Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr on January 17, 1942 – Muhammad Ali was more than just an American professional boxer -he was an entertainer, philanthropist,poet and above all an inspiration for generations to come .Muhammad Ali is an icon for athletes and all people in general and a few lines on him can never respect his genius but still it's my humble attempt to cite a few excerpts of his iconic legacy.

Ali won his first major title when he secured the gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics, at the age of 18. Ali dropped a major bombshell when he declared that he was gonna change his religion.It was during this time that he was caught up in a major fix- Ali refused to be drafted into the military, citing his religious beliefs and ethical opposition to the Vietnam War.This was something that made him a figure to look up to among the larger counterculture generation but there was a price to pay -Ali was convicted to 5 years of prison because of draft evasion and was striped of his boxing titles.His career were shaken but not his spirits.He lost four of his peak years as an extraordinary athlete but he never lost his focus-the man and the myth returned stronger and throughout his career he was involved in religious and civil rights movements to fight for the oppressed and against racism.

THE LEGEND OF MUHAMMAD ALI

He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, popularly known as the "Fight of the Century" and his fight with George Foreman known as "The Rumble in the Jungle",which was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide,becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at that time.Ranked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time,Ali's heroics didn't just end inside the ring - " The Greatest " has also received Grammy nominations twice and even featured as an actor and writer in several Hollywood films.

" I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was "- the legacy of Ali is not determined by his impossible feats or the name that he made worldwide ;instead it's made up of sheer hardwork,impossible determination ,the fighting spirit of a tiger ,the belief of never giving up- that is what made " Muhammad Ali " . Don't just get inspired and energised by his right hooks that knocked out opponents inside the boxing ring but also learn from his golden words and his attitude of fighting for what is right till the end.I will end this article with an quote of his ,"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion" - truly something that made him champion for eternity.