On January 17, the sports world remembers one of the greatest boxers in history – Muhammad Ali – who was born on that day in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942.

Three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who boasted that he was “The Greatest” and usually backed it up, died June 3, 2016, at the age of 74.  He was born Cassius Clay and joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964, shortly after having upset overwhelming favorite Sonny Liston via technical knockout to capture the heavyweight title in Miami Beach.

The 6-foot-3 Ali, who possessed a remarkable combination of speed and power, and bragged about his ability to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” proved the victory was no fluke by knocking out Liston in the first round of a 1965 rematch in Lewiston, Maine. With a wit as sharp as the punches he used to “whup” opponents, Ali dominated sports for two decades before time and Parkinson’s disease, triggered by thousands of blows to the head, ravaged his magnificent body, muted his majestic voice and ended his storied career in 1981.