Muhammad Ali, lauded not just as one of the greatest boxers of all time but one of the most enduring, lyrical voices in the fight for civil rights, died Friday night night at the age of 74.
Ali entered the world as Cassius Clay, later changing his name as his commitment to the Nation of Islam cemented in the mid-’60s. His role as an unrepentant iconoclast, however, was set into motion years earlier and only gathered steam with time: In 1960, he tossed his Olympic gold metal into a river in protest of being denied service at a “whites only” restaurant. In 1966, he chose to sacrifice his heavyweight title, three years of his career and millions of dollars rather than fight in Vietnam. In 1977, he did this:
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