Muhammad Ali won the Olympic gold medal at light heavyweight in 1960. In 1964, he captured the world heavyweight title from Sonny Liston and spent the middle years of the decade establishing himself as one of the top heavyweight champions in history.

But after refusing to be drafted in 1967, Ali lost his titles and spent the last few years of the decade inactive. As the 1970s began, he was freshly reinstated but facing the most competitive crop of heavyweights in history.

In 1971, Ali lost for the first time in his professional career to Joe Frazier. He lost again to Ken Norton in 1973.

Ali beat both Frazier and Norton in rematches, but it was still a shock to many observers when he managed to knock out George Foreman to recapture the title in 1974. For the rest of the decade, Ali remained not only the biggest star in boxing but also the biggest sports star of any kind.

For the decade, Ali was 27-3. In addition to his wins over Frazier, Foreman and Norton, he beat such dangerous contenders as George Chuvalo, Oscar Bonavena, Earnie Shavers, Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Ellis, Ron Lyle and Jerry Quarry (twice).