Ali, who had joined the Nation of Islam, sought exemption as a conscientious objector and a minister. When his name was called at the induction centre, he did not move. Boxing authorities suspended his licence and took away his championship, and in June he was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison, remaining free on appeal. Barred from fighting for more than three years at the peak of his career, he became a symbol of opposition to the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971.
Ali had won the heavyweight title as Cassius Clay in 1964 and soon afterward announced his conversion and new name. In 1966 his draft classification was changed, making him eligible for service. His reported comment, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Vietcong", made him a hate figure for many Americans and a hero for others.
On April 28, 1967, he reported to the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station in Houston. Officers called out "Cassius Clay" several times, and each time he stood still. An officer warned him that refusal was a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine. Ali again refused and signed a statement explaining his position. Within hours the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing licence, and the World Boxing Association withdrew recognition of his title.
Ali spent the next years speaking at colleges and universities. He returned to the ring in 1970, and in June 1971 the Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction, finding that the Justice Department had not properly explained why his claim to conscientious-objector status had been rejected. He regained the heavyweight title in 1974.
Key people: Muhammad Ali