Today Marks Muhammad Ali Klay's 7th Death Anniv.

Today (June 3) marks the 7th death anniversary of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, fondly known as "The Greatest".

Born and raised in Kentucky, he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

At the age of 18, Ali won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and later turned professional that year.

Throughout his remarkable career, he won numerous titles, including the world heavyweight championship, by defeating Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at the age of 22.

During the same year, he denounced his birth name as a "slave name" and formally changed it to Muhammad Ali.

As the Vietnam War broke out in 1967, Ali refused to serve in the U.S. military for religious reasons and was subsequently arrested. This led to the New York State Athletic Commission suspending his boxing license and stripping him of his title.

Ali was found guilty of evading military duty, sentenced to five years in prison, and fined $10,000, although he remained free while the conviction was appealed.

In 1970, the New York State Supreme Court ordered his boxing license to be reinstated, and he returned to the ring by knocking out Jerry Quarry in October 1970. The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned Ali’s conviction.

In 1975, Ali wrote in his autobiography that after returning to Louisville, he threw his gold medal off a bridge and into the Ohio River to protest the racism he still encountered in his hometown.

In 2002, Ali received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the entertainment industry. His unique star is the only one mounted on a vertical surface, out of respect for his request that the name Muhammad, a name he shares with the Islamic prophet, not be stepped on.