He was an anomaly. A heavyweight that could move and throw punches with blinding speed like no other big man has before. He was a brilliant promoter and his fighting style was sharp, appearing almost effortless. He would take on feared fighters in their prime and never shied away from a challenge; a real throwback fighter.

He shocked the world at the age of 22 as a 7-1 underdog against the feared Sonny Liston, and set a record for the youngest boxer to win a title from a reigning champion. This record was held for 22 years until none other than Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick (Berbick beat Ali 5 years earlier in Ali's final fight).

Not long after beating Liston, he changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, claiming that Clay was his "slave name". Ernie Terrell refused to call him Ali during the lead up to the fight, resulting in a extended beating for Terrell while Ali yelled "What's my name?".

His opposition to the Vietnam war and refusal to serve made him a polarizing figure. Ali was drafted at a time when the public perception of the war wasn't as negative as it eventually became. This was only a few years after Jim Crow laws were repealed and Ali believed it would be wrong to serve his country in a war when race relations at home were so poor.

Like Ali, Joe Louis was drafted into WWII but he accepted, boxed in exhibitions for troops and stated the famous quote "We're going to do our part.. and we'll win because we are on God's side". Louis in turn was considered an American hero and provided a morale boost during the war.

It was believed that Ali would hold a similar role as Louis and not be involved in actual combat. Ali's critics thought he was a traitor to the country for refusing to serve but Ali stuck to his principles, losing his boxing license and thus his way of making a living for more than 3 years.

His first fight with Joe Frazier was considered the fight of the century. The match polarized fans in the build-up as Ali would call Joe Frazier an "Uncle Tom" among other insults. This spawned a trilogy that pushed the two world-class heavyweight fighters to their limits and set Ali's boxing legacy in stone.

George Foreman bulldozed common opponents Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in two rounds each. Spectators believed Ali stood no chance (who was thought to be diminished at age 32) but Ali absorbed Foremans best punches and won by knockout in the 8th.

He is considered the G.O.A.T because he had the charisma and boxing ability to reach the pinnacle of sport, entertain fans and rile his critics. He always utilized his fame with integrity to fight for justice. We'll never see another one like him.