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Marcellus Clay, Jr. was Born
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Muhammad Ali won the light-heavy weight gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rome.
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Clay is a heavy underdog in his championship bout with Sonny Liston.
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After the fight, Clay announces he has become a Black Muslim and has changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
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In April, Ali refuses induction into the U.S. Army due to his religious convictions. He angers many Americans after claiming. He is subsequently stripped of his WBA title and his license to fight. In June, a court finds him guilty of draft evasion, fines him $10,000, and sentences him to five years in prison. He remains free, pending numerous appeals, but is still barred from fighting.
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Ali returns to the ring in Atlanta and knocks out Jerry Quarry in three rounds.
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In March, he fights heavyweight champ Joe Frazier in Madison Square Garden. A left hook by Frazier knocks Ali down in the 15th round. Frazier wins by unanimous decision.
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With a career record of 55–2, an overconfident Ali loses his belt to 1976 Olympic champ Leon Spinks in a 15-round split decision.
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Announces his retirement
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Comes out of retirement to fight new heavyweight champ Larry Holmes. Holmes punishes Ali, landing an estimated 125 punches in the ninth and tenth rounds alone, and then knocks him out in the 11th.
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Ali is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder whose symptoms include muscle tremors and slowness of speech.
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Ali carries the Olympic torch and ignites the cauldron to signal the beginning of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
