Presented here is a photograph of Muhammad Ali, taken in 1954. At the time, the young boxer was known by his birth name of Cassius Clay. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Clay was 12 years old when this photograph was taken. This was near the beginning of Ali’s boxing career, which began when he was 12 after a neighborhood boy stole the bicycle he received as a birthday gift. Ali’s first fight was against another Louisville youngster named Ronnie O’Keefe. Ali was the victor by split decision, and thus began a career that saw Ali collect an Olympic Gold Medal, two national Golden Glove titles, and a host of heavyweight championships. This photograph is 16 x 20 inches, and matted in a 19 ½ x 24 inch display. Ali signed the photograph in black marker, using his birth name of “Cassius Clay” as his signature. This item is accompanied by a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A08231).

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