Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, was born in Louisville, Kentucky with the name Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. He was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions, a title which he defended 19 times. Shortly after becoming heavyweight champion, he announced that he was a member of the Nation of Islam, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In the 1980s, shortly after his retirement from boxing, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Although he retired form boxing, he devoted his time to charity activities. In 1999, Sports Illustrated awarded him the title "Sportsman of the Century."
穆罕默德·阿里是美国杰出的拳击家，原名卡修斯·马塞卢斯·克莱（小）。他1942年出生于肯塔基州路维，1964年因加入“黑人穆斯林”而改为现名。自1960年获奥运会轻重量级拳击冠军后至1979年，他曾多次赢得世界重量级拳击冠军。20世纪80年代，他被确诊患上帕金森氏综合征，并退出拳坛，但是阿里并没有从公众的视野中消失，仍然活跃在体坛上，从事各种公益活动。1999年他在《体育画刊》设立的20世纪体育奖评选中被评为“世纪最佳运动员”。
（本文选自人民教育出版社《中学英语文化背景知识手册》，2008年8月第1版）
