Muhammad Ali

CTL-E-5679 · Person · other · 1942–2016

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-06962 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-5679.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky; died June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona) was an American professional boxer and social activist, and the figure this graph's boxing records have pointed to without holding. He won the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics, then took the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in 1964 and, days later, announced his acceptance of the Nation of Islam's teachings, taking the name Muhammad Ali. In 1967 he refused induction into the U.S. Army on religious grounds; convicted of draft evasion, he was stripped of his title and licenses and barred from boxing for more than three years of his prime, until the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned the conviction in 1971. He regained the championship from George Foreman in the 1974 'Rumble in the Jungle' in Kinshasa and from Leon Spinks in 1978, becoming the first three-time heavyweight champion, and retired in 1981 with a record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) against 5 losses. He lit the Olympic cauldron at Atlanta in 1996 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. His daughter Laila Ali (CTL-E-5660) already holds a record in this graph; this record is the endpoint hers was missing.

The record

• Also known as: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Cassius Clay, The Greatest, The Louisville Lip, The People's Champion

Notes

STAGED 2026-10-16 (747 Program, Priority Gaps — Wave 5) — not merged; awaits founder merge go. Gate A: no match in the live graph (3,381 entities) under exact, normalized, alias, or token-containment screening, 2026-10-16; keyword scan for 'ali' returns other persons only (Mahalia Jackson, Malcolm X, Noble Drew Ali, Laila Ali) — Muhammad Ali himself was verified ABSENT by direct search in two prior packets (Shorts Wave 4; Fill 500 Wave 3) and again here. Vital status: DECEASED — died June 3, 2016 (Britannica; HISTORY) — tribute treatment applied in the Curator's Judgment. Edges unblocked by this mint: Laila Ali (CTL-E-5660) child_of; The Greatest (CTL-E-5643) depicts; plus an affiliated_with edge to the Nation of Islam (CTL-E-0340) staged on the documented 1964 affiliation. Photo: CLEARED-WITH-CONDITION (see media) — live Commons file-page countersign owed at merge, on the Pippen precedent. Project ID: PPL-001 per wave precedent (staged 'CULTGRAPH' ID is not registered). MEDIA LAYER (staged 2026-10-16; full per-asset PHOTO-001 records + embed specs in the packet's staged JSON, Drive packet folder): map = N/A (Person records carry no map slot under the media-layer rule; maps attach to places and institutions.) | visual_assets = CLEARED-WITH-CONDITION: Muhammad Ali, bust portrait | chart = FILLED (CTL-created SVG built only from this record's sourced facts and statistics; CTL-branded palette (black / deep ) | video = FILLED | audio = HELD (No CTL-owned or rights-cleared matching-entity audio exists at staging. The subject's 1963 spoken-word album ')

Relationships

• Nation of Islam — affiliated with
  Ali announced his acceptance of the Nation of Islam's teachings in 1964, days after winning the heavyweight title, and took the name Muhammad Ali, bestowed through the Nation; his refusal of military induction in 1967 rested on that faith. He later transitioned to Sunni Islam in the mid-1970s after Elijah Muhammad's death — the affiliation is historical and is stated as such.

Referenced by

• Archie Moore — related to → this record
• George Foreman — related to → this record
• Jimmy Ellis — collaborated with → this record
• Joe Frazier — related to → this record
• Laila Ali — child of → this record
• Larry Holmes — related to → this record
• Leon Spinks — related to → this record
• Sugar Ray Robinson — related to → this record
• The Greatest — depicts → this record

Sources

• Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Muhammad Ali' — born January 17, 1942, Louisville; died June 3, 2016, Scottsdale; first three-time heavyweight champion; 19 successful title defenses; 1960 Olympic gold [primary] (primary source · build store)
• Congressional Record (U.S. House of Representatives), tribute to Muhammad Ali, January 31, 2007 — nine title defenses 1965–1967; barred from fighting March 22, 1967 to October 26, 1970; Supreme Court unanimously reversed his conviction in 1971 (primary source · build store)
• HISTORY (A&E Television Networks), 'Muhammad Ali' — 1978 Spinks rematch and third title; final record 56 wins, 5 losses, 37 knockouts; Parkinson's diagnosis 1984; 1996 cauldron; Presidential Medal of Freedom and Muhammad Ali Center, 2005 (build store)
• Wikipedia, 'Muhammad Ali' — cross-checked against Britannica and HISTORY, October 2026 (record table: 61 fights, 56 wins, 37 KOs, 5 losses; family, including daughter Laila) (build store)

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Record CTL-E-5679 · Combined Graph record U-06962 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 4 sources · 10 mapped relationships.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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