Muhammad Ali

As Muhammad Ali celebrates his 70th birthday, the world has paused in recognition of one of the truly great figures in sports history. Ali has transcended the sporting world and has become an international presence, more recognizable than most presidents and historical figures.

Here's a look at sixteen interesting facts about the greatest heavyweight of all-time:

— is 19-3 against fighters listed on Ring Magazine's Top 50 Greatest Heavyweights list.

— was kept sidelined in the sport for 3 and a half years, from 1967 to 1970 for refusing military service. However, his license was never revoked.

— won a gold medal as a light heavyweight at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome.

— was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Hence, his early nickname, the 'Louisville Lip'.

— in September, 1976, after winning a unanimous decision against Ken Norton, admitted to sportswriters that he should've lost.

— was first trained as a professional by legendary former world champion, Archie Moore. Moore was soon released after proving to be too strict and no-nonsense for the outgoing Clay. It was then that Angelo Dundee was brought in.

— failed the mental aptitude test in 1962 when he registered for Selective Service and was classified unfit for service. Later, as the country needed more soldiers for the Vietnam War, a new classification was issued and Ali found himself classified 1-A (fit for service).

— recorded an album for Epic Records in 1964 titled "I Am The Greatest." The track, "The Gang's All Here" was produced by Sam Cooke.

— His bout with underdog, Chuck Wepner, inspired Sylvester Stallone to write the screenplay for the movie, "Rocky." The lead character, Rocky Balboa, was patterned after Wepner and antagonist, Apollo Creed, was based on Ali.

— Ali was the first man to knock down Sonny Liston, George Foreman, and Chuck Wepner.

— patterned his ring persona after bad guy professional wrestler, Gorgeous George. Ali once said, "I saw fifteen thousand people coming to see this man get beat, and his talking did it. I said, this is a good idea!"

— Ali's maternal great-grandfather was Abe Grady, a native of Ireland. Through this lineage, Ali is a distant relative of Generals Robert E. Lee and George Smith Patton Jr.; actors Lee Marvin, Glenn Close, Laura Dern, and Hilary Duff; journalist, Katie Couric; cyclist, Lance Armstrong; and U.S. Presidents, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Benjamin Harrison.

— has portrayed himself in four different motion pictures.

— has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on 37 different occasions, second only to Michael Jordan.

— has been married four times and has seven daughters and two sons

— In a 1993 research study to determine the most recognizable athlete of all time, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete in America. The study found that more than 97% of Americans over 12 years of age knew and could recognize Ali.