Muhammad Ali - then named Cassius Clay - bursts onto the world stage by winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics

Cocky and outspoken, he correctly predicts a fourth-round win over Archie Moore as he targets champion Sonny Liston

The talented youngster's close relationship with legendary trainer Angelo Dundee is one of the keys to his success

Against Henry Cooper in 1963 he is floored by 'Enry's Ammer' before a bad cut ends the Londoner's challenge in round five

The Louisville fighter is now a household name and The Beatles visit ahead of his world title showdown with Liston

At 22, he is rated as a rank outsider against the feared Liston but stops him in seven rounds to become champion

Liston is knocked out by 'the phantom punch' in the first round of their rematch in Maine in May 1965

The champion underlines his class by knocking out former title holder Floyd Patterson in Las Vegas six months later

Having converted to Islam, he announces he is ditching his "slave name" Clay and will be called Muhammad Ali

A political as well as sporting icon, Ali is stripped of his title and banned from boxing for opposing the Vietnam war

He has to wait until 1971 for another title shot, which ends in a gruelling points defeat by Joe Frazier in New York

Ali avenges a loss to Ken Norton before beating Frazier in a rematch to set up a clash with champion George Foreman

Ali, at 32, stuns the world by knocking Foreman out in the eighth round of the famous 'Rumble in the Jungle' in 1974

In Britain, Ali's verbal sparring sessions with BBC interviewer Michael Parkinson are still fondly remembered

A third meeting with Frazier - the 'Thrilla in Manilla' - ends in victory when his opponent retires after 14 brutal rounds

The fading Ali loses his crown to Leon Spinks but beats him in a rematch to win the heavyweight title for a record third time

Ali is past his magnificent best and losses to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick lead to his retirement in December 1981

But his legendary status is secure - and he overcomes his Parkinson's Disease tremors to light the Olympic flame in 1996

The BBC Sports Personality of the Century, Ali's achievements outstrip even the best of the more recent heavyweight kings

As he turns 65, Ali remains recognised as 'The Greatest' - another of his bold predictions that turned out to be spot on