Muhammad Ali Record
Muhammad Ali (The Greatest) was an American professional boxer. He was a heavyweight world champion with 9 world-title wins. In a career spanning 21 years, 1 month, and 12 days, Ali amassed a record of 56-5, which includes 37 wins via KO, 14 of which were in world-title fights. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990.
Boxing Career
Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. on January 17, 1942. He made his professional debut at the age of 18 years on October 29, 1960 against Tunney Hunsaker. Ali defeated Hunsaker via 6-round unanimous decision, making a successful beginning of his pro career.
Ali became a world champion fight at the age of 22 after 19 professional fights. He challenged Sonny Liston for the WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles and stopped the champion in the 6th of the 15-round fight, winning his first world titles. With this win, he also became the undisputed heavyweight world champion — in his very first world-title fight.
Ali's last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Trevor Berbick at age 39, on December 11, 1981.
Some of Muhammad Ali's best fights were against Bob Foster (HOFer), George Foreman (HOFer), Sonny Liston (HOFer), Ernie Terrell, Leon Spinks, Archie Moore (HOFer), and Joe Frazier (HOFer). For a complete list refer to the "Best Fights" section below.
Ali has 5 losses on his record. For details about these losses refer to "Muhammad Ali Losses".
Fight Record
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Res | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
61 | Dec 11, 1981 | 39 | 
Trevor Berbick 27 19-2-1 | loss | UD 10 |
60 | Oct 02, 1980 | 38 | 
Larry Holmes 30 35-0 | loss | RTD 10 |
59 | Sep 15, 1978 | 36 | 
Leon Spinks 25 7-0-1 | win | UD 15 |
58 | Feb 15, 1978 | 36 |
Leon Spinks 24 6-0-1 | loss | SD 15 |
57 | Sep 29, 1977 | 35 | 
Earnie Shavers 33 54-5-1 | win | UD 15 |
56 | May 16, 1977 | 35 | 
Alfredo Evangelista 22 14-1-1 | win | UD 15 |
55 | Sep 28, 1976 | 34 | 
Ken Norton 33 37-3 | win | UD 15 |
54 | May 24, 1976 | 34 | 
Richard Dunn 31 33-9 | win | TKO 5 |
53 | Apr 30, 1976 | 34 | 
Jimmy Young 27 17-4-2 | win | UD 15 |
52 | Feb 20, 1976 | 34 | 
Jean-Pierre Coopman 29 24-3 | win | KO 5 |
51 | Oct 01, 1975 | 33 | 
Joe Frazier 31 32-2 | win | RTD 14 |
50 | Jun 30, 1975 | 33 | 
Joe Bugner 25 51-6-1 | win | UD 15 |
49 | May 16, 1975 | 33 | 
Ron Lyle 34 30-2-1 | win | TKO 11 |
48 | Mar 24, 1975 | 33 | 
Chuck Wepner 36 31-9-2 | win | TKO 15 |
47 | Oct 30, 1974 | 32 | 
George Foreman 25 40-0 | win | KO 8 |
46 | Jan 28, 1974 | 32 |
Joe Frazier 30 30-1 | win | UD 12 |
45 | Oct 20, 1973 | 31 | 
Rudie Lubbers 28 21-1 | win | UD 12 |
44 | Sep 10, 1973 | 31 |
Ken Norton 30 30-1 | win | SD 12 |
43 | Mar 31, 1973 | 31 |
Ken Norton 29 29-1 | loss | SD 12 |
42 | Feb 14, 1973 | 31 |
Joe Bugner 22 43-4-1 | win | UD 12 |
41 | Nov 21, 1972 | 30 | 
Bob Foster 30 49-5 | win | KO 8 |
40 | Sep 20, 1972 | 30 | 
Floyd Patterson 37 55-7-1 | win | RTD 7 |
39 | Jul 19, 1972 | 30 | 
Alvin Lewis 29 26-4 | win | TKO 11 |
38 | Jun 27, 1972 | 30 | 
Jerry Quarry 27 43-5-4 | win | TKO 7 |
37 | May 01, 1972 | 30 | 
George Chuvalo 34 66-17-2 | win | UD 12 |
36 | Apr 01, 1972 | 30 | 
Mac Foster 29 28-1 | win | UD 15 |
35 | Dec 26, 1971 | 29 | 
Jürgen Blin 28 27-9-6 | win | KO 7 |
34 | Nov 17, 1971 | 29 | 
Buster Mathis 28 29-2 | win | UD 12 |
33 | Jul 26, 1971 | 29 | 
Jimmy Ellis 31 30-6 | win | TKO 12 |
32 | Mar 08, 1971 | 29 |
Joe Frazier 27 26-0 | loss | UD 15 |
31 | Dec 07, 1970 | 28 | 
Oscar Bonavena 28 46-6-1 | win | TKO 15 |
30 | Oct 26, 1970 | 28 |
Jerry Quarry 25 37-4-4 | win | RTD 3 |
29 | Mar 22, 1967 | 25 | 
Zora Folley 35 74-7-4 | win | KO 7 |
28 | Feb 06, 1967 | 25 | 
Ernie Terrell 27 39-4 | win | UD 15 |
27 | Nov 14, 1966 | 24 | 
Cleveland Williams 33 65-5-1 | win | TKO 3 |
26 | Sep 10, 1966 | 24 | 
Karl Mildenberger 28 49-2-3 | win | TKO 12 |
25 | Aug 06, 1966 | 24 | 
Brian London 32 35-13 | win | KO 3 |
24 | May 21, 1966 | 24 | 
Henry Cooper 32 33-11-1 | win | TKO 6 |
23 | Mar 29, 1966 | 24 |
George Chuvalo 28 34-11-2 | win | UD 15 |
22 | Nov 22, 1965 | 23 |
Floyd Patterson 30 43-4 | win | TKO 12 |
21 | May 25, 1965 | 23 | 
Sonny Liston 33 35-2 | win | KO 1 |
20 | Feb 25, 1964 | 22 |
Sonny Liston 31 35-1 | win | RTD 6 |
19 | Jun 18, 1963 | 21 |
Henry Cooper 29 27-8-1 | win | TKO 5 |
18 | Mar 13, 1963 | 21 | 
Doug Jones 26 21-3-1 | win | UD 10 |
17 | Jan 24, 1963 | 21 | 
Charlie Powell 30 23-6-3 | win | KO 3 |
16 | Nov 15, 1962 | 20 | 
Archie Moore 48 185-22-10 | win | TKO 4 |
15 | Jul 20, 1962 | 20 |  Alejandro Lavorante | win | KO 5 |
14 | May 19, 1962 | 20 | Billy Daniels | win | TKO 7 |
13 | Apr 23, 1962 | 20 | George Logan | win | TKO 4 |
12 | Feb 28, 1962 | 20 | Don Warner | win | TKO 4 |
11 | Feb 10, 1962 | 20 | Sonny Banks | win | TKO 4 |
10 | Nov 29, 1961 | 19 | Willi Besmanoff | win | TKO 7 |
9 | Oct 07, 1961 | 19 | Alex Miteff | win | TKO 6 |
8 | Jul 22, 1961 | 19 | Alonzo Johnson | win | UD 10 |
7 | Jun 26, 1961 | 19 | Duke Sabedong | win | UD 10 |
6 | Apr 19, 1961 | 19 | LaMar Clark | win | KO 2 |
5 | Feb 21, 1961 | 19 | Donnie Fleeman | win | RTD 6 |
4 | Feb 07, 1961 | 19 | Jim Robinson | win | KO 1 |
3 | Jan 17, 1961 | 19 | Tony Esperti | win | TKO 3 |
2 | Dec 27, 1960 | 18 | Herb Siler | win | TKO 4 |
1 | Oct 29, 1960 | 18 | Tunney Hunsaker | win | UD 6 |
Championships
Muhammad Ali won 9 world championships in 4 world-title fights at the heavyweight weight division.
| # | Date | Opponent | Weight Class | Won | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Sep 15, 1978 | Leon Spinks | Heavyweight | WBA, The Ring | UD | 15 |
2 |
Oct 30, 1974 | George Foreman | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | KO | 8 |
3 |
Feb 06, 1967 | Ernie Terrell | Heavyweight | WBA | UD | 15 |
4 |
Feb 25, 1964 | Sonny Liston | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | RTD | 6 |
Ali successfully defended his heavyweight world titles 19 times.
| # | Date | Opponent | Weight Class | Defended | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Sep 29, 1977 | Earnie Shavers | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
2 |
May 16, 1977 | Alfredo Evangelista | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
3 |
Sep 28, 1976 | Ken Norton | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
4 |
May 24, 1976 | Richard Dunn | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | TKO | 5 |
5 |
Apr 30, 1976 | Jimmy Young | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
6 |
Feb 20, 1976 | Jean-Pierre Coopman | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | KO | 5 |
7 |
Oct 01, 1975 | Joe Frazier | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | RTD | 14 |
8 |
Jun 30, 1975 | Joe Bugner | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
9 |
May 16, 1975 | Ron Lyle | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | TKO | 11 |
10 |
Mar 24, 1975 | Chuck Wepner | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | TKO | 15 |
11 |
Mar 22, 1967 | Zora Folley | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | KO | 7 |
12 |
Feb 06, 1967 | Ernie Terrell | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
13 |
Nov 14, 1966 | Cleveland Williams | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | TKO | 3 |
14 |
Sep 10, 1966 | Karl Mildenberger | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | TKO | 12 |
15 |
Aug 06, 1966 | Brian London | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | KO | 3 |
16 |
May 21, 1966 | Henry Cooper | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | TKO | 6 |
17 |
Mar 29, 1966 | George Chuvalo | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
18 |
Nov 22, 1965 | Floyd Patterson | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | TKO | 12 |
19 |
May 25, 1965 | Sonny Liston | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | KO | 1 |
Ali has lost 3 world championships in 1 title-defense fight.
| # | Date | Opponent | Weight Class | Lost | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Feb 15, 1978 | Leon Spinks | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | SD | 15 |
Ali unsuccessfully fought for 5 heavyweight world championships in 2 world-title fights.
| # | Date | Opponent | Weight Class | For | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Oct 02, 1980 | Larry Holmes | Heavyweight | WBC, The Ring | RTD | 10 |
2 |
Mar 08, 1971 | Joe Frazier | Heavyweight | WBA, WBC, The Ring | UD | 15 |
Best Fights
- #1.
Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman
On October 30, 1974, a 32-year-old Muhammad Ali (44-2, 31 KOs) got a shot at the undisputed heavyweight championship held by 25-year-old George Foreman (40-0, 37 KOs).
Ali came in to the fight on a 3-fight win streak with a 67% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 9 months and 2 days. Foreman was on a 40-fight win streak with a 92% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 7 months and 4 days.
Muhammad Ali stopped the champion via KO in the 8th round, and wins the WBA, WBC, and The Ring titles — and is crowned the new undisputed heavyweight world champion. Ali improves his record to 45-2 (32 KOs), while Foreman adds a loss to his record at 40-1.
- #2.
Muhammad Ali stops Sonny Liston in their 1st fight
On February 25, 1964, a 22-year-old Muhammad Ali (19-0, 15 KOs) got a shot at the undisputed heavyweight championship held by 31-year-old Sonny Liston (35-1, 25 KOs).
Ali came in to the fight on a 19-fight win streak with a 78% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 8 months and 7 days. Liston was on a 28-fight win streak with a 69% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 7 months and 3 days.
The champion refused to continue the fight in the 6th round, and Muhammad Ali is crowned the new WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight world champion — and becomes the undisputed heavyweight world champion — in his first world-title fight. Ali improves his record to 20-0 (16 KOs), while Liston adds a loss to his record at 35-2.
- #3.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Bob Foster
On November 21, 1972, a 30-year-old Muhammad Ali (39-1, 30 KOs) and a 30-year-old Bob Foster (49-5, 42 KOs) met in the ring in a heavyweight bout.
Ali came in to the fight on a 8-fight win streak with a 75% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 2 months and 1 day. Foster was on a 8-fight win streak with a 77% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 1 month and 26 days.
Muhammad Ali stopped Bob Foster via KO in the 8th round. Ali improves his record to 40-1 (31 KOs), while Foster adds a loss to his record at 49-6.
- #4.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston in their 2nd fight
On May 25, 1965, Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston met again in an immediate rematch.
Ali came in to the fight on a 20-fight win streak with a 80% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 1 year and 3 months. Liston was on a -1-fight win streak with a 67% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 1 year and 3 months.
Muhammad Ali made quick work of Sonny Liston in the rematch, stopping the challenger via KO in the 1st. Ali improves his record to 21-0 (17 KOs), while Liston adds a loss to his record at 35-3.
- #5.
Muhammad Ali defeats Leon Spinks in their 2nd fight
On September 15, 1978, Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks met again in an immediate rematch.
Ali came in to the fight on a 1-fight losing streak with a 63% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 7 months. Spinks was on a 2-fight win streak with a 62% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 7 months.
Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks via unanimous decision in the rematch and wins the WBA and The Ring titles. Ali improves his record to 56-3, while Spinks adds a loss to his record at 7-1-1.
- #6.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Richard Dunn
On May 24, 1976, the 34-year-old undisputed heavyweight world champion, Muhammad Ali (51-2, 36 KOs), faced a 31-year-old British boxer Richard Dunn (33-9, 16 KOs) in an undisputed title defense fight.
Ali came in to the fight on a 10-fight win streak with a 67% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 24 days. Dunn was on a 7-fight win streak with a 38% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 1 month and 18 days.
Muhammad Ali stopped Richard Dunn via TKO in the 5th round of the 15-round world-title fight, and successfully defended his WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles. Ali improves his record to 52-2 (37 KOs), while Dunn adds a loss to his record at 33-10.
- #7.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Cleveland Williams
On November 14, 1966, the 24-year-old WBC and The Ring heavyweight world champion, Muhammad Ali (26-0, 21 KOs), faced a 33-year-old Cleveland Williams (65-5-1, 51 KOs), in a title defense fight.
Ali came in to the fight on a 26-fight win streak with a 80% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 2 months and 4 days. Williams was on a 9-fight win streak with a 71% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 4 months and 17 days.
Muhammad Ali made easy work of Cleveland Williams, stopping the challenger via TKO in the 3rd. Ali improves his record to 27-0 (22 KOs), while Williams adds a loss to his record at 65-6-1.
- #8.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Henry Cooper in their 2nd fight
On May 21, 1966, Muhammad Ali and Henry Cooper met again in a rematch.
Ali came in to the fight on a 23-fight win streak with a 78% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 1 month and 22 days. Cooper was on a 2-fight win streak with a 51% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 3 months and 5 days.
In the rematch, Muhammad Ali stopped Henry Cooper via TKO in the 6th round of the 15-round world-title fight, and successfully defended his WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles. Ali improves his record to 24-0 (19 KOs), while Cooper adds a loss to his record at 33-12-1.
- #9.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Jean-Pierre Coopman
On February 20, 1976, the 34-year-old undisputed heavyweight world champion, Muhammad Ali (49-2, 35 KOs), faced a 29-year-old Belgian boxer Jean-Pierre Coopman (24-3, 14 KOs) in an undisputed title defense fight.
Ali came in to the fight on a 8-fight win streak with a 68% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 4 months and 19 days. Coopman was on a 11-fight win streak with a 51% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 3 months and 19 days.
Muhammad Ali stopped Jean-Pierre Coopman via KO in the 5th round of the 15-round world-title fight, and successfully defended his WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles. Ali improves his record to 50-2 (36 KOs), while Coopman adds a loss to his record at 24-4.
- #10.
Muhammad Ali knocks out Brian London
On August 6, 1966, the 24-year-old WBC and The Ring heavyweight world champion, Muhammad Ali (24-0, 19 KOs), faced a 32-year-old British boxer Brian London (35-13, 26 KOs), in a title defense fight.
Ali came in to the fight on a 24-fight win streak with a 79% KO rate, and was fighting after a gap of 2 months and 16 days. London was on a 1-fight win streak with a 54% KO rate, and fighting after a layoff of 1 month and 16 days.
Muhammad Ali made easy work of Brian London, stopping the challenger via KO in the 3rd. Ali improves his record to 25-0 (20 KOs), while London adds a loss to his record at 35-14.