Cassius Clay and the Louisville Sponsoring Group

From the day he burst onto the scene, Muhammad Ali changed boxing history. But he also influenced the American civil rights movement, the perception of Islam, the view of the war in Vietnam, and the self-branding of athletes themselves. So how did his beliefs affect his career? What drove him to keep fighting for so long – even when boxing itself was taking away the gifts that made him famous? And was he really the greatest of all time?

This is a Short History of Muhammad Ali.

Written by Kate Harrison. With thanks to Jonathan Eig, writer of award-winning biography, Ali: A Life.

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