Gone but not forgotten is Muhammad 'The Greatest' Ali who would have celebrated his 83rd birthday today had he lived.

Ali, the greatest heavyweight champion, won the world title a record three times! He was a great humanitarian.

Ali has done more for boxing than anyone could have imagined. From being the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight gold medalist in Rome, Italy to winning the title on February 25, 1964, unbeaten in his twentieth fight, Sonny refused to suffer a shoulder injury in six rounds with Liston 35-1 after 26 knockouts, stopping the world's most feared fighter. The tie was still: 57-57, 59-56 and 56-58.

After his previous 27-8-1 fourth-round defeat against British and Commonwealth champion Henry Cooper came to the canvas, Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee cut off Ali's gloves to give him time to rebound. Ali finished Cooper at 2:15 of the next round at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.

Earlier, he had one of his closest fights, defeating Doug Jones 21-3-1, 8-1 and 5-4 in two rounds at New York's Madison Square Garden. In 1973, when I met Ali at his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, as he emerged from another room, I foolishly asked, “When are you giving Doug Jones a rematch?” Then he invited me to where he was.

It would be four more years when I sat next to Ali at his Deer Lake, PA, camp and didn't learn my lesson, saying, “Why are you fighting all these bamboozles?” Even as an Army vet, I have all the respect in the world for him.

Rejected military induction in the 60s, he made up for it, repatriating 15 American hostages from Iraq a few years later.

He finished his career in December 1981 with a 56-5 record with 37 knockouts. His next fight was only stopped by Larry 'The Easton Assassin' Holmes. By then, his cut man, Ferdy Pacheco, had left the corner, claiming he was unfit for treatment. “Ali's kidneys were failing,” said Dr. Nardillo of the New York Commission. It followed his fight with the hard-hitting Ernie Shavers, 54-5-1, at Madison Square Garden in September 1977.

Ali lost to 1976 Olympic gold medalist Leon Spinks by a 6-0-1, split decision. “Of all the fights I've lost in boxing, losing to (Leon) Spinck hurt me the most. I didn't train properly. He had a rematch, regaining the title in front of over 60,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. This would be his last victory.

A week earlier, it was the birthday of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, who gave Ali a long silk white dress with “People's Choice” in Las Vegas. “Should have said People's Champ on the back,” Ali said. Two years before Elvis' death, he contacted Ali, wanting to see him at Deer Lake Camp, not wanting anyone to come spend time with him. After leaving, Ali said, “Elvis Presley was the most humble man I ever met. What a wonderful man.”

“I beat him six rounds; In the seventh, when I hit him in the side, he leaned into my ear and said, George, have you got that much? Ali defeated champion 'Big' George Foreman 40-0 in Zaire, Africa to win the title for the third time. Foreman added, “He was bigger than boxing!”

“Iron,” Mike Tyson once said, “Cass (D'Amato, his trainer) and Ali had the same birthday.” He first met Ali when he was at a reform school visiting Ali. After Ali's defeat by Holmes, he said “I'll get him for you!”

It was January 22, 1988, at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Next to Ali at ringside was future President Donald J. Trump. After being introduced in the ring, Ali slipped them Holmes' gloves and approached Tyson, whispering in his ear, after which Tyson said, “Kick his ass for me!” At 2:55 of the fourth round, for the third time, Holmes was knocked on his back!

Ali passed away in June 2016 at the age of 74.