Valentino Rossi

At the end of the 2004 season, Valentino Rossi holds 68 Grand Prix victories which make him the most successful rider of the Grand Prix series, surpassing legendary rider Giacomo Agostini by a single second place. He has nine children: Maryum, Rasheeda, Jamillah, Hana, Laila, Khaliah, Miya, Muhammad Junior and Asaad. Rossi now lives in London, England. His current wife Lonnie Williams (his fourth) is also from Louisville. Rossi wears the #1 reserved for the reigning World Champion on the shoulder of his racing outfit. Muhammad Ali currently lives in Michigan. He traditionally also incorporates his favorite color (fluorescent yellow) into his leather designs. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center will focus on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth.

However in an homage to Barry Sheene (who was the first rider of the modern era to keep the same number), Rossi has stayed with the now-famous #46 throughout his career. The $60 million Muhammad Ali Center is scheduled to open in downtown Louisville, Kentucky in the Fall of 2005. Typically, a World Championship winner (and also runner-up and third place) is awarded the #1 sticker for the next season. and all that.". He is famous for using the number 46 only, the racing number of his father, Graziano. hard.. From September 8 2002 to April 18 2004, he stood on the podium at the end of all 23 races including every race in 2003. Get hit in the breast..

These days Rossi rarely crashes and in fact holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive podiums. the body's not made to be punched right here [patting his chest]. important". His daughter Laila Ali also became a boxer in 1999 despite her father's earlier comments against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that.. And in Italy, The Doctor is a name you give to someone for respect, it's very important, The Doctor.. He had supposedly thrown the previous one, won in 1960, into the Ohio River after being refused entry to a restaurant, confirming his own suspicions that even with a gold medal, he would not be treated any different in the South. Another, as spoken by Graziano himself, "The Doctor because, I dont think there is a particular reason, but it's beautiful, and is important, The Doctor. At the same Olympics, Ali was also presented with a replacement gold medal.

There are two theories as to why Rossi is entitled "The Doctor, one is Rossi adopted the nickname upon having earned a degree, which in Italy entitles one to use the title "Doctor". In 1996, he had the honor of lighting the Olympic flame in Atlanta, Georgia. Since his dominance in 500cc and MotoGP, Rossi has used the nickname "The Doctor." This has been attributed to his "cold and clinical dismantling of his opponents" as well as his cool and calm composure in racing compared to his frenetic days in 125cc and 250cc where his performance was erratic and dangerous, resulting in numerous crashes. In 1985, he was called on to negotiate for the release of kidnapped Americans in Lebanon. The nickname "Valentinik" was a reference to the Italian Donald Duck superhero, "Paperinik.". Despite this, he remains a hero to millions around the world. His next nickname appeared some time around his days racing in the 250cc World Championship. Ali was diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome in 1982, following which his motor functions began a slow decline.

His first prominent nickname was "Rossifumi." Rossi explained the etymology of this nickname as a reference and tribute to fellow rider Norifumi Abe. Ali punched to the head much more than most boxers—a high-risk strategy since, over the duration of a long fight, punches to the body can be much more effective in tiring an opponent out. Valentino Rossi has had numerous nicknames during his racing career. Instead, he relied on his extraordinary reflexes and reach (83 inches) to keep him away from his opponents' blows. Rossi said in the post-race press conference that he understood that Sete was angry but that at the end of the day, "this is racing." Gibernau remained composed and dignified although visibly angry, explaining that he simply wanted to move on to the next race and not get caught up in the feud. He carried his hands at his sides rather than the orthodox boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face. Rossi offered a handshake to Sete which he accepted. Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer.

Gibernau was visibly displeased, making hand gestures on his way across the finish line along with clearly unhappy body language, spitting water in Rossi's direction during post-race celebrations and a terse response in the post-race press conference. Following this loss, Ali retired permanently in 1981 with a career record of 56 wins, 37 by knockout, against 5 losses. This rivalry apparently reached a new level in the first round of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship at Jerez where a final-corner collision resulted in a Rossi win and Sete claiming second after a run out onto the gravel. Although Ali performed marginally better against Berbick than he had against Holmes fourteen months earlier, he still lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Berbick, who at 27 was twelve years younger. Rossi accused Gibernau of reporting the incident and since then the two have rarely spoken to each other, refusing to make eye contact or mention each other in comments unless absolutely necessary. Compared to the mega-fights Ali fought in widely known venues earlier in his career, the match took place in virtual obscurity in Nassau. Although it started out innocently enough as fellow riders who respected each other's talents competing for the same championship, Gibernau and Rossi turned their backs on each other at the 2004 Qatar Grand Prix where Rossi's team was penalized for laying down rubber on his grid position to aid in traction along with other teams and was subsequently forced to start from the back of the grid. On December 11, 1981, he fought rising contender and future world champion Trevor Berbick, in what was billed as "The Drama in the Bahamas." Because Ali was widely viewed as a damaged fighter, few American venues expressed much interest in hosting the bout, and few fans expressed much interest in attending or watching it.

Over the past 12 months, Rossi's main rival has become Sete Gibernau. Despite the apparent finality of his loss to Holmes and his increasingly suspect medical condition, Ali would fight one more time. Biaggi looks to improve on recent results with a ride with Honda's factory team in 2005. However, Don King withheld this report and allowed the fight to go on. Rossi has always considered himself a better rider than Max Biaggi and the Roman has always considered himself far superior to the clown prince. The rivalry has started to die down over recent years due to Vale's consecutive World Championships and Biaggi's struggle to find support and a consistent rhythm with his races. The exam revealed he actually had a hole in the membrane of his brain. Although they hadn't even raced against each other until 2000, the rivalry between the two had been growing since the mid-90s. He admitted to tingling in his hands and slurring of his speech.

At one time his website didn't even have Max's name; instead a glaring "XXX XXXXXX" was placed wherever his name should have appeared. It was revealed after the fight that Ali had an examination at the Mayo Clinic and the results were shocking. Earlier in his career Max Biaggi was, for all intents and purposes, considered Rossi's arch-nemesis. Holmes was Ali's sparring partner when Holmes was a budding fighter; thus, some viewed the result of the fight as a symbolic "passing of the torch." Holmes even admitted later that, although he dominated the fight, he held his punches back a bit out of sheer respect for his idol and former employer. Valentino Rossi ended up with 304 points to Gibernau's 257, with Max Biaggi 3rd with 217 points. The Holmes fight, promoted as "The Last Hurrah", was a fight many fans and experts view with disdain because of what many viewed as a "deteriorated version" of Ali. It was a painful blow to both Gibernau and Honda; Gibernau, so close to a World Championship, and Honda, starting to become aware of what they had let go. Looking to set another record, as the first boxer to win the Heavyweight title four times, he lost by technical knockout in round eleven, when Dundee would not let him come out for the round.

Rossi would continue to rub salt into the wound for both Gibernau and Honda by winning the ultimate race of the season (and the final race Rossi would ride for Honda) at Valencia. That retirement was short-lived, however, and on October 2, 1980, he challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC's version of the world Heavyweight title. Gibernau and Rossi had become bickering enemies during the course of the season; whereas in previous seasons they had been competitive but friendly rivals, various disputes arose during 2004 which led to their falling apart. Then on June 27, 1979, he announced his retirement and vacated the title. Rossi would go on to claim 8 more GP wins during the season, battling Sete Gibernau ferociously until Rossi eventually closed the door on Sete's hopes in the penultimate race of the season at Phillip Island. He defeated Spinks in a rematch, becoming the heavyweight champion for the record third time. Rossi shone through to claim first blood in his new team colors and somewhat silenced some of his critics who thought the Yamaha would still play second fiddle to the Honda. He would retain his title until a 1978 loss to 1976 Olympic champion Leon Spinks, who was fighting in only his eighth professional fight.

With the traditional first race of the season at Suzuka off the list due to safety considerations, the 2004 season started at Welkom in South Africa. Once again, the champion won a widely debated decision. The 2004 season would give Rossi the ability to show everyone, especially his critics what he was made of and provide him with an opportunity to prove that it was his talent rather than his bike that won him his championships. In September, Ali faced Ken Norton in their third fight held at Yankee Stadium. The RC211V was a superior machine in almost every aspect although it was guaranteed that the gap would shrink with the defection of Rossi and Jeremy Burgess. Even Ali's loyal trainer Angelo Dundee said this was his worst performance in the ring. His fiercest critics claimed that on an inferior machine (the YZF-M1), Rossi would not be able to recreate his World Championship wins of the previous years, especially with increased development of the RC211V and the likes of Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau on Hondas. Many who scored the fight at ringside thought Young deserved the decision.

Vale's move to Yamaha would be a baptism of fire. Ali was awarded a unanimous decision, but it was widely booed by the crowd. Ultimately, Rossi signed a two-year contract with rivals Yamaha reportedly worth in excess of USD$12 million; a price no other manufacturer, even Honda, was willing to pay. Ali was heavy and out of shape, refusing to take the young challenger seriously. This proved to be the truth with Ducati's lacklustre performance in the 2003 season, which had actually been worse than their inaugural year in MotoGP in 2002. On April 30, 1976 Ali faced Jimmy Young in Landover, Maryland and many regard this as his worst fight. Critics say that compared to the other manufacturers, Ducati had a significant way to go before being competitive even with Rossi at the helm. 1976 saw him knock out two largely unknown opponents, Belgian stonecutter Jean-Pierre Coopman and English boxer Richard Dunn.

Ducati did indeed try to seduce Rossi into riding their MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici, but for numerous reasons Rossi passed the offer up. Many felt Ali should have retired after this fight, however he continued to box. Mid-season rumors pointed towards a possible move to Ducati, which sent the Italian press into a frenzy; the concept of the great Italian on the great Italian bike seemed too good to be true. Ring Magazine called this bout 1975's Fight of the Year, the fifth year an Ali fight had earned that distinction. Partnered with increased skepticism that the reason for his success was the dominance of the RC211V rather than Rossi's talent, it was inevitable that Honda and Rossi would part. Along with the "Rumble", his fights with Frazier are widely considered among the greatest in boxing history. To Honda's credit, they offered him a significant and lucrative contract but ultimately it wasn't enough to keep Rossi where he felt he no longer belonged. After 14 grueling rounds, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch refused to allow Frazier to continue, and Ali left the winner by TKO.

His tenure at Honda had effectively run its course; he had provided Honda with a 500cc World Championship as well as consecutive MotoGP World Championships, he had helped perfect the RC211V into a formidable, almost unstoppable racing machine and considering Honda's reluctance to pay top dollar to secure his services in 2004, seemed to have overstayed his welcome. This fight surpassed their earlier bouts and became one of the most well-known heavyweight fights ever. His contract with Honda was up at the end of the year and there were rumors that Rossi had become somewhat disillusioned with his ride at Honda. In 1975, Ali defeated Joe Frazier once more in the Thrilla In Manila in the Philippines. There were even rumors that he would attempt a career in rally cars after he had competed in a Peugeot 206 WRC rally car at the 2002 Rally of Great Britain. As a result of this fight, he was awarded the 1974 Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. Most suspected that he would succeed in his bid to claim a third consecutive title and wondered where the amazingly talented Italian would go in the future. Foreman kept advancing, but his blows were much less effective, and near the end of the eighth, Ali's right hand finally sent the exhausted Foreman to the floor.

There was much speculation during the second half of the 2003 season about Rossi's plans for the future. By the end of the sixth round, Foreman had punched himself out, and Ali was able to attack a little more. After being given a 10-second penalty for overtaking during a yellow flag due to a crash by Ducati rider Troy Bayliss, 1st-place Rossi proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field, eventually finishing more than 15 seconds ahead; more than enough to cancel out the penalty and win the race. The fight was held in Zaire and promoted by Don King as "The Rumble in the Jungle." In the October 30, 1974 bout that would cement his reputation as "The Greatest", Ali boxed his best tactical fight. Leading with his "wrong" hand and playing "rope-a-dope" by leaning far back on the ropes (that had supposedly been loosened by Dundee), Ali absorbed everything Foreman could throw at him, whilst only occasionally throwing counter-punches. The Australian GP at Phillip Island in 2003 is considered to be one of Rossi's greatest career moments due to the unique circumstances in which he claimed victory. Foreman was the heavy favorite. It was more of the same in 2003 for Rossi's rivals; Rossi claimed 9 pole positions as well as 9 GP wins to his third consecutive World Championship. The incumbent, George Foreman, was a large, hard-hitting, undefeated young fighter who had previously demolished Frazier, KO'ing him in the second round of their championship fight.

Rossi won an astounding 8 of the first 9 races of the season, eventually claiming 11 victories in total. He began to study the Qur'an and converted to Sunni Islam, rejecting the teachings of the Nation of Islam. 2002 was the inaugural year for the MotoGP bikes and with all riders experiencing the same teething problems getting used to the new bikes (or dealing with the inferior 500cc bikes), it was all Rossi needed to grasp the Championship with two hands from the very first race and never let go of it. Ali's religious views also changed with time. Honda outfitted their factory riders with the RC211V, a liquid-cooled V5 four-stroke with traditionally odd aerodynamic aesthetics but phenomenal speed. Ali split two bouts with Ken Norton before beating Frazier on points in their 1974 rematch to earn another title shot. The two-stroke 500cc were rapidly being replaced by four-stroke 989cc engines, allowing the factories to provide their riders with staggeringly fast motorbikes. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard left hook in the final round.

2001 had turned out to be the swansong for the 500cc World Championship; the 500cc giving way to the newly created MotoGP class. This fight, known simply as "The Fight," was perhaps one of the most famous and eagerly anticipated bouts of all time, since it featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown. It would be the final 500cc season not just for Rossi but for everyone. In 1970, granted a license to box once more following his Supreme Court victory wherein he was granted his right to refuse military service, he began a comeback. But he suffered a setback when he lost his 1971 title fight, a bruising 15-round encounter with Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden. Rossi stormed home to an overwhelming World Championship in 2001, winning 11 races, including the first three and the final four of the season. Ali seemed at times to even provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of racial separatism. Vale finished 2nd to American Kenny Roberts Jr, with Max Biaggi finishing in 3rd place. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X and declaring his allegiance to them at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion—if not actual hostility—made Ali a target of outrage and suspicion as well.

It would take nine races before Rossi would win on the Honda, but like his previous seasons in 125 and 250, it was inevitable that 2000 would be a warm-up to a dominant second season. Ali's actions in refusing military service and aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod of controversy, turning the outspoken but popular former champion into one of that era's most recognizable and controversial figures. Rossi proceeded to showcase the NSR500's strengths, constantly using his analytical mind to refine it even further. The sentence was overturned on appeal three years later. The media naturally escalated things, printing any juicy gossip they heard, be it alleged or real. It was in this same year he refused to serve in the American army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, famously saying that he "got nothing against no Viet Cong" and "No Vietnamese ever called me a nigger." He was stripped of his championship belt and his license to box and sentenced to five years in prison. Although the two had never raced against each other, an intense rivalry had developed due to Rossi's arrogant yet loveable nature and Biaggi's proud, king-of-the-hill persona. He knocked out the challenger in Round 7.

It would also be the first time Rossi would be racing against fierce rival, Max Biaggi. He showed what a breathtaking fighter he was by throwing every punch sharply and on target. Rossi was rewarded in 2000 for his 250cc World Championship by being given a ride with Honda in what was then the ultimate class in World Championship motorcycle racing, 500cc. Jeremy Burgess, part of Honda Racing's brains trust, had shown him the NSR500 and was convinced that the pairing of it with Rossi would bring nothing but success. He kept taunting the challenger throughout the fight and many called his treatment cruel and brutal. Ali's fight with the 35 year old Folley is regarded by many as his finest performance in the ring. 1999 would bring him the championship though, collecting 5 pole positions and 9 World Championship wins along the way. Even though the fight went to a decision, Ali delivered a horrible beating and won every round. Again, he found himself learning the ways of his new bike in the first season, concluding the 1998 250cc season in 2nd place, losing the championship by only three points. Terrell had refused to acknowledge Ali's name and the champ vowed to punish him for this perceived insolence.

The death of two of his friends in a car accident also seemed to take a toll on Vale psychologically. In February and March of 1967, Ali faced Ernie Terrell in the Astrodome and Zora Folley at Madison Square Garden. Valentino considered 1998 the toughest year of his career, due to the persistent pressure to perform that he felt from Aprilia, the media and effectively everyone around him. Many felt he would give the champion a tough battle, however Ali easily knocked him out in the third round. But even with a fast bike and experienced championship-winning teammates, Rossi struggled in his first season in 250cc. Williams had one of the highest knockout percentages in history and has often been ranked as one of the finest fighters who never won a title. By 1998, the Aprilia RS250 was reaching its pinnacle and had a formidable team of riders in Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi and Tetsuya Harada. In November 1966, Ali returned to the United States to face Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome.

Rossi treated it as a learning process and refined his skills enough to comfortably wrap up the 125cc World Championship in the following 1997 season, winning 11 of the 15 races. In one of his tougher fights, Ali finally won by knockout in Round 12. By the end of the season, he had found himself in 9th position, plagued with somewhat inconsistent performances yet showing stunning speed. He traveled to Germany next to face southpaw Karl Mildenberger (who was the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling). In August he won his first World Championship Grand Prix at Brno in the Czech Republic on an AGV Aprilia RS125R. Ali won both fights by knockout. The 1996 World Championship season brought little success in the way of GP wins, Vale collecting more crashes than anything else, failing to finish five of the season's races. Ali then traveled to England to face "British Bulldog" Brian London and Henry Cooper (who had knocked him down in their initial 1963 match).

At first he found himself on a Sandroni in the 1994 Italian championship and continued to ride it through the 1995 European and Italian championships. No other champion has had that many defenses in only a year. In March 1966, he won a unanimous decision over tough Canadian champion George Chuvalo (who was never knocked down in his career). In 1994, Aprilia by the way of Sandroni had found themselves a new young talent in Valentino Rossi and proceeded to use him to improve their RS125R and in turn allowed Vale to learn how to handle the fast new pace of 125cc racing. In a period of a year he defended his title seven times. Although his first season in the Italian Sport Production Championship was varied, he found himself consistently improving his skills, leading to a pole position at the season's final race in Misano where he ultimately would finish on the podium. By the second year, Rossi had been provided a factory Mito by Cagiva team manager Claudio Lusuardi and cruised to the Italian title. 1966 and early 1967 were a busy time for the champion. Vale ended up finishing 9th that race weekend. In between the two matches, he also became famous for other reasons: he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, although only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it.

It was an amusing yet trying moment for Vale who was trying to decide whether motorcycles were really for him. The referee stopped the fight in Round 12 after Patterson had taken a horrible beating. The repair gave Vale an opportunity to correct his first-corner mistake only to find himself crash it into the second corner. That November, Clay met and defeated former champion Floyd Patterson. The bike was repaired so as Vale could have another attempt. He would reconfirm his abilities when he knocked out Liston in the first round of their rematch in Lewiston, Maine on May 25, 1965, albeit controversially, as few observers saw the "phantom punch" that floored Liston. 1993 brought with it a Cagiva Mito 125cc motorcycle for Rossi, which in turn brought a first-corner crash no more than a hundred meters out from pit lane. Clay was duly crowned the heavyweight champion of the world.

With Valentino growing both in size and talent, it became abundantly clear that a proper motorcycle was required to further his progress. Clay leapt out of his corner, proclaiming himself "King of the World" and demanding the writers eat their words. Through 1992 and 1993, Valentino continued to learn the ins and outs of minimoto racing, steadily racking up win after win. That came before the seventh, when Liston retired on his stool, later claiming his shoulder had become dislocated. However the high financial burden of racing karts led to the decision to race minimoto exclusively. Partially sighted, Clay was able to keep out of range, and by the fifth and into the sixth, he was looking for a finish. Both Valentino and Graziano had started looking at moving him into the Italian 100cc series as well as the corresponding European series which most likely would have pushed him into the direction of Formula 1. It is unknown whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts or applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose.

Although minimoto was for fun, he continued to race karts and finished 5th at the national kart championships in Parma. Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a foreign substance. The minimoto had now become his weapon of choice and before the end of 1991, he had won 16 regional races. By the third, Clay was clearly on top and had opened a large cut under Liston's eye. But before they had finished engraving his name on the trophy a new craze had taken over. As early as the third round, Liston began to visibly tire, and Clay took full advantage, landing several heavy punches. 1990 brought Valentino the regional kart championship. In the opening rounds, Clay's speed, greater even than his idols, Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore, kept him away from Liston's powerful head and body shots, as he used his height and reach advantage to effectively counterpunch with the jab.

Graziano attempted to forge documents in an attempt to get Valentino's junior kart licence one year before he was legally allowed (he was 9 at the time), but ultimately failed. Misreading Clay's exuberance as nervousness, Liston was over-confident and unprepared for any result but a quick stoppage. Although Valentino showed interest in such things as his guitar and playing football, his interest in school and study waned. Shrugging off his mother's attempt to get him to attend soccer school, he found more interest in the gravel pits and various motorcycle GPs. Clay, however, had a plan. However, the Rossi family trait of perpetually wanting to go faster prompted a redesign; Graziano replaced the 60cc motor with a 100cc national kart motor for his then 5-year-old son. The date was fixed for February 25, 1964; during the weigh-in, the boisterous Ali declared that he would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." [1] (http://www.jamescampion.com/ncnali.html). Fuelled by Rossi's mother Stefania's concern for her son's safety, Graziano purchased a go-kart as substitute for the bike. Almost no one gave the young boxer a chance of beating Liston.

Rossi's first racing love was actually go-karts. Liston was greatly feared, and some have said that he was the Mike Tyson of his era. Son of Graziano Rossi a former motorcycle racer, he first jumped on a bike at the age of two and his astounding career progressed in leaps and bounds. Cassius became the number one contender for Sonny Liston's title. Born on the 16th February, 1979 in Urbino, Italy, Valentino grew up surrounded by racing. Among Clay's more impressive victories were against Sonny Banks (who knocked him down earlier in the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had won over 200 previous fights).
. He defeated such boxers as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Duke Sabedong, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, and Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout).

. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0 with 15 knockouts.
. He won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia.
. In Louisville on October 29, 1960 Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. He is the reigning World Champion. He boisterously sang his own praises, with sayings like "I am the greatest" and "I'm young, I'm pretty, I'm fast, and no one can beat me.".

He won the 2001 500cc World Championship, the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP World Championships with Honda and the 2004 MotoGP World Championships with Yamaha. He made a name for himself as the "Louisville Slugger" by composing poems predicting in which round he would knock out his opponent. From there he moved up to the 250cc category, again with Aprilia, and won the World Championship in 1999. He then turned professional under the tutelage of boxing legend Angelo Dundee and quickly became famous for his unorthodox style, his spectacular results, and his tireless self-promotion (the latter inspired in part by professional wrestler Gorgeous George and singer Little Richard). Following his father Graziano Rossi, Rossi started racing in Grands Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125 cc category and won his first World Championship the following year. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he won a gold medal as a light heavyweight boxer. Valentino Rossi is a multiple motorcycle MotoGP World Champion. Presciently, his principal announced during a staff meeting about the issue that Clay would someday be "this school's claim to fame." Clay later joked about his lackluster academic record saying, "I said I was the Greatest, not the smartest.".

. A low achiever academically, Clay won six Kentucky Gold Gloves while at high school and was allowed to graduate despite his poor grades. Agostini: 68 first, 20 second and none third places. Martin suggested that Clay learn to fight; under his guidance, Clay rapidly advanced through the youth ranks. Rossi: 68 first, 21 second and 12 third places. At age 12, he had his bicycle stolen, and reported the fact to a local policeman (and boxing trainer), Joe Martin. 2004 - World champion, MotoGP class, Yamaha YZR-M1. Clay, was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

2003 - World champion, MotoGP class, Honda RC211V. Clay, named after his father and Kentucky abolitionist Cassius M. 2002 - World champion, MotoGP class, Honda RC211V. He is also considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. 2001 - World champion, 500 cc class, Honda NSR500. He was one of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers, as well as one of the world's most famous individuals, renowned the world over for his boxing and political activism. 2000 - 2nd, 500 cc class, Honda NSR500. Muhammad Ali-Haj (born January 17, 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) is an American boxer.

1999 - World champion, 250 cc class, Aprilia RS250. I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, an animated television series. 1998 - 2nd, 250 cc class, Aprilia RS250. When We Were Kings (filmed 1974, released 1996, documentary about the "Rumble in the Jungle" by filmmaker Leon Gast.). 1997 - World champion, 125 cc class, Aprilia RS125R. Ali (2001, directed by Michael Mann, starring Will Smith). 1996 - 9th, 125 cc class, Aprilia RS125R. The Greatest (1977, starring Ali as himself).

King Of The World, by David Remnick — An account of Ali's rise to greatness, focusing on the two fights with Sonny Liston. ISBN 0071395881. Sting Like a Bee, by Jose Torres (with significant contributions from Bert Randolph Sugar and Norman Mailer). Ali also refereed the main event at Wrestlemania I in 1985.

The match was declared a draw. wrestler match against Antonio Inoki in June 1976 in Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Ali had a boxer vs.