Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr, 1942–2016) was an American boxer, Olympic gold medalist, and three-time heavyweight champion of the world who became an international focal point in the 1960s amid tensions over racial injustices and the war in Vietnam. Stripped of his title in 1967 for refusing induction into the US armed services, Ali was only allowed to resume boxing following a 1971 US Supreme Court decision in his favor. During his career and well into his retirement, Ali was a prominent advocate of peace, understanding, and social justice.