Muhammad Ali was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay on January 14th, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay grew up in a very segregated life where racism was alive and well. Fortunately, his difficult childhood did not get in the way of him realizing how talented of a boxer he really was. He gradually built his way up to becoming a three time world champion in boxing, defeating every apponent who stood in his way. Before this, he was living by the paycheck, paying for a trainer in a local gym like another normal human being.
In 1946, Clay was introduced to Malcom X at a convention center on Miami Beach. Malcom X was the main reason for Muhammad's sudden interest in the Nation of Islam. On March 5th, he had reseaved a new name that he would go by, along with 'Louisville Lip' and 'The Greatest', and that was 'Cassius X.' This name was given to him by Malcom X himself. The media and many of Clay's supporters did not take this well because at the same time, the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, had blessed Clay with a new name as well. This new name was Muhammad Ali and Clay wouldn't to anyone who called to him with any other name but this. Muhammad Ali was considered the best African American Muslim in boxing. On April 28th, 1967, he was drafted in the Vietnam war, and refused. This is where his career seemed to have started to go spiraling downward.
Muhammad Ali, 1963
Muhammad Ali, 2016