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Clay won his professional boxing debut on October 29, 1960. His style in the ring was all about overwhelming the opponent. He combined moves with quick, powerful jabs and foot speed. He was winning big already by the time he turned 18, with two national Golden Gloves titles, two Amateur Athletic Union national titles and a total of 100 victories against eight losses.

This is one of the most famous quotes by the legendary boxer. At 22, Clay received his first title shot against reigning heavy weight champion, Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964. Apparently, Ali was sarcastic towards Liston before the fight, promising to “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and predicting a knockout. And, as they say the rest is history. Liston failed to answer the bell at the beginning of the 7th round, Ali became the heavyweight champion of the world.

(In Pic: In this May 25, 1965, file photo, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stands over fallen challenger Sonny Liston shortly after dropping him with a short hard right to the jaw in Lewiston, Maine.)

In 1964, Clay denounced his name and rechristened himself as Muhammad Ali. He converted to Islam and associated himself with Nation of Islam (NOI). Ali's spiritual and political mentor was Malcolm X, who was a prominent name of the movement. Ali had referred to himself as Cassius X after Malcolm X, before he was renamed Muhammad Ali.

(Image: Twitter/Muhammad Ali)

When Ali refused to fight the Vietnamese in the war raged bu US, he was criticised. He was not just criticised, the star champion was stripped of his championship title and suspended his licence to box in New York. He was only 25 then, and chose to stick to his beliefs, rather than follow the rules of the land. In his own words, he chose to follow the rules of Allah over those of the land. Ali was banned for three years. As Ali spoke at campuses, spreading a word about humanity, public sentiments turned against war. In 1970, the New York Supreme Court reinstated his boxing license.

(Image: Twitter/Muhammad Ali)

Ali came back to the ring with a bang in 1970 and knocked out Jerry Quarry in the third round. However, a big blow was waiting for Ali in 1971, when he was defeated by Joe Frazier in what was called the 'Fight of the Century'. Ali went on to win for his next 10 bouts, managing to defend his title. The 39-year-old Ali retired for good in 1981 with a career record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts. The legendary fighter passed away at the age of 74 on June 3, 2016, after fighting Parkinson's for 30 years.

(Image: Twitter/Muhammad Ali)