Muhammad Ali refused to perform military service, court rules in his favor

The US Supreme Court on June 28, 1971, overturned the conviction of former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who had refused to be drafted into the military.

The Supreme Court's unanimous decision said Muhammad Ali, known as Kasius Klei, had been wrongfully recruited. And this is because the agency dealing with recruitments had opposed his request without any explanation.

Muhammad Ali was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released on parole on appeal. He was stripped of his heavyweight title and had his boxing license revoked by a number of states. But boxing officials allowed him to return to the sport, and he began to achieve success in October 1970, eight months before the high court ruled.

Despite the interruption of his career, Muhammad Ali still managed to come out on top. In 1974, at the age of 32, Muhammad Ali regained the heavyweight championship title by defeating George Foreman.

On April 28, 1967, when the Vietnam War was at its height, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to serve in the US Army.

The famous boxer requested his dismissal from the army on religious grounds, but officials rejected his claim that he was an Islamic cleric.

Muhammad Ali, who was born into a Christian family named Cassius Clay, made his conversion to Islam known after winning the heavyweight boxing title in February 1964.

He said that he did not agree to keep the name, in his words "from the slave" and that he would change it to Muhammad Ali.

During the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali stated that, in his own words, "he harbored no enmity for the Viet Cong."

He was accused of making these comments as simply trying to avoid military service. Muhammad Ali was found guilty of refusing to perform military service and sentenced to five years in prison. But he was not sent to prison while his lawyers appealed the case.