
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., Muhammad Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964. Ali was a professional boxer and social activist. He was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasion. Nicknamed “The Greatest”, Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches and defended his title 19 times. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.