NEW YORK (voa) – The man who “floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee” – three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali – celebrates his 60th birthday Thursday.
When Ali began his professional fighting career more than 40 years ago, his name was Cassius Clay. But after becoming an Olympic Champion in 1960 he announced to the world in 1964 that he had converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
First and foremost, Ali was a fighter, but it was because of his larger than-life presence and colorful life that he also became a symbol of different things to many different people. At the peak of his fame he could draw huge crowds of admirers virtually anywhere in the world.
These days, Ali is a devout Muslim, who is slowed by the effects of Parkinson’s disease, for which he neither seeks nor accepts pity
He is not a huge fan of boxing, although his fights are still seen on television. He’s also been the subject of several documentaries and a splashy feature film that was released on Christmas Day.
