Muhammad Ali is a man.
Muhammad Ali ( [ ɑːˈliː ] born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. ; January 17 , 1942 -- June 3 , 2016 ) was an American professional boxer and activist . At age 18 , he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and turned professional later that year . He is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times . After retiring from boxing in 1981 , Ali devoted his life to religious and charitable work .