Muhammad Ali is referred to as the greatest sportsperson America has ever produced by countless folks around the world. The heavyweight boxer had an illustrious career that others can only dream of. But, which weight class did Muhammad Ali belong to throughout his professional boxing life? Let’s find out.
The greatness of Muhammad Ali wasn’t confined to a single sport. He was also a great social activist and entertainer with fans in every part of the world till now. Formerly known as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Muhammad Ali achieved everything to be remembered for decades and centuries to come.
Let’s explore the boxing career of Muhammad Ali to find out which weight class he preferred in amateur, professional, and exhibition fights alongside his stats and some impressive facts.
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Which Weight Class Did Muhammad Ali Fight in?
Muhammad Ali started his professional boxing career with a fight against Tunny Hunsaker and weighed 192 lbs for the match. He weighed between 188 and 199 lbs for the first 15 fights after turning professional. Hence, Muhammad Ali was a part of the cruiserweight division initially.
On November 15, 1962, Muhammad Ali defeated Archie Moore in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. He weighed 204 lbs for the fight, marking his move to the heavyweight division. After that, Ali never cut pounds and his weight continued to increase simultaneously with his legacy in the squared circle.
Muhammad Ali fought in the heavyweight division (>200 lbs) for most of his career. He held the Ring Magazine Heavyweight Championship from 1964 to 1970, he was the Undisputed Champion from 1974 to 1978, and the WBA and Ring Heavyweight Champion from 1978 to 1979.
Muhammad Ali’s Weight Division in Amateur Boxing:
Muhammad Ali made his amateur boxing debut in 1954 as Clay against local amateur boxer Ronnie O’Keefe and he won the fight via split decision. The then prodigy went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, and an Amateur Athletic Union National title.
In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Muhammad Ali won the light heavyweight gold medal. At the end of his amateur career, Muhammad Ali’s record was 100 wins with five losses. For most of his amateur boxing career, Muhammad Ali was a part of the light heavyweight division (175 lbs).
Muhammad Ali a.k.a Clay was first directed toward boxing by Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin after a thief stole his bicycle. Ali was fuming over the loss and wanted to ‘whup’ the thief and Martin told him to better learn boxing first. He later saw amateur boxing programs on television which made him more interested. Eventually, he started training with Fred Stoner before moving on to Chuck Bodak.
How much did Muhammad Ali weigh in his last fight?
Muhammad Ali had 61 fights in his professional boxing career. In his last fight, he met Trevor Berbic on December 11, 1981, at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Bahamas. He weighed the highest in his professional career for this fight. Muhammad Ali stood at 236 lbs in his last match against Berbick.
Unfortunately, Berbick concluded Ali’s legendary career with a unanimous decision. Ali also lost the second last fight of his professional career, which was against his former sparring partner Larry Holmes at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Ali weighed 217 lbs for the fight and struggled with ‘mild ataxic dysarthria’.
After his retirement, Muhammad Ali also had some exhibition fights. On June 26, 1976, Ali fought Japanese professional wrestler and MMA star Antonio Inoki. The match was termed Ali’s “least memorable fight” by the New York Times and resulted in a draw. Ali also competed against NFL players Lyle Alzado and Dave Semenko in 1979 and 1983, respectively. Both the bouts resulted in a draw.
Muhammad Ali Career Stats & Titles:
Here’s an overview of Muhammad Ali’s legendary boxing career along with all his title wins:
- Born: January 17, 1942
- Birth Place: Louisville, Kentucky
- Record: 56-5-0
- Wins by KO/Submission: 37 (60.7%)
- Title Fights: 25
- Division: Heavyweight
- Stance: Orthodox
- Reach: 78 inches
- Height: 6-foot-2
- Last Noted Weight: 236 lbs (107kg)
- Died: June 03, 2016
Muhammad Ali’s Titles in Boxing:
Here are all the title victories of Muhammad Ali in professional and amateur boxing:
Major World Titles:
- WBA heavyweight champion (4×)
- WBC heavyweight champion (2×)
Other World titles:
The Ring Magazine Titles-
- The Ring heavyweight champion (3×)
Lineal titles-
- Lineal heavyweight champion (3×)
Regional titles:
- NABF heavyweight champion (3×)
Amateur titles:
- Olympic light heavyweight champion (gold medal, 1960)
- AAU national champion (2×)
- National Golden Gloves champion (2×)
- Kentucky Golden Gloves champion (6×)
Frequently Asked Questions:
How much does Muhammad Ali weigh?:
During his prime days, Muhammad Ali always weighed above 200 lbs and fought in the heavyweight division. He weighed 236 lbs (107 kg) for his last professional boxing match against Trevor Berbick. However, when Ali fought in the amateur circuit and his initial days, he weighed less than 200 lbs.
How much did Muhammad Ali weigh against Joe Frazier?:
A: For his insanely famous fight titled “The Rumble in the Jungle” against the unbeaten then-heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, the unbeaten former champion Muhammad Ali weighed 216 lbs. The match that took place in 1971 was billed as the “Fight of the Century.” The two legends also fought on two more occasions.
How was Muhammad Ali so fast?:
Muhammad Ali was impressively quick in the ring due to a mixture of several factors including his natural athleticism, quick reflexes, and brilliant hand-eye coordination. He also focused a lot on his training regimen to improve speed and agility which always gave him an upper hand in the heavyweight division.
How did Ali get so big?:
Muhammad Ali used a monstrous training regimen to get bigger and bigger as he progressed in his professional boxing career. He trained hard for 6 days a week, ran 6 miles under 40 min every day, and had a 3-hour gym session which included sit-ups, bag punching, ball punching, skipping, sparring, shadow boxing, and more. He was a true legend of the sport.
How many pushups did Ali do?:
Once a reporter asked Muhammad Ali, “How many pushups can you do?” “About eight or nine,” Ali replied. The perplexed reporter then looked in disbelief and then Ali explained, “Well, I only start counting when I can’t do anymore.” It was widely known that Ali wasn’t a fan of traditional weightlifting.
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