches, including his highly publicized fights with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle.

Cassius Clay was famous for trash-talking, often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry incorporating elements of hip hop,.

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Cassius Clay often predicted in which round he would knock out his opponent.

Cassius Clay featured as an actor and writer, releasing two autobiographies.

Cassius Clay 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.

Cassius Clay was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.

Clay's father's paternal grandparents were John Clay and Sallie Anne Clay; Clay's sister Eva claimed that Sallie was a native of Madagascar.

Cassius Clay was a descendant of slaves of the antebellum South, and was predominantly of African descent, with some Irish and English family heritage.

Cassius Clay's father was a sign and billboard painter, and his mother, Odessa O'Grady Clay, was a domestic helper.

Cassius Clay was dyslexic, which led to difficulties in reading and writing, at school and for much of his life.

Cassius Clay made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 against local amateur boxer Ronnie O'Keefe.

Cassius Clay went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union national title, and the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Cassius Clay made his professional debut on October 29,1960, winning a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker.

Cassius Clay beat his former trainer and veteran boxer Archie Moore in a 1962 match.

In each of these fights, Cassius Clay vocally belittled his opponents and vaunted his abilities.

In 1960, Cassius Clay left Moore's camp, partially due to Cassius Clay's refusal to do chores such as washing dishes and sweeping.

Cassius Clay had met Dundee in February 1957 during Cassius Clay's amateur career.

Around this time, Cassius Clay sought longtime idol Sugar Ray Robinson to be his manager, but was rebuffed.

Many of those in attendance thought Cassius Clay's behavior stemmed from fear, and some commentators wondered if he would show up for the bout.

Liston fought better in round two, but at the beginning of the third round Cassius Clay hit Liston with a combination that buckled his knees and opened a cut under his left eye.

In winning this fight at the age of 22, Cassius Clay became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion.

Cassius Clay mainly handled Ali's boxing promotions and pay-per-view closed-circuit television broadcasts.

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Cassius Clay paid a bond and remained free while the verdict was being appealed.

Cassius Clay was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and stripped of his passport.

Cassius Clay found a five-acre site on a Pennsylvania country road in the village of Deer Lake, Pennsylvania.

Cassius Clay's retirement was short-lived, however; Ali announced his comeback to face Larry Holmes for the WBC belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time.

Cassius Clay knew Ali had nothing left; he knew it would be a horror.

Cassius Clay wore lipstick; she went into bars; she dressed in clothes that were revealing and didn't look right.

Cassius Clay had another daughter, Miya was born on 1972, and from an extramarital relationship with Patricia Harvell.

Cassius Clay served as the vice president and treasurer until the sale of the company in 2006.

Cassius Clay said he accepted responsibility and took care of her, but all contacts with him were cut off after he married his fourth wife Lonnie.

Cassius Clay further alleged that Ali had originally supported her and her son financially, but stopped doing so after four years.

Cassius Clay continued to attend meetings, although keeping his involvement hidden from the public.

In 1962, Cassius Clay met Malcolm X, who soon became his spiritual and political mentor.

Cassius Clay was initially refused entry to the Nation of Islam due to his boxing career.

In spite of his abolitionist fervor, Cassius Clay owned more slaves in 1865, when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution finally forbade its practice, than he had inherited from his wealthy slave-owning father Green Cassius Clay 37 years earlier.

Cassius Clay still believes that even good Christians or good Jews can receive God's blessing and enter heaven as he stated, "God created all people, no matter what their religion".

Cassius Clay said some people didn't like the change and stuck to Elijah's teachings, but he admired it and so left Elijah's teachings and became a follower of Sunni Islam.

Cassius Clay developed an interest in Sufism, which he referenced in his autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly.

Cassius Clay appeared in the documentary film Black Rodeo riding both a horse and a bull.

Cassius Clay played a role in the shaping of the black poetic tradition, paving the way for The Last Poets in 1968, Gil Scott-Heron in 1970, and the emergence of rap music in the 1970s.

Cassius Clay later received a second Grammy nomination, for "Best Recording for Children", with his 1976 spoken word novelty record, The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs Mr Tooth Decay.

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Cassius Clay was a boxer and an activist, but he had a role in influencing what now dominated pop-culture, hip-hop.

Cassius Clay has been cited as an inspiration by rappers such as LL Cool J, Public Enemy's Chuck D, Jay-Z, Eminem, Sean Combs, Slick Rick, Nas and MC Lyte.

Cassius Clay focused on practicing his Islamic duty of charity and good deeds, donating millions to charity organizations and disadvantaged people of all religious backgrounds.

Cassius Clay spoke at several historically black colleges and universities about the importance of education, and became the largest single black donor to the United Negro College Fund in 1967 by way of a $10,000 donation.

Cassius Clay was helped to his feet by his wife Lonnie to stand before the flag due to his Parkinson's syndrome rendering him unable to carry it into the stadium.

Cassius Clay gave me this illness to remind me that I am not number one; Cassius Clay is.

Cassius Clay is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times, and was involved in more Ring "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter.

Cassius Clay was one of only three boxers to be named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated.

Cassius Clay was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

Cassius Clay was crowned Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated.

Cassius Clay was named Athlete of the Century by USA Today, and ranked as the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury.

Cassius Clay appeared on the cover of Time Magazine 5 times, the most of any athlete.

Cassius Clay wrote several bestselling books about his career, including The Greatest: My Own Story and The Soul of a Butterfly.

Cassius Clay's star is the only one to be mounted on a vertical surface, out of deference to his request that the name Muhammad—a name he shares with the Islamic prophet—not be walked upon.

Cassius Clay's 1966 fight against George Chuvalo was the subject of Joseph Blasioli's 2003 documentary film The Last Round: Chuvalo vs Ali.