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Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee — no one did it quite like The Greatest! Join us as we count down Muhammad Ali's most unforgettable moments, from his legendary bouts inside the ring to the bold convictions and larger-than-life personality that cemented his legacy as a true icon of sport, culture, and human courage!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for Muhammad Ali's most unforgettable moments,
00:05from his legendary feats in the ring, to the bold convictions and larger-than-life personality that made him the
00:11greatest.
00:12I'm the prettiest thing in the ring today.
00:14Number 20, From Stolen Bicycle to Boxing Legend.
00:17One day in October of 1954, 12-year-old Cassius rode his bicycle into downtown Louisville.
00:23Who knew a stolen bicycle could be a life highlight, let alone change the course of history?
00:27In October 1954, 12-year-old Cassius Clay rode his new Red Schwinn to a show at Louisville's Columbia Auditorium.
00:35After spending time inside the event during a rainstorm, he came back outside to discover his bike was missing.
00:40Went running around looking for his bicycle and then ran back into the community center asking for help.
00:44Someone told him there was a police officer in the basement.
00:47Furious, he went looking for a police officer to report the theft and found Joe Martin,
00:52who also happened to run a boxing gym in the building's basement.
00:54When Clay declared he wanted to beat up whoever stole his bike, Martin suggested he learn how to box first.
01:00Joe Martin said, well, do you know how to fight?
01:04Fight?
01:05And that was the beginning.
01:07Yep, that chance encounter set the future heavyweight champion on the path to greatness.
01:12Number 19, Winning Olympic Gold in Rome.
01:14Before he became the heavyweight champion of the world, Ali was an Olympic champion.
01:18Competing as Cassius Clay at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, the then 18-year-old won gold in the
01:25light heavyweight division.
01:26It was a major milestone for the young boxer, who had already built an impressive amateur record and was now
01:31representing the United States on the international stage.
01:34His victory helped establish him as a rising talent, and he turned professional later that year.
01:39The 1960 Olympics wouldn't be his last brush with the games, though.
01:42In 1996, Ali returned to the Olympics spotlight for one of the most moving moments in the event's history, but
01:48more on that later.
01:50Number 18, First Fight with Joe Frazier.
01:52What's gonna happen when you meet Smokin' Joe?
01:54And I said, Joe's gonna come out smokin', and I ain't gonna be jokin'.
01:59I'll be peckin' and a-pokin', pourin' water on his smokin'.
02:04And this might shock and amaze you, but I will destroy Joe Frazier.
02:07On March 8th, 1971, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met at New York's Madison Square Garden.
02:14However, it wasn't just any fight.
02:16The bout was billed as the fight of the century.
02:18You see, both men entered undefeated, and each had a legitimate claim to the heavyweight crown.
02:23I feel like I'm this much fighter, better, and twice time as better as him.
02:27Ali was returning after more than three years away from professional boxing,
02:31while Frazier had established himself as the division's leading champion in his absence.
02:36And, well, their 15-round battle lived up to its enormous billing.
02:40In the end, Frazier landed a powerful left hook that knocked Ali down.
02:44And while Ali got back up, the judges awarded Frazier a unanimous decision.
02:49Number 17, The Boxer vs. The Wrestler.
02:52What happens when the world's most famous boxer takes on a Japanese wrestling superstar?
02:56You get one of the strangest sporting spectacles ever.
03:04On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fist Antonio Inoki at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan
03:11in a bout promoted as a clash between boxing and wrestling.
03:15The contest was governed by unusual restrictive rules that limited what Inoki could do,
03:20including when he could legally kick Ali.
03:21Inoki spent most of the match on his back, delivering kicks to Ali's legs,
03:26while Ali struggled to land meaningful punches.
03:28After 15 rounds, the contest was declared a draw.
03:32While the unusual contest baffled many spectators at the time,
03:35it later gained a curious place in combat sports history.
03:45Think you've got what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the greatest?
03:48Step in to watch Mojo's 24-7 live stream.
03:51Scan the QR code on screen to join us live for more legendary moments
03:54and larger-than-life personalities.
03:56Play immediately announced to everyone
03:58that one day he would be called the greatest of all time.
04:02Number 16, What's My Name?
04:04Ali was an angry man when he entered the ring at the Houston Astrodome
04:08on February the 6th, 1967.
04:10Ali wanted respect, and he intended to get it on February 6th, 1967.
04:15This is when he defended his heavyweight championship
04:18against Ernie Terrell in Houston, Texas.
04:20The tension had been building before the opening bell,
04:23as Terrell continued referring to Ali by his birth name, Cassius Clay.
04:27But Ali insisted that his newly adopted name be recognized.
04:30The fight was brutal.
04:37Their disagreement became part of the fight's central narrative,
04:40with Ali repeatedly taunting Terrell with the question,
04:42What's My Name?
04:44inside the ring.
04:50But this was no quick knockout.
04:52Ali dominated much of the 15-round contest,
04:55while Terrell endured a punishing beating
04:56and stayed on his feet until the final bell.
04:59Ali won by unanimous decision.
05:00Ali later claimed that in a clinch towards the end of the fight,
05:04Terrell called him by his proper name.
05:06Number 15, The Cleveland Williams Masterclass.
05:09Ali had agreed to fight Cleveland Big Cat Williams,
05:12an army veteran who'd once been shot by a police officer
05:16during a drunk driving arrest.
05:18This wasn't just a victory.
05:19It was a showcase of Ali at his absolute best.
05:22On November 14, 1966, he faced Cleveland Big Cat Williams at the Houston Astrodome,
05:29defending his heavyweight championship against a notoriously dangerous puncher.
05:33Williams had knocked out 51 of his 71 opponents.
05:37Williams had suffered a serious gunshot wound in 1964,
05:40and undergone extensive surgery before returning to boxing,
05:43making the matchup particularly challenging to assess.
05:46Once the fight began, however,
05:48Ali's speed, footwork, and precision were extraordinary.
05:51He throws like a 10-punch combination.
05:53He's going backwards, man.
05:56Now look.
05:59Look, I don't know how to define that.
06:01I'm not a scientist, but like that,
06:04that kind of like, you know, artistry will never be seen again.
06:06He moved around Williams, landed combinations,
06:09and repeatedly sent his opponent to the canvas.
06:11The referee stopped the contest at 1 minute and 8 seconds of the third round,
06:16awarding Ali an impressive technical knockout victory.
06:18The referee ended the fight.
06:26Number 14, the Supreme Court overturns his conviction.
06:30Whenever people want to really make progress,
06:32some have to sacrifice a lot.
06:34And I like to say, um, um,
06:37white America right now is spending $30 million a day in Asia,
06:41black and white boys are dying unjustly for nothing.
06:43So why should I worry about going to little old jail
06:46to free my poor people who's been catching it over here for 400 years?
06:49Muhammad Ali's principles may have cost him years of his boxing career,
06:53but his legal battle eventually reached the highest court in the United States.
06:56After refusing induction into the armed forces during the Vietnam War,
07:00Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his heavyweight title.
07:03It is part of our religious tenet that we will not fight any wars in which human life is being
07:08taken,
07:09unless I am commanded to fight by Allah.
07:13And those views are a religiously based objection to participation in war in all forms.
07:21He maintained that his religious beliefs made him a conscientious objector,
07:25but his application had been rejected by his local draft board.
07:27On June 28th, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction.
07:33The court unanimously threw out the conviction of boxer Muhammad Ali or Cassius Clay.
07:37On June 28th, 1971, as Ali was leaving a corner store on the south side of Chicago,
07:44the shopkeeper heard the news and ran after him to let him know.
07:49The decision marked a major legal victory after years of professional and personal sacrifice,
07:53cementing his legacy as a figure who stood by his convictions, despite enormous consequences.
08:08Number 13. Muhammad Ali joins Wrestlemania 1.
08:12There he is! Unbelievable individual! The greatest! Muhammad Ali!
08:19The greatest stepped into a different kind of ring on March 31st, 1985.
08:23Yep, Muhammad Ali appeared at the inaugural Wrestlemania at Madison Square Garden,
08:28where he served as a special outside official for the main event,
08:31which pitted Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
08:36Muhammad Ali has been assigned as the outside referee,
08:40which is just as important as being inside and maybe more so.
08:44The event was designed to bring professional wrestling to a much bigger audience,
08:48and Ali wasn't just there for the photo op.
08:50When the action spilled out of control, he got involved.
08:53Muhammad Ali is getting into the ring!
08:56And we're getting chaos five minutes into the match, Gino Monsoon!
08:59Ali stepped right in there!
09:02Oh, look at Ali! Took a shot at Piper!
09:04Hogan and Mr. T ultimately won the match,
09:06but Ali's appearance remains one of the inaugural Wrestlemania's most memorable celebrity moments ever.
09:11The former champion of the world is taking control of the ring and driving Ace Bob Orton back to the
09:17floor!
09:18Number 12, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali
09:21In 1978, DC Comics released Superman vs. Muhammad Ali,
09:25an oversized special that brought the heavyweight boxing champion into the Man of Steel's world.
09:30And I know for a lot of people, like, of my generation, this was the greatest comic book ever made.
09:34The story sees Earth threatened by an alien invasion,
09:37with Ali and Superman drawn into a boxing match to determine who will represent the planet
09:42in a fight against the alien's champion.
09:44Written by Dennis O'Neill and illustrated by Neil Adams,
09:47the comic became especially famous for its elaborate cover,
09:50which features a crowd packed with recognizable celebrities and public figures.
09:54There's the Jackson 5.
09:55Sure.
09:56This is James Garner.
09:58It all reflected Ali's extraordinary cultural standing.
10:01By this point, his fame had reached far beyond the boxing ring,
10:04and into the realm of pop culture mythology.
10:06If you can make things equal by, like, for example, putting Superman under a red sun,
10:12Superman is not going to be our greatest champion.
10:14Our greatest champion is going to be Ali.
10:16Number 11, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom
10:19Only a few athletes are ever known as the greatest in their sport, or in their time.
10:25But when you say, the greatest of all time is in the room, everyone knows who you mean.
10:31Few athletes have left a legacy that stretches as far beyond their sport as Muhammad Ali.
10:36In November 2005, Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.
10:42Fans and students of boxing will study the films, and some will even try to copy his style.
10:48Certain things defy imitation.
10:51The Ali shuffle, the lightning jabs, the total command of the ring,
10:56and above all, the sheer guts and determination he brought to every fight.
11:00The honor, the United States' highest civilian award,
11:03recognized Ali's extraordinary contributions and influence beyond boxing.
11:07His career had included heavyweight championships, historic fights,
11:11and some of the sport's most celebrated performances.
11:13But his legacy was also shaped by his willingness to speak openly about his convictions,
11:18not to mention his humanitarian work in later life.
11:21By the time he received the medal,
11:22Ali had become a figure whose significance extended well beyond athletic achievement.
11:39Number 10, Ali takes on Saddam.
11:42By the end of his career, Muhammad Ali had faced and beaten the top heavyweights of his era.
11:47But none of those fights could prepare him for a challenger,
11:49like Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
11:51Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and weeks away from full-on war with the United States,
11:57Hussein took 15 American citizens hostage.
11:59The men, many of whom were employees of a General Motors facility in Iraq,
12:03were being held in strategically important buildings as a safeguard for American bombing.
12:08Against all recommendations, including that of President George H.W. Bush,
12:12Ali went to Iraq to personally negotiate their release.
12:15Thank God, and thank God.
12:18Yeah.
12:18God works through people.
12:21It's not me.
12:22Despite the odds, and the champ having run out of Parkinson's medication days prior,
12:26Hussein surrendered all 15 men to Ali,
12:29and three days later, all were safely back in the United States.
12:33Number 9, the first three-time world heavyweight champ.
12:36Ali's first championship title win was impressive enough,
12:39demolishing 8-1 odds on favorite Sonny Liston in 1964.
12:42I saw Sonny Liston a few days ago, Cassius.
12:45Ain't he ugly?
12:48He's too ugly to be the world's champ.
12:51The world's champ should be pretty like me.
12:53By his retirement, Ali would be crowned heavyweight champ a record-setting three times.
12:58After defeating Liston and claiming himself to be the greatest,
13:01as well as the prettiest thing that ever lived,
13:03Ali was robbed of his title when he refused to serve in the Vietnam War.
13:07After returning to boxing in 1971,
13:10Ali worked his way back up the card,
13:11finally securing a title shot against,
13:13and beating then-champ George Foreman in 1974.
13:17Ali held the title until February 1978,
13:19when he lost to Leon Spinks,
13:21only to retake the title in a rematch the same year,
13:24becoming the first three-time world heavyweight champion.
13:27The fight is over!
13:31Number 8, I am the greatest.
13:33I always knew how hard he hit,
13:35and I always knew that he couldn't hit me.
13:36That's why I talk so bold.
13:37If anyone wondered how Ali earned a nickname like the Louisville Lip,
13:41his 1963 spoken word album should clear up the mystery.
13:45Released while he was still known as Cassius Clay,
13:47I am the greatest arrived just six months prior to his name change,
13:50conversion to Islam,
13:51and first heavyweight championship.
13:53This is the legend of Cassius Clay,
13:56the most beautiful fighter in the world today.
14:00The album's first eight cuts were labeled rounds rather than tracks,
14:04and saw the ever-confident Ali boast, brag,
14:07and even predict his title win in front of a live studio audience.
14:10This brash young boxer is something to see,
14:13and the heavyweight championship is his destiny.
14:16Co-written in part with comedy writer Gary Belkin,
14:18the album earned a Grammy nomination,
14:20and hit number 61 on the charts,
14:22with Ali's flow now seen as proto-rap.
14:25The LP's title track, meanwhile,
14:27was spun off as a single,
14:28with a diss track of all diss tracks,
14:31Will the Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down as a B-side.
14:34I'm going to fight Sonny Liston.
14:35That is, if he doesn't chicken out,
14:39I will win that fight,
14:40because I am president of the boxing world,
14:43and this fist is my veto.
14:45I am the greatest.
14:47Number seven, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
14:50The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see.
14:52Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
14:56More than just a memorable catchphrase,
14:58float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,
15:00was a poetic, yet apt way of summing up
15:03Ali's unusual boxing style.
15:05Rather than resemble anything remotely traditional,
15:07the early Ali style relied on speed
15:10and constant movement rather than brute force.
15:12Ali also had a tendency to duck back
15:14and make his opponent overextend
15:16or put themselves off balance.
15:18He was known as much for his fancy footwork
15:20as he was for his rapid-fire eye jabs.
15:23Post-exile, Ali took this approach even further,
15:26with a rope-a-dope style.
15:28Rather than come in guns blazing,
15:30Ali would effectively become a punching bag
15:31until his opponent was completely worn out
15:33and ready to have his ass handed to them.
15:36Number six, becoming Muhammad Ali.
15:38I said, here comes Mr. Castro, you look for Cuban.
15:40Here comes Mr. Lumumba, Mr. Kenyatta,
15:43you look for African, a black man.
15:44Now, what's your last name?
15:48Starting around 1961,
15:50the man then known as Cassius Clay
15:51became increasingly interested in the Nation of Islam,
15:54otherwise known as the Black Muslim Movement,
15:57eventually being mentored by famed member Malcolm X.
15:59But, due to his boxing career,
16:01he was initially refused membership.
16:03This changed, however,
16:05leading up to his championship bout
16:06with Sonny Liston in 1964.
16:08Prior to the match,
16:10news of Clay's conversion leaked,
16:11and on February 26th, 1964,
16:14the day after defeating Liston,
16:15he publicly renounced his slave name
16:17and re-emerged as Cassius X
16:19before taking the name Muhammad Ali
16:21the following week.
16:22One of the interesting developments
16:23of this always interesting young man
16:25called Cassius Clay
16:27is that he has changed his name
16:28in keeping with his religious convictions
16:31and he is now Muhammad Ali, I believe.
16:34With his new identity,
16:35Ali became increasingly outspoken
16:37about race, civil, and religious issues
16:39and frequently butted heads
16:41with the establishment of the day.
16:42No nation, no people can be free
16:44without land.
16:46And we are a whole nation,
16:4822 million people,
16:49without a toothpick factory.
16:51Number 5.
16:52Thrilla in Manila.
16:53Frazier will try to pour in
16:55and catch this man.
16:58Muhammad Ali opening up the best.
17:00When Ali returned to boxing in 1971,
17:03he was entitled to a shot
17:04at reclaiming his championship.
17:06Pitted against Smokin' Joe Frazier
17:07in what was billed as the fight of the century,
17:10Ali entered the bout a relative equal
17:12but left the match defeated.
17:17Four years later,
17:19Ali was champion again
17:20and it was now Frazier
17:21with his eyes on the prize.
17:22Dubbed the Thrilla in Manila,
17:24the Ali-Frasier matchup
17:26won 14 solid rounds
17:27in 120 degrees Fahrenheit,
17:2949 degrees Celsius heat.
17:31Ali dominated early,
17:33Frazier led the mid-rounds,
17:34but by the 10th round,
17:35the tide had turned very much in Ali's favor,
17:38and Frazier gave just after the 14th round.
17:40During the match,
17:41Ali lost five pounds
17:43due to the extreme heat,
17:44a situation he called
17:45the closest he'd ever been to death.
17:47Remember the scoring is on a round basis.
17:50Frazier is tired
17:51and his eyes are closing.
17:53Number four,
17:54lighting the Olympic torch.
18:01The U.S. Olympic Committee
18:03managed to keep Ali's participation
18:04in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games
18:06a secret,
18:07but the crowd made no secret
18:09of their admiration
18:09for the former champ.
18:11By 1996,
18:12Ali had been retired 15 years,
18:14and although he was still
18:15a relatively young 54,
18:17the effects of Parkinson's disease
18:18were starting to show.
18:19His body may have been working against him,
18:22his arms may have been shaking,
18:23but lighting the Olympic torch
18:24and basking in the crowd's love,
18:26Ali stood proud,
18:27with as much command and dignity
18:29as he ever had in his youth.
18:44Number three,
18:45the Rumble in the Jungle.
18:46Round one,
18:47Ali bouncing around,
18:48shifting left for right,
18:50George moves slow,
18:51Ali gets the first punch in,
18:52a light right hand,
18:54take it on the forehead
18:55by George Foreman,
18:56the champion.
18:56After missing his shot in 1971
18:58against Joe Frazier,
19:00Muhammad Ali fought his way up
19:01the rankings to square off
19:02with then-heavyweight champ
19:04George Foreman in 1974.
19:06Known today as a cheery
19:07Electric Girl spokesman,
19:09the George Foreman of 1974
19:10was a lean,
19:11mean,
19:12punch-throwing machine.
19:13For the big money showdown in Zaire,
19:16Ali opted to use his now
19:17fine-tuned rope-a-dope technique
19:19rather than to match Foreman's power.
19:21Foreman wore himself out
19:22pummeling Ali with body shots,
19:24while Ali sat back on the ropes
19:26and blocked,
19:26occasionally punching Foreman
19:28straight in the face.
19:29Muhammad is allowing Foreman
19:31to come in on him,
19:32inviting him in
19:33and counter-punching,
19:34inviting him in.
19:35In the eighth round,
19:36the greatest took things
19:37a bit more seriously,
19:38delivering a five-punch combo
19:40that sent Foreman to the mat
19:41and Ali to victory.
19:43And he worked over the shoulder,
19:44Foreman.
19:45This is a combination.
19:49Number two,
19:50refusing military service.
19:52This will still be nothing,
19:54if I am not content internally,
19:57and if I'm not in court
19:58with the will of Almighty Allah.
20:00Ali was rejected
20:01for military service in 1964
20:03based on a shockingly low IQ score.
20:06However, in 1966,
20:08standards had changed.
20:09The champ was now eligible
20:10and suddenly faced
20:11the very real threat
20:12of being drafted.
20:13Couldn't see myself
20:14taking part in nothing
20:15where I would help
20:17and aid in any way
20:18to shooting and killing
20:19these Asiatic dark black people
20:22who haven't caught me,
20:22if they haven't lynched me,
20:24if they haven't deprived me
20:25of freedom, justice, and equality,
20:26they haven't assassinated
20:27my leaders.
20:28War, however,
20:29was against both his religious
20:30and social beliefs
20:31as well as his personal conviction.
20:33So Ali refused to serve,
20:35calling himself
20:35a conscientious objector.
20:37Now, draft is another thing
20:38that's against
20:39my religious beliefs.
20:40Arrested and found guilty
20:42of evading the draft
20:43in 1967,
20:44Ali faced a $10,000 fine
20:46and five years in prison.
20:47In addition,
20:49he was also stripped
20:49of his titles,
20:50licensed to box,
20:52and even his passport,
20:53leading Esquire magazine
20:54to represent him
20:55as a martyr.
20:56The former champion
20:56stayed out of prison
20:57thanks to an appeal
20:58that eventually reached
20:59the Supreme Court.
21:00He spent his exile years
21:02giving lectures
21:02and even acting on Broadway
21:04to pay the bills.
21:04I'm just about
21:05what they call broke
21:06because I'm not allowed
21:08to work.
21:09I've stopped right
21:10in the middle
21:10of my profession.
21:11I'm not complaining
21:13over what they have done,
21:14but I'm just saying
21:15that if I never fight again
21:16or never see a ring,
21:18the people will know
21:19that, you know,
21:22who the real champ is.
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21:48Number one,
21:49the Sonny Liston rematch.
21:51Muhammad Ali towering
21:52in victory
21:53over a crumpled Sonny Liston
21:54is among the most famous
21:56images in sports history.
21:58Happening just minutes
21:58into the match,
21:59it was just one of many
22:00things about the fight
22:01that was rife with controversy.
22:03Security issues,
22:04including the possibility
22:05of Liston being attacked
22:06by Nation of Islam members
22:08or Ali being killed
22:09by Malcolm X supporters,
22:11led the match
22:11to be held
22:12in a small-town Maine
22:13rather than Boston Mass.
22:15Ringside,
22:16much of the half-capacity audience
22:17never saw
22:18the so-called phantom punch
22:19that took Liston down,
22:21largely because many of them
22:22hadn't yet made their way
22:23to their seats.
22:29Meanwhile,
22:30in the ring,
22:31even Ali himself
22:32wasn't sure
22:32the punch had connected
22:33when the fight ended
22:34amid confusion,
22:36with Ali failing
22:36to return to his corner,
22:38the referee neglecting
22:39to restart the count,
22:40and the bout continuing
22:41before Liston
22:41was declared KO.
22:48Which of Muhammad Ali's
22:49legendary moments
22:50is your favorite?
22:51Let us know in the comments
22:52down below.
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