He was born Jan. 18, 1942, in Louisville, Ky. Cassius Marcellus Clay started boxing at the age of 12. Even at a young age, he displayed pure dominance as a young fighter winning two national Golden Gloves middleweight championships and an AAU national light-heavyweight title. Not too long after graduation, he blessed with a gift of winning the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
Clay was a brilliant independent self-promoter, showing off for the camera and his proclaiming that not only was he the greatest fighter, but he was also the prettiest. He predicted in