i upset sonny liston and just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest.♪ ♪ >>> after winning the championship, clay explained to the press that he has embraced the religion of islam and that he wished to be called by his new muslim name, muhammad ali. >> he announced that he had joined the nation of islam, and that made him very, very unpopular. >> i don't think he could have gotten a worse response unless he said he joined the communist party. >> because they viewed islam at that time like they view it now as something that is radical, something that is bad. something that is different than mainstream america. >> it was in a time of really serious political upheaval, the voting rights act and the civil rights act were still new. i think one of them hadn't even been enacted yet. so a lot of change was happening at that time. >> the nation of islam had a doctrine that is very different from orthodox islam, which is what muhammad embraces today. the nation of islam was founded by a man named elijah muhammed. >> it's said that bla

the only reason i won't be, is this fella, sonny liston, will be ducking and dodging me. >> sonny liston, being compared to jack dempsey and joe lewis, goes to train. >> liston was a destroyer of flesh. if liston was around today, he would eat up every heavywieght. he would have eat them up, knock them out. i seen him hit a guy with a jab, knock his teeth out. >> i saw sonny liston a few days ago. >> he's too ugly to be the world's champ. the world's champ should be pretty, like me. >> this is a guy who had been to jail several times. for armed robbery, for beating up a cop. he was managed by the mob. his three previous fights had resulted in first round knockouts. >> forget it. they're looking at my kid. oh, my god. he's going to get killed. they didn't realize the transition from 60 to 64. this kid became a man. he loved to train. loved to spar. he could star like you and i take a hot shower. >> my new year's resolution is to knock out that big, ugly bear. shake up the whole world in 1964 and talk no more. >> will you look right into the camera and wish sonny liston a happy new year. >

and when his eyes started to clear up he started to do a number on liston again. >> sonny liston was beaten badly, refused to come off the stool and cassius clay came up, leaned up, and said you and you and you, i fooled you. it's my destiny, i'm a champ. >> i don't have a mark on my face and i upset sonny liston, and i'm just 22 years old. i must be the greatest. ♪ ♪ ♪ little miss muffet sat on eating her curds and whey. along came a burglar who broke into her home and ransacked the place making off with several valuable tuffets. fortunately geico had recently helped her with homeowners insurance. she got full replacement on her tuffets. the burglar was later captured when he was spotted with whey on his face. call geico and see how much you could save on homeowners insurance. >>> after winning the championship, clay explains to the brace that he has embraced the religion of islam, and that he wished to be called by his new muslim name, muhammad ali. >> he announced that he had joined the nation of islam, and that made him very, very unpopular. >> i don't think he could have g

. -- sonny liston. >>> his heavyweight title was revoked when he refused to serve in the vietnam war. he began a three and a half year exile from championship fights until the supreme court overturned his conviction on a technicality. barely back in the ring his undefeated professional record came to an end in 1971 when he lost to joe frazier in a match dubbed the fight of the century. but he would get revenge in the rematch. it ended in a technical knockout after the 14th round. ali on a roll again. >> i murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. >> his last fight was in 1981 when he lost his title. he had been fighting a new battle, diagnosed with parkinson's disease. as his condition grew progressively worse his spirit grew strong. he lit the flame at the summer only limb pick games in atlanta. and in 2005 he was presented with the presidential medal of freedom award. the nation's highest civilian honor. >> when you say the greatest of all time is in the room, everyone knows who you mean. . >> in his final years, ali penned a book, launched an online store, and even ap

i upset sonny liston and just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest. ♪ >>> after winning the championship, clay explained to the press that he has embraced the religion of islam and that he wished to be called by his new muslim name, muhammad ali. >> he announced that he had joined the nation of islam, and that made him very, very unpopular. >> i don't think he could have gotten a worst response unless he said he joined the communist party. >> because they viewed islam at that time like they view it now as something that is radical, something that is bad. something that is different than plain stream america. >> it was in a time of really serious political upheaval, the voting rights act and the civil rights act were still new. i think one of them hadn't even been enacted yet. so a lot of change was happening at that time. >> the nation of islam had a doctrine that is very different from orthodox islam, which is what muhammad embraces today. the nation of islam was founded by a man named elijah muhammed. >> it's said that blac

that's when he stepped into the ring against heavyweight champion sonny liston. jim axelrod has that story. >> don't even mention that defeat to me. >> reporter: hardly anyone gave the challenger a chance against sonny liston, a cold, brutal ex-con with a devastating left hook. even clay's ringside physician, fight doctor ferdie pacheco, was concerned. you were really worried liston of going to hurt cassius clay. >> not hurt him, kill him. >> reporter: but the brash cassius clay, full of confidence and trash talk, taunted liston all the way up to the bell. >> tonight, somebody will die at ringside from shock! >> reporter: to the mostly white male sportswriting corps, clay had no chance. >> cassius clay is the only man here who thinks he is going to win. >> reporter: but clay surprised no one more than liston, dancing, and opening up liston's face with jab after jab. >> he ran around here, ran this way, he ran that way. he looked like a crazy fighter. >> reporter: after six rounds, sonny liston had had enough, spitting out his mouthpiece before the seventh. the fi

that's when he stepped into the ring against heavyweight champion sonny liston. jim axelrod has that story. >> don't even mention that defeat to me. >> reporter: hardly anyone gave the challenger a chance against sonny liston, a cold, brutal ex-con with a devastating left hook. even clay's ringside physician, fight doctor ferdie pacheco, was concerned. you were really worried liston of going to hurt cassius clay. >> not hurt him, kill him. >> reporter: but the brash cassius clay, full of confidence and trash talk, taunted liston all the way up to the bell. >> tonight, somebody will die at ringside from shock! >> reporter: to the mostly white male sportswriting corps, clay had no chance. >> cassius clay is the only man here who thinks he is going to win. >> reporter: but clay surprised no one more than liston, dancing, and opening up liston's face with jab after jab. >> he ran around here, ran this way, he ran that y >> reporter: after six rounds, sonny liston had had enough, spitting out his mouthpiece before the seventh. the fight was over, but the new champ was

you know, and, of course, ali went out there and embarrassed sonny liston. that was the type of guy he was. you had to love him for that. >> stephen: your dad was a boxer. you trained with bruce lee. >> yeah. >> stephen: do you think you could have gone five rounds with muhammad ali? you've got the reach, tale of the tape is on your side. >> wouldn't want to do that. he was my brother and my friend. wilt wanted to box him. >> stephen: wilt chamberlain did? >> yeah, he was dreaming. he woke up and was dreaming he was going to box muhammad ali. (laughter) but that's where ego will get ya. >> stephen: is there anything people don't know about your friend that they should be thinking about right now? >> his understanding of what integrity was all about was remarkable and it's an example for us to repeat for our kids and grandkids because it was the real deal. >> stephen: kareem abdul jabbar, everybody. we'll be right back with james corden. (cheers and applause) ♪ at our retirement plan today. not now! i'm cleaning the oven! yeah, i'm cleaning the gutters! was

sonny liston came out and tried to catch him and start a fiscal conflict right there. ali totally got into the guy's head, and he didn't even realize it in his reaction. he said, i'll kill him! you know, and, of went out there and embarrassed sonny liston. that was the type of guy he was. you had to love him for that. >> stephen: your dad was a boxer. you trained with bruce lee. >> yeah. >> stephen: do you think you could have gone five rounds with muhammad ali? you've got the reach, tale of the tape is on your side. >> wouldn't want to do that. he was my brother and my friend. wilt wanted to box him. >> stephen: wilt chamberlain did? >> yeah, he was dreaming. he woke up and was dreaming he was going to box muhammad ali. (laughter) but that's where ego will get ya. >> stephen: is there anything people don't know about your friend that they should be thinking about right now? >> his understanding of what integrity was all about was remarkable and it's an example for us to repeat for our kids and grandkids because it was the real deal. >> stephen: kareem abdul jabbar, ev

you know, and, of course, ali went out there and embarrassed sonny liston. that was the type of guy he was. you had to love him for that. >> stephen: your dad was a boxer. you trained with bruce lee. >> yeah. >> stephen: do you think you could have gone five rounds with muhammad ali? you've got the reach, tale of the tape is on your side. >> wouldn't want to do that. he was my brother and my friend. wilt wanted to box him. >> stephen: wilt chamberlain did? >> yeah, he was dreaming. he woke up and was dreaming he was going to box muhammad ali. (laughter) but that's where ego will get ya. >> stephen: is there anything people don't know about your friend that they should be thinking about right now? >> his understanding of what integrity was all about was remarkable and it's an example for us to repeat for our kids and grandkids because it was the real deal. >> stephen: kareem abdul jabbar, everybody. we'll be right back with james corden. (cheers and applause) ♪ you know we said we'd take a look at our retirement plan today. not now! i'm cleaning the oven! y

. >> i saw sonny liston a few days ago. >> ain't he ugly? ♪ >> i'm young, i'm handsome, i'm fast, i'm pretty and i can't possibly be beat. >> cassius clay goes into the record books as another who brought up one of the great upsets in the heavyweight history. >> it is befitting that i leave the game just like i came in. beating the big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whip him, that's what little cassius clay from louisville kentucky, came up and stopped sonny liston, the man who annihilated floyd patterson twice, he was going to kill me. he hit harder than george. his reach is longer than george and he's a better boxer than george. and i'm better than i was when you saw that 22-year-old kid running from sonny liston. i'm professional now. my jaw has been broke. knocked down a couple of times. been chopping trees, i done something new for this fight. i done wrestled with an alligator, that's right. i've wrestled with an alligator, i done tussled with a whale. i done handcuffed lightning, throw thunder in jail. that's bad

. >> i saw sonny liston a few days ago. >> ain't he ugly? ♪ >> i'm young, i'm handsome, i'm fast, i'm pretty and i can't possibly be beat. >> cassius clay goes into the record books as another who brought off one of the great upsets in the heavyweight history. >> it is befitting that i leave the game just like i came in. beating the big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whip him, that's what little cassius clay from louisville kentucky, came up and stopped sonny liston, the man who annihilated floyd patterson twice, he was going to kill me. he hit harder than george. his reach is longer than george and he's a better boxer than george. and i'm better than i was when you saw that 22-year-old kid running from sonny liston. i'm professional now. my jaw has been broke. knocked down a couple of times. been chopping trees, i done something new for this fight. i done wrestled with an alligator, that's right. i've wrestled with an alligator, i done tussled with a whale. i done handcuffed lightning, throw thunder in jail. that's ba

that's when he stepped into the ring against heavyweight champion sonny liston. jim axelrod has that story. >> don't even mention that defeat to me. >> reporter: hardly anyone gave the challenger a chance against sonny liston, a cold, brutal ex- con with a devastating left hook. even clay's ringside physician, fight doctor ferdie pacheco, was concerned. you were really worried liston was going to hurt cassius clay. >> kill him. not hurt him, kill him. >> reporter: but the brash cassius clay, full of confidence and trash talk, taunted liston all the way up to the bell. >> tonight, somebody will die at ringside from shock! >> reporter: to the mostly white, male sportswriting corps, clay had no chance. >> cassius clay is about the only man here who thinks he is going to win. >> reporter: but clay surprised no one more than liston, dancing, and opening up liston's face with jab after jab. >> he ran around here, ran this way, he ran that way. he looked like a crazy fighter. >> reporter: after six rounds, sonny liston had had enough, spitting out his mouthpiece before

muhammad ali was born in miami, the night he took the title from sonny liston. james brown looks back. >> as the world mourns the passing of muhammad ali, i can't help but think of all the athletes i've spoken with over the years who simply revere the man known as the greatest. before ali became an international icon, he was first and foremost, a sportsman. a heavyweight boxer who possessed incomparable speed, agility and with a mouth to match. >> i'm a bad man! >> reporter: he bragged about what he could do in the ring, but it was his willingness to speak truth to power that made him so influential to generations of athletes who followed him. by coincidence, ali died on the eve of the 49th anniversary of what has become known as the ali summit. on june 4th, 1967, ali was a 25-year-old champion who had shocked the world by beating the likes of sonny liston and floyd patterson. but he also shocked america when he opted out of the draft for the vietnam war, because of his religious convictions as a muslim. ali immediately was reviled for his stance. in an effort t

sonny liston was a little bit of clever language. so much that was stolen and put on the big screen. >> you have to wonder what that did muhammad ali. he is on the record of saying foremon was the strongest he fought, liston the scariest. he absorbed the blows from the strongest guy to his head over and over and over, and just like in the rocky movies, he finally breaks down. >> but 106 amateur bouts leading up to that and he used to get pounded in the emand absorb it because he thought that would be a way tote get ready for eye opponents. this is malcolm x's oldest daughter. >> she is and we're going to pause and take a quick break with more of our coverage of the memorial service from muhammad ali. closing the stage this afternoon for auditions? what's on that piece of paper? oh, miss maroney, your forehead! should not be doing anything. i just had botox. i know exactly what's happening! ah! whoa! this is a bad streaming experience. "the girlie show" is a real fun lady show. (vo) don't let bad streaming ruin a good show. don't look

when many americans preferred sonny liston, a criminal, all right, a thug, they preferred sonny liston be the heavyweight champion to this brash young fellow. and that was even before he was a ati. they rooted for sonny liston over cassius clay. >> rose: he was cocy. >> and loud. >> i think particularly the three frasier fight brought out the worst and the best. >> rose: the courage. >> the courage, the ability to stand there and take it and give it. but they also as you mentioned, they brought out not only the cruelty, the names that he called him, but also, i mean this was a guy who presented himself as the iconic raceman, the person who is standing up for the dispossessed black america. and as you see in the most stereo typical terms, to call flasier and demeaning him for not being classically attractive in the way that europeans found attractive. >> rose: is it fair to say that in the end, not this end of his death, but in his later years that all these people came to respect him and admire him? >> joe frasier not fully, no. >> i don't think so. >> no. >> i mean i think there were

and no one thought he could beat sonny liston. so he went from this unbelievable figure that one considered just full of brag doesh jab to becoming a champion and then becoming this float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. and by the time you did that, he became a black muslim. and then he became the controversial figure. then the army where he stood up and gave it all up and became a man of unbelievable controversy, but unbelievable unshakable beliefs in something and he became an anti-war hero and then into being a second time champion. i remember the night that frazier knocked him down at the garden here in new york. and all of our dreams of the great return of ali were shattered and he fought his way back of all places in the skies under the skies of africa with george foreman and regained the title against a man who was just as awesome as sonny liston. and if that wasn't unbelievable enough, he began to transform into this statesman figure, lost the title again in an unlikely defeat and came back again. so i mean, it was lik

>> well, i mean i think they knew he was special from the age of 22 when he took sonny liston's title. i believe he was the youngest at that time to take the title off a defending champion. it was the way he conducted himself in the ring and the way he conducted himself out of it. and of course it was his very principled stance that he took, standing up for what he believed in, refusing to fight for the american military in vietnam. a stance for which he could have ended up going to jail, and he was prepared to stick to his guns on that one. and it cost him the best years of his career. i mean he wasn't able to fight for three to four years between 1967 and 1970. and it's an even greater credit to him that after being made to sit on the sidelines for so long, he was able to get his license back, get his fitness back, get back into the ring, become the world champion again for a second time, and then for a third time. so i mean it's a part of the great muhammad ali story that he went through that, but that is why for so many people, he is this inspirational figure that he was so princi

. >> will you wish sonny liston a happy new year. >> he's going to need happiness after i annihilate him. i'm going to beat him so bad he is going to think he robbed a bank. >> i brought mohammed to a lot of his fights and one fight in particular liston knocked this guy out and he comes out and sees us sitting there and puts his arm around him and muhammad said i'm going to beat you like i'm your daddy. >> what percentage of the fans do you think will be coming to see him and what percentage do you think will be coming to see you. >> 100% will be coming to see me but 99% will be coming to see me get beat because they think i talk too much but i got these. >> and they represent your thinking. >> these represent dynamite. when we breathe in allergens, our bodies react by over producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance. flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. flonase outperforms the #1 non-drowsy allergy pill. so you can seize those moments, wherever you find them. flonase. six is greater than one changes e

liston. >> i don't have a mark on my face and i upset sonny liston and i just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest. >> reporter: like millions of black americans, i grew up admiring martin luther king. the moral power and quiet dignity of non-violent protests to earn advancement by tearing down legal barriers. yet here was a black man loudly and proudly proclaiming his blackness, and at the same time, thumbing his nose at white people. it was scary and thrilling. >> early on, a lot of people thought ali was too much of a showboat and they hated him. there was a lot of hate with ali. >> he didn't want to be a leader, but he wanted black people to look at him and admire him and say, i want to be like that. >> reporter: back in the '60s and '70s, muhammad ali espoused some pretty unconventional ideas. >> no ill tell gent white person watching this show, no intelligent man in his white mind want black girls and white boys marrying kinky haired black people. >> reporter: even his religious choice, joining the nation of islam, was far outside the american mainstream. but what matt

muhammad ali was born in miami, the night he took the title from sonny liston. james brown looks back. >> as the world mourns the passing of muhammad ali, i can't help but think of all the athletes i've spoken with over the years who simply revere the man known as the greatest. before ali became an international icon, he was first and foremost, a sportsman. a heavyweight boxer who possessed incomparable speed, agility and with a mouth to match. >> i'm a bad man! >> reporter: he bragged about what he could do in the ring, but it was his willingness to speak truth to power that made him so influential to generations of athletes who followed him. by coincidence, ali died on the eve of the 49th anniversary of what has become known as the ali summit. on june 4th, 1967, ali was a 25-year-old champion who had shocked the world by beating the likes of sonny liston and floyd patterson. but he also shocked america when he opted out of the draft for the vietnam war, because of his religious convictions as a muslim. ali immediately was reviled for his stance. anotheeat, jim

liston. >> i don't have a mark on my face and i upset sonny liston and i just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest. >> reporter: like millions of black americans, i grew up admiring martin luther king. the moral power and quiet dignity of non-violent protests to earn advancement by tearing down legal barriers. yet here was a black man loudly and proudly proclaiming his blackness, and at the same time, thumbing his nose at white people. it was scary and thrilling. >> early on, a lot of people thought ali was too much of a showboat and they hated him. there was a lot of hate with ali. >> he didn't want to be a leader, but he wanted black people to look at him and admire him and say, i want to be like that. >> reporter: back in the '60s and '70s, muhammad ali espoused some unconventional ideas. >> no intelligent man in his white mind want black girls and white boys marrying. >> reporter: even his reli islam, was far outside the american mainstream. but what mattered more to african-americans, and to many white americans, was less his personal ideas than our personal ideal of mu

this picture that we're seeing behind us now of ali standing over sonny liston is the iconic picture. and there's more to it than just ali's victorious pose. look at the man between ali's legs. he's a photographer on the other side of the ring who doesn't have a shot. like a photographer should have his camera over his face. he doesn't because he doesn't have the shot. that was actually leifer's boss or mentor, and they had gone to the fight together. >> leifer got it over his boss. >> and the story goes that he said, you know, neil, you're the young rookie, you know. stick with me. i'll show you what to do. be on this side. he said, no, i'm going to go on the other side. of course you can't possibly know at a fight which is going to be the good side. but leifer took his chance. he got this amazing picture which has stood the test of time. as they say, it's not just a picture of ali winning an historic fight. it's the fact that leifer has got the picture of his boss failing in the moment. >> you see the photographers there scrambling to get their cameras up close by. >> you're not goi

liston. >> i don't have a mark on my face and i upset sonny liston and i just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest. >> reporter: like millions of black americans, i grew up admiring martin luther king. the moral power and quiet dignity of non-violent protests to earn advancement by tearing down legal barriers. yet here was a black man loudly and proudly proclaiming his blackness, and at the same time, thumbing his nose at white people. it was scary and thrilling. >> early on, a lot of people thought ali was too much of a showboat and they hated him. there was a lot of hate with ali. >> he didn't want to be a leader, but he wanted black people to look at him and admire him and say, i want to be like that. >> reporter: back in the '60s and '70s, muhammad ali espoused some unconventional ideas. >> no intelligent man in his white mind want black girls and white boys marrying. >> reporter: even his religious choice, joining the nation of islam, was far outside the american mainstream. but what mattered more to african-americans, and to many white americans, was less his personal

. >> i saw sonny liston a few days ago. >> ain't he ugly? i'm young, i'm handsome, i'm fast, i'm pretty and i can't possibly be beat. >> cassius clay goes into the record books as another who brought up one of the great upsets in the heavyweight history. >> it is befitting that i leave the game just like i came in. beating the big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whip him, that's what little cassius clay from louisville kentucky, came up and stopped sonny listton, he was going to kill me, he hit harder than george. his reach is longer than george and he's a better boxer than george. and i'm better than i was when you saw that 22-year-old kid running from listton. my jaw has been broke. knocked down a couple of times. been chopping trees, i done something new for this fight. i done wrestled with an alligator, i've wrestled with an alligator, i done tussled with a whale. i done handcuffed lightning, throw thunder in jail. that's bad. only last week i murdered a rock, injured a stone. hospitalized a brick. i'm so mean i make

and no one thought he could beat sonny liston. so he went from this unbelievable figure that one considered just full of braga doshia, to becoming a champion and then becoming this float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. and by the time you adjusted to that, he became a black muslim, and then he became the controversial figure. then the army, where he stood up and gave it all up and became a man of unbelievable controversy, but unbelievable and unshakeable beliefs in something, and he became an anti-war hero. and then into being a second-time champion. i remember the night that frazier knocked him down at the garden here in new york and all of our dreams of the great return of ali was shattered and he fought his way back, of all places in the skies -- or under the skies of africa, with george foreman, and regained the title against a man who was just as awesome as sonny liston. and if that wasn't unbelievable enough, he began to transform into this statesman figure, lost the title again, in an unlikely defeat, and came back agai

. >> reporter: cassius clay-- the future muhammad ali-- hammers at sonny liston, heavyweight champion of the world. clay is a decided underdog, but he pounds the champ into submission in just six rounds. >> at the end of this round, liston's corner will call the doctor to the ring and, over the champion's protest, stop the fight. >> reporter: now, clay is boxing's new heavyweight champion. >> clay is proclaiming, "i am the greatest! i am the king!" >> reporter: just that quickly, a unique figure emerges in american sport, and will go on to become a global icon. >> i am just like oxygen-- all over the world! >> reporter: born january 17, 1942, cassius marcellus clay, jr., grew up in louisville, kentucky. he learned to fight at an early age, seeking vengeance for a stolen bicycle, and he piled up awards as a young boxer. in the 1960 rome olympics, clay stopped a polish fighter to take the light-heavyweight gold. but returning home to segregated louisville, he was denied service at a whites-only restaurant, and threw his olympic medal into the ohio river. despite that frustration, clay l

four years later, the young boxer was up against sonny liston in his first title fight. defying 7-1 odds, he stole the heavy weight title in one of the biggest upsets in history. >> i don't have mark on my face and i upset sonny liston. and i just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest! >> reporter: ali loved the spotlight but privately, he was going through his own transformation. after the height of the civil rights movement and under the guidance of malcolm x, ali joined the nation of islam and rejected what he called his slave name. >> i would like for you to call me by my name, muhammad ali. >> reporter: cassius clay would now be known as muhammad ali. >> he was standing up for things that a lot of people were not yet standing up for. and at same time, he gave up a lot for his politics, and he was criticized and vilified by many people. >> reporter: but the public uproar couldn't keep him from the ring. >> last week, i injured a rock, murdered a stone, hospitalized a brick. i'm so mean, i make medicine sick. >> reporter: then a new controversy, this one, landin

went on to defeat sonny liston, and that was the start of a professional career that would see three titles, and some iconic bouts. we all remember the thrillla in manila, rumble in the jungle and news of his death sent a shock wave across the boxing community, but just the community in general. we're here at tony's gym. joining me, saleem. you were telling me muhammad was one of your idols? >> yes, he was. a big loss. muhammad ali gave a lot. he inspired me. i learned how to discipline, respect, and integrity. i don't care what people take from me or what they say about me, i stand strong on my integrity. >> reporter: got some golden champion that have come out of this gym and latary bout up in baltimore. probably the talk around this. live in the northeast, derrick ward, back to you. >> thank so much, derrick. >>> muhammad ali battled parkinson's disease for a long time. more than three decades. it's a chronic, progressive condition with symptoms worsening over time. tremors, rigid muscles, slow movements and changing in writing and speech. which we saw with muhammad ali. the disea

a month later against all the oddsmakers, cassius clay defeated sonny liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world. he then punched his way through famous fights with joe frazier, and george foreman, entertaining with his pummeling jabs, his prancing footwork and a personality filled with poetic wit. like his famous -- float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> oh, love it, man, love it! >> reporter: his controversial conversion to islam changing his name to muhammad and refusal to fight in vietnam on religious grounds shut down his career for a few years. temporarily taking away his titles. he was down, but not out, and in standing firm for his principles on racial justice and religious freedom, he won the respect of many. he made a comeback in the ring, regaining his lost titles, and who has three times been crowned heavyweight champion of the world. this, by the world boxing association. muhammad ali proudly earned his place in history books as one of america's greatest athletes. earning the praise of presidents and people around the world. while books tell his story, th

sonny liston. ali had arrived. and liston would never be the same. to prove the point, ali put liston away for a second time in a rematch the next year. they were glory days for ali, but the civil rights era would also become a controversial and polarizing period in his life. he renounced his given name and joined the volatile black separatist nation of islam. almost as quickly as he had arrived, ali's heavyweight title was gone, revoked after he claimed conchscientious objecto status and refused to serve in the vietnam war. at the peak boxing age of 25, ali also gave up millions of dollars in endorsements and faced five years in prison, all in defiance of a war he called despicable and unjust. >> my intention is to box, to win a clean fight. but in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kill, kill, and continue killing innocent people! >> reporter: ali began a three and a half year exile from championship fights until the u.s. supreme court overturned his conviction on a technicality. >> for everybody that watches and trains. there is no contest. bett

turning pro, his cocky style turned him into a national figure but defeating sonny liston in 1947 was the surprise. he shocked the world again in '67 by joining the nation of islam and changing his name to muhammad ali. the news was very controversial, and a newfound religion was used to avoid going to vietnam. >> my intention to box to win a clean fight. but in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kim, kill, and continue killing innocent people. >> reporter: stripped of his title and did not fight again until after the supreme court overturned his case. ali's comeback included a series of worldwide events with champion joe frazier and george foreman making ali the first to win the heavyweight crown three times. but ali's true greatness may bringing courage and character during his long bout with parkinson's disease, lighting the torch in the olympics brought renewed interest's muhammad ali to the status of one of the greatest athletes of all time. bruce hall, nbc news. >>> muhammad ali battled barkinson's disease more than three decades, symptoms worsening over time. signs may includ

his first big test was against heavyweight champion sonny liston. it was also the first time many would hear clay's effortless ability to compose a rhyme. >> if you like to lose your money, then be a fool and bet on sonny. >> liston was heavily favored but in the end, clay proved prophetic. >> that might be some, that might be all. >> at 22 years old, clay become the youngest heavyweight champion. >> i shook up the world. i shook up the world. >> he quickly shook up the world again by announcing he had joined the nation of islam and changed his name. >> cassius clay was my slave name. i'm no longer a slave. >> ali's declaration became a lightning rod with many refusing to acknowledge his new name. >> why would you say that? >> but howard cosell, a rising sportscaster fiercely defended ali's decision saying they wanted another joe louis, a white man's black man. instead, they got ali. a man who would not conform regardless of the consequences. at the height of the vietnam war, ali refused to serve. declaring himself a conscientious objector and quarr

nobody thought he could beat sonny liston. he went from this unbelievable figure that one considered full of brag tkoerb that to be a champion to this float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. then he became a black muslim, then a controversial figure. then the army where he stood up and gave it all up and became a man of unbelievable controversy. but unbelievable and unshakeable beliefs. and he became an anti-war hero. and a second-time champion. i remember the night that frazier knocked him down at the garden here in new york and it was all shattered. and he fought his way back of all places in the skies -- under the skies of africa with george foreman and regained the title of a man who was just as awesome as sonny liston. if that wasn't unbelievable enough, he began to transform into the statesman figure, lost the title again in an unlikely defeat and came back again... it was like the reinvention, rein carnation. and each one iconic in nature. as he fought this parkinson's, i don't know if float like a butterfly, sting li

. >> sonny liston is not coming out. the winner and the new heavyweight champion of the world is cassius clay. >> it was one of the biggest boxing upsets in history and cassius clay at 22 years old became the youngest boxer to beat the a heavyweight champ to win the title. >> i'm the greatest thing that ever lived. >>> next, ali's biggest fight came outside of the ring. >> under no conditions do we take part in wars that take lives of other humans. i am his advocate. so i asked about adding once-daily namenda xr to his current treatment for moderate to severe alzheimer's. it works differently. when added to another alzheimer's treatment, it may improve overall function and cognition. and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. vo: namenda xr doesn't change how the disease progresses. it shouldn't be taken by anyone allergic to memantine, or who's had a bad reaction to namenda xr or its ingredients. before starting treatment, tell their doctor if they have, or ever had, a seizure disorder, difficulty passing urine

. >> i'm knocked out sonny liston. >> paying tribute, generations too young to remember his right cross and those who can still see it when they close their eyes. >> he was my childhood hero. and he was just amazing. >> you say boxing, you say ali. just that simple. >> on social media, an outpouring of memories. you'll always be the greatest, for more than just what you did in the ring, tweeted tiger woods. president obama posting, he shook up the world, and the world's better for it. echoing the sentiments of a former commander in chief who will soon deliver the jeweulogy >> perhaps no why is his absence more personal than in the town that made him a hero. >> muhammad ali belongs to the world but he only has one hometown. >> it is amazing to know we grew up in the same area that he did. >> i think it is fabulous. he took what he had and he really made something of himself. >> what type of legacy do you think you leave for african-americans. >> you can come from the gutter and rise above any obstacle that may come in front of you. >> displaying a will that his daughter hana saw in her f

we have the iconic image of the man, cassius clay, his upset victory over sonny liston in 1965. >> this morning, we will be hearing from friends, family, experts and of course from the man himself. but we do begin with jim avila who is outside the hospital where ali died in scottsdale, arizona. good morning, jim. >> reporter: good morning, paula and dan. the champ was rushed to this hospital four days ago. his spokesman said at the time, we shouldn't panic. ali was in fair condition. but by the end of the week as his family began to gather here, it became clear ali's condition was grave. muhammad ali was taken from his home in paradise valley, arizona just outside phoenix by ambulance on may 31st at 1:00 in the afternoon. the ambulance call said a 74-year-old man with respiratory issues needed transport to the hospital. he suffered from parkinson's disease and had a similar breathing problem that led to a similar hospitalization in scottsdale last year. his daughter, laila, changed her facebook picture to a photo of ali and her and posted a message thanking fans for their thoughts and p

sonny liston. to prove a point he put sonny away a second time in a rematch the following year. the '60s were a glory day for muhammad but it would be polarizing period in his life. he renounced his given name and joined the black separatists. as quicklied a he had arrived his heavyweight title was gone. he refused to serve in the vietnam war. at the peak boxing age of 25 ali gave up millions of dollars in endorsements and spent five years in prison over a war he found despicable and unjust. >> in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kill, kill, and continue killing innocent people. >> ali began a 3 1/2-year exile from champion fights until the u.s. supreme court overturn ed t on a technicality. >> but the world would soon learn even superman had his off days. he was back in the ring when husband inprofessional record came to an end. he lost a match to joe frazier dubbed "the fight of the century." it was the first of three fights. >> joe may be smokin' but he eenlt going. the night mate amaze ya but this time i'll retire him. >> and he did. frazier's trainer stopped the fight f

like when he predicted he would beat sonny liston in 1964. made it happen and shouted "i shook up the world," a winner of the olympic gold medal in rome, 1960, a graduate of louisville's central high school class of 1960. he was a 12-year-old boy whose red bicycle was stolen in front of a gym about a mile down 4th street and told police officer joe martin that he wanted to whoop whoever took it. and martin said, "you better learn to box first." muhammad ali was a boy who grew up a the 3302 grand avenue, about three miles that way. he liked to eat hot dogs and play clue with his brother rudy in a house that's now a museum. and before that he was a newborn babies, cassius marcelous clay jr. born to cassius and odessa clay. imagine that boy looking around the room at the louisville general hospital, not knowing the life that awaited him, the life he would make, the world he would shake up and the people who would inspire. and like you, i am absolutely one of those people. muhammad ali belongs to the world but he only has one hometown. the louisv

he acted crazy in the weeks and months that lead up to the fight to get in sonny liston's head. >> he spoke to reporters directly. most of the time when reporters spoke to an athlete they had to go through a trainer or manager. ali spoke to the public directly. he spoke about his opponents. he listed names. he calls him the ugly bear. he tried to intimidate him. it was something new in the sport. but ali did everything he could. he wanted to act crazy. he wanted to be different. and, obviously, it worked. >> worked indeed. three time world champion and a champion outside the ring as well. bruce silverglade of gleason's gym. thank you, we appreciate it. >>> so many people posting online this morning tributes to muhammad ali. you'll hear from op-- oprah winfrey, michael j fox, and others. >>> the muhammad ali, the greatest fighter there ever will be. oooh! [ brakes screech ] when your pain reliever stops working, your whole day stops. excuse me, try this. but just one aleve can last2 hours. tylenol and advil can quit after 6. [ cheering ] so live your whole day, not part... with 12 hour

. >> shocking the boxing world by dethroning sonny liston. >> who is the great nest. >> cassius clay had gone into the ring. muhammad ali came out. >> cassius clay is a name no more, is that right? >> yes, sir. it's muhammad ali. muhammad means worthy of all praise. ali means most high. >> he refused to be drafted. citing his status as a conscientious objector. >> you share the same concern. >> i certainly do. in my view is on the draft, i'm against it. >> he was stripped of his title and convicted of draft evasion. >> i'm not allowed to fight in america. i'm not allowed to leave america. and i've been completely persecuted before prosecuted. >> he lost three and a half prime years of his career. the supreme court would ultimately overturn his draft evasion conviction. >> the former heavy weight champion was fully prepared to end his career go to jail had the decision gone the other way. he said he did not worry because he was sincere in his religious beliefs if that meant going to jail then it was the will. >> but ali who climbed back into the ring in october of 1970 was now just no

four years later, the box erp was up against sonny liston in his first title fight. defying 7-1 odds, he stole the heavy weight title in one of the biggest upsets in history. >> i don't have mark on my face and i just turned 22 years old. i must be the greatest! >> reporter: ali loved the spotlight but privately, he was transformation. under the guidance of malcolm x, ali joined the nation of islam and rejected what he called his slave name. >> i would like to you call me by my name, muhammad ali. >> he was known as muhammad ali. >> he was standing up for things that a lot of people were not yet standing up for. and at the same time, he was giving it up for politics, and he was vilified by many people. >> reporter: but the public uproar couldn't keep him from the ring. >> i'm so mean, i make medicine sick. >> reporter: a controversy landing him in court. the u.s. was deep in the vietnam war when ali got notice. he refused to serve in the war, arguing it was against his muslim beliefs. >> no i will not go 10,000 miles from here to help murder and kill another poor peo

. >> reporter: or in the run-up to his attempt to take the heavy weight title from sinister sonny liston, a prediction in rhyme. >> if you like to lose your money, be a fool and bet on sonny. >> reporter: he won. this was boxing as science unseen in the heavy weight division, reducing liston to a beaten quitter, unwilling to leave his stool after six rounds and he staked his first believable claim as the greatest. but his journey of self-discovery wouldn't let him simply exalt at the pinnacle of athletic glory, not even for a full day. after the fight he announced he joined the nation of islam, a black organization and changed his name to muhammad ali. in '67, he refused induction into the draft. i ain't got nothing against those vietcong he famously said. >> in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kill and continue killing innocent people. >> reporter: and by then more reviled than loved in his own country he was striped from the country and exiled from boxing for three and a half years. his prime years. but then he watched the 60s catch up to him and confronting racism and an increasin

after winning gold at the 1960 olympics he shocked the world when he beats sonny liston to capture his first heavyweight title. >> i'm all madman and i still took on the world. >> he announced his conversion to islam reduced -- reach adducing himself as mohammed ali that change of faith treats the course of his life. >> i will face it before denouncing elijah omar -- oneida. he refused to military service in vietnam and he was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his boxing license and he took his case all the way to the us supreme court and was eventually vindicated but not before leaving three years in the prime of his career. >> ali's much anticipated return to the ring, regaining his crown and unprecedented two more times, he battled joe frazier three times including the legendary "thrilla in manila". many say ali's greatest boxing moment came and desire, africa, when the aging boxer introduced the rope-a-dope strategy that wore down george foreman and opened the door for ali's shocking eighth round knockout pitt during his career and especially after, ali created an aura tha

and in 1964, at 22 years old -- he defeated big sonny liston to become the world heavyweight champion. >> that might be all, ladies and gentlemen. >> reporter: the youngest boxer ever to hold the title. >> muhammad ali. >> reporter: it was in that spotlight that cassius clay announced that he was changing his name and converting to islam. because he said, the religion simply appealed to him. >> cassius clay is the name no more, is that right? >> yes, sir. it's muhammad ali, meaning worthy of all praises, and most high. >> reporter: muhammad ali remained the world heavyweight champion until 1967, but then his career came to a halt, when ali refused induction into the army, claiming he was a conscientious objector to the vietnam war. he was stripped of both his boxing license and his heavyweight title and convicted of draft evasion. >> i'm not allowed to fight in i'm not allowed to leave america, and i've been completely persecuted before prosecuted. >> reporter: ali was forced out of the ring for three years, until the supreme court overturned his draft evasion conviction. but he had l

. >> toot self-proclaimed title proven with an olympic gold medal, and then beating sonny liston. >> always so confident? >> yes, always. >> he would go on to prove his mettle against other poxing greats likes joe frazier ask george foreman. >> putting him as a boxer would be an illinois assault. the greatest -- insult. he has want of the greatest human beings i've ever met in my life. >> but his biggest wins calm outside the ring. in 1964 he converted to islam and changed his name from cassius clay to muhammad ali and took on the government, refusing to serve in the armed forces. from vietnam to civil rights he leaves a lasting impact on american culture. his last and biggest battle against park sin -- pork kinsons -- parkinsons. >> the celebration for his life will start with a star-studded memorial service. the mayor says he has one home town. >> muhammad ali we will be laid to rhys on friday. is family said a procession will begin at 6:00 a.m. our time in louisville followed by a public memorial service at 9:00 and a private burl ya where former president bill clinton will give t

at the age of 22 won the heavyweight title from sonny liston and in 1981 with 56 wins and just 5 losses. coach thompson was talking about during the prime of his career, ali did not fight for over three years after being convicted of draft evasion. ali refused to go to the vietnam war citing religious beliefs. when he returned to boxing, claimed the heavyweight two more times. the only boxer in history to have won the lineal title. >>> steven strasburg is in the midst of his best season. undefeated. needed nine strikeouts today. getting a little help from his offense early on. in the second that's the two-run homer to left field puts washington up 2-0 early. only takes strasberg five innings. he went 5 1/3 strikeouts. in the sixth, here's the most costly of those hits. joey vatto taking hip deep. this game still in progress with the nats still trailing same score in the sixth inning. >>> as seen earlier today on nbc, defending champ serena williams taking on garbine muguruza. serving for set point early on, returns the strong backhand just out of the reach of williams. takes the opening