Muhammad Ali
On Feb. 25, 1964, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. fought his first bout against Sonny Liston.
Liston was the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Clay was the 22-year-old underdog. Clay beat Liston with a technical knockout in the sixth round and proclaimed “I am the greatest! I am the greatest! I’m the king of the world.”
Within days of the fight, “The King” renounced his slave name and adopted the last name “X”. Soon after he introduced himself to the world as Muhammad Ali. He is considered one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth centuries.
Ali was born on Jan. 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. As a child of the U.S. south, he grew up surrounded by racism and discrimination.