Rahaman Ali (born Rudolph Arnett Clay; July 18, 1943 – August 1, 2025) was an American heavyweight boxer. He was the younger brother of Muhammad Ali.
Biography
Rahaman Ali, initially named Rudolph Arnett Clay but later rechristened to Rudolph Valentino Clay,
was born to Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay on July 18, 1943, 18 months after his brother Cassius Jr., who would become Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad started boxing in a Louisville, Kentucky, amateur boxing league. While Muhammad went to the 1960 Olympics, Rahaman was not selected and remained amateur until February 25, 1964, the night his brother won one of his heavyweight titles over
Sonny Liston.
His professional career would last from 1964 to 1972.
As a professional boxer, Rahaman Ali won 14 bouts, lost 3, and had one draw. In his career, he knocked out seven opponents and was himself knocked out once. He retired from professional boxing after back-to-back losses, the second of which saw him being knocked out by future Superman film series actor Jack O'Halloran in what would also be his only stoppage defeat.
After his career ended, Rahaman would travel, and also train, with Muhammad.
In 2014, Ali released his autobiography, That's Muhammad Ali's Brother! My Life on the Undercard, which was co-authored by H. Ron Brashear and the foreword written by Gene Kilroy – the longtime business manager of Muhammad Ali. In 2019, Rahaman released his second book titled My Brother, Muhammad Ali - The Definitive Biography. It was co-authored by Fiaz Rafiq, with the foreword written by NFL legend Jim Brown. In 2021, he appeared in the documentary .
Death
Rahaman Ali died on August 1, 2025, two weeks after his 82nd birthday.
Ali's funeral was held on August 16, 2025, and involved a funeral procession where he made a stop at his childhood home before he had a
Janazah funeral service, which is given for people of
Muslim faith, at the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.
Ali would then be buried at the Cave Hill Cemetery.
Professional boxing record
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan=8|
14 wins (7 knockouts, 7 decisions),
3 losses (1 knockout, 2 decisions),
1 draw
|-style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Result
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Record
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Opponent
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Type
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Round
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Date
| style="border-style: none none solid solid;" |
Location
|- align=center
| Loss
|
| align=left | Jack O'Halloran
| KO
| 8
|
| align=left | San Diego, California
|- align=center
| Loss
|
| align=left | Roy Wallace
| PTS
| 10
| 1972-05-08
| align=left | Niles, Ohio
|- align=center
| Draw
|
| align=left | Jasper Evans
| PTS
| 10
| 1972-01-22
| align=left | Denver, Colorado
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Joe Byrd
| TKO
| 4
| 1971-12-16
| align=left | Kalamazoo, Michigan
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Harold Carter
| TKO
| 3
| 1971-10-27
| align=left |
Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Larry Beilfuss
| TKO
| 2
| 1971-09-13
| align=left | Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Carl Baker
| MD
| 10
| 1971-04-30
| align=left | Port of Spain
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Peter Robinson
| TKO
| 2
| 1971-04-23
| align=left | Port of Spain
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Stamford Harris
| PTS
| 10
| 1971-04-16
| align=left | Port of Spain
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Clement Greenidge
| PTS
| 10
| 1971-04-09
| align=left | Port of Spain
|- align=center
| Loss
|
| align=left |
Danny McAlinden
| PTS
| 6
| 1971-03-08
| align=left | Madison Square Garden, New York City
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Howard Darlington
| PTS
| 4
|1970-12-07
| align=left | Madison Square Garden, New York City
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Hurricane Grant
| KO
| 3
| 1970-10-26
| align=left |
Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Tommy Howard
| UD
| 10
| 1970-08-11
| align=left | Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Fairchild Hope
| TKO
| 2
| 1966-02-11
| align=left | Nassau
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Buster Reed
| KO
| 2
| 1965-05-25
| align=left |
Hall, Lewiston, Maine
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Levi Forte
| UD
| 10
| 1965-04-28
| align=left | Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
|- align=center
| Win
|
| align=left | Chip Johnson
| PTS
| 4
| 1964-02-25
| align=left | Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Exhibition boxing record
|
|
| 1 | | 0–0 | Muhammad Ali | | 2 | Jul 1, 1972 | | |
Notes
External links
