Muhammad Ali  (born Cassius Clay; January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport.  A controversial and polarizing figure during his early career, Ali is now highly regarded for the skills he displayed in the ring plus the values he exemplified outside of it:  religious freedom, racial justice, and the triumph of principle over expedience.  He is one of the most recognized sports figures of the past 100 years, crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC.  (More from Wikipedia)

 

The Les Sinners song “La Troisieme Fuite de Mohamed ‘Z’ Ali” (“The Third Escape of Mohamed ‘Z’ Ali”) is apparently a tribute to Muhammad Ali, though this was just two years after boxer Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam in 1964 and changed his name as a result.  With the notable exception of Howard Cosell, most in the sports world refused to acknowledge his new name for several years and continued to call him Clay. 

(April 2013)