Muhammad Ali was the first person to become heavyweight champion of the world three times.
Born Cassius Clay in 1942, he won Olympic Gold in Rome aged 18 and floored Sonny Liston to shake up the world in 1964.
Then heavyweight champion, he became Muhammad Ali and would dominate the division for more than a decade - minus his three-year exile for refusing to fight in the Vietnam war - beating the likes of Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and George Foreman.
Here, Sportsmail looks back at the life of one of the most remarkable men to walk the planet...
Muhammad Ali knocks out British challenger Richard Dunn in the fifth round of their fight in Munich in May 1976
Muhammed Ali stands over Sonny Liston after knocking him to the floor with a short right hand to the jaw on May 25, 1965
The boxer, known to many as The Greatest, poses for a photograph during a training session in 1970
Ali (left) as a young boy with his brother Rahman in Kentucky in 1946, and posing after winning the 24-carat gold-plated heavyweight championship belt on September 18 1964
Ali and Joe Frazier battling it out in 1971 at Madison Square Garden in what became known as the 'Fight of the Century'
Ali prowls the ring after putting George Foreman down in round eight of the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire in 1974
Chuck Wepner is almost knocked through the ropes as Ali retains his heavyweight titles in Richfield in 1975
Frazier misses this time as Ali ducks a left hook during the Fight of the Century at New York's Madison Square Garden
But this one from Frazier found its mark - knocking Ali to the canvas in the 15th round as Smokin' Joe took the decision
And 1964 was also the year that Ali met The Beatles (from left) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison
The Fab Four were brave enough to get in the ring with Ali but luckily for the musicians there were no smash hits
Ali's delight is all too obvious as he celebrates victory over Liston and is mobbed by his support team at the end of the fight
Ali and trainer Angelo Dundee (right) are pictured before the first meeting with Henry Cooper in 1965
A thoughtful, youthful Ali watches a private showing in a West End cinema prior to his first fight with Henry Cooper
Ali is pictured at his West End hotel during his stay in London prior to the Cooper fight in 1966
Cooper prepares for another attack from Ali during their bout for the world heavyweight boxing title at Arsenal's Highbury Stadium in 1966. The fight was stopped in the sixth round because of a cut above Cooper's left eye
Ali (left), dubbed The Greatest, speaks to reporters alongside civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King (right) in March 1967
Ali is escorted from the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance station in Houston after he refused Army induction in April 1967
Ali shares time with Zaire president Joseph Mobuto (right) during the build-up to the Rumble in the Jungle
Ali is pictured training in 1970 as the former heavyweight champion of the world prepares to make a return to boxing after his exile
Ali's electrifying boxing ability, coupled with his amazing personality and quick wit made him one of sport's most famous faces
Ali (in the white trunks) gets a left hand away against Ken Norton in their fight at the Yankee Stadium in 1976
The two delivered another memorable bout which captured the hearts of boxing fans everywhere
Ali's unstoppable punches and lightening fast reflexes made him the most feared fighter around
Referee Zack Clayton beckons Ali to the corner after he knocked down George Foreman in their 1974 fight
Away from the ring, Ali is seen enjoying a tender moment with two of his children, Laila (left) and Hana (right) at a hotel in London in 1978
Ali kisses his daughter Laila after she was crowned WBC and WIBA super middleweight champion in June 2005
Ali comes face-to-face with former South African President Nelson Mandela in the Irish city of Dublin in 2003
Ali's sad death was confirmed by a family relative on Saturday morning following his 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease
The boxing great receives the Courage Award from singer Whitney Houston at the GQ Men of the Year awards in 1998
Ali looks as sharp as ever, jabbing at photographers on the red carpet for the premier of the film Collateral in Los Angeles in 2004
Ali will go down in history as one of sport's greatest ever athletes - perhaps even the best ever given his huge popularity
On 2 December 1974, then heavyweight champion of the World Ali addresses a Nation of Islam meeting at a theatre in London
Back in June 1963, Ali has his gloves tied before a bout with Britain's Henry Cooper, which he won inside five rounds at Wembley
At a gym in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania in 1975, Ali wraps his hands before a session (left); he was also a family man through and through
A close-up image of Ali in August 1966 shows him during a training session ahead of his fight with Brian London; he won in three rounds
Ali (left) waves to the crowds in June 1963 as he walks along with the street with his brother Rudolph, later known as Rahman Ali
Ali shakes hands with London before their 1966 fight at Earl's Court (left), and gets weighed before a bout with Oscar Bonavena (right)
A candid snap of the legendary boxer shows him looking at a picture of fellow boxer Liston, who he was training to fight in 1964
Ali holds up five fingers in a prediction of how many rounds it would take for him to knock out Cooper; it did, of course, take exactly five
Ali pretends to punch the camera while in training for a second fight with Joe Frazier in 1974; he won by unanimous decision in New York
Ali has his mouth taped in jest by trainer Angelo Dundee during his weigh-in before the fight with Doug Jones in March 1963
Black Muslim leader Malcolm X (second left) leans on the shoulder of Ali after he beat Liston to become heavyweight champion in 1964
In Pittsburgh in 1963, Ali reclines bare-chested in his hotel room; in his next fight he beat Charlie Powell inside three brutal rounds
Then Cassius Clay, Ali combs his hair in the mirror before taking a walk in Pittsburgh on the day of his fight with Powell in January 1963
Ali speaks to a crowd of reporters in 1963 - the year in which he defeated Powell, Doug Jones and Henry Cooper to take his record to 19-0
Ali, pictured staring down his opponent before a fight, died with his family by his side after a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease
Ali always worked hard in training (left, watching himself in the mirror) to enable him to beat opponents like Floyd Patterson in 1965 (right)
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