He still floats like a butterfly ...
Muhammad Ali celebrates his 70th birthday today. The self-proclaimed “Greatest” remains one of the world’s most recognizable figures, even as he has retreated from the public eye to fight Parkinson’s disease.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942, Ali took up boxing at age 12, when his bike was stolen and he wanted to find and whip the culprit. He went on to become an Olympic gold medalist and a three-time heavyweight champion with an unorthodox fighting style he described as “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
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Photo: John Rooney/AP
Muhammad Ali exults after dropping Sonny Liston with a short hard right to the jaw in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965.
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Photo: Harold P. Matosian/AP
Nov. 15, 1962: Cassius Clay's prediction proves right as he knocks out Archie Moore in the fourth round in L.A.
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Photo: Ron Frehm/AP
Aug. 29, 1974: Ali promotes Madison Square Garden ticket sales for his fight with George Foreman in Zaire.
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Photo: AP Photo
March 1, 1964: Ali with Malcolm X in New York after screening a film about his title fight with Sonny Liston.
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Photo: Mitsunori Chigita/AP
Oct. 1, 1975: Ali connects in his "Thrilla in Manila" title fight with Joe Frazier. Ali wins on a TKO.
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Photo: Michel Euler/AP
Jan. 28, 2006: Ali strikes a familiar pose in a hotel lobby in Davos, Switzerland.
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Photo: AP Photo
May 16, 1975: Ali hammers Ron Lyle in the fifth round of their bout in Las Vegas. Lyle died last Nov. 26 at 70.