PHOTOS: Muhammad Ali in NYC Through the Years

In the beginning of his career, Cassius Clay fought Doug Jones in what was later called the "Fight of the Year" in 1963. Clay (Ali) won by a narrow margin before a sold out crowd. It was the first boxing match to sell out since the early 1950s. 

Cassius Clay (Ali) signed autographs for fans when he visited Harlem in May 1965. 

In 1967, Muhammad Ali signed autographs for fans while in Midtown where he was attending a press conference for an upcoming fight. 

Muhammad Ali walked through the streets of New York with members of the Black Panther Party in September of 1970.

Ali had refused to be drafted to fight on behalf of the US in Vietnam and due to the draft evasion, he was stripped of his championship title. His fight in 1967 was the last he had for the next three years. 

But for groups like the Black Panthers, who opposed the war and how it disproportionately affected communities of color, Ali was a hero who symbolized resistance during a turbulent time in American history. 

Due to his aforementioned draft issue, Ali had to get a court order to make this 1970 Madison Square Garden fight happen. His opponent was Oscar Bonavena. Ali won by throwing a hook in the 15th round.

Muhammad Ali faced off with Joe Frazier in March of 1971 in Madison Square Garden. It was a highly publicized fight and their match was considered the beginning of an infamous rivalry in boxing. It was called "The Fight of the Century" and the purse that both boxers were supposed to split was $5 million — an astronomical amount at the time. 

Ali had also made incendiary comments and called Frazier an "Uncle Tom." It only made Frazier increasingly determined to train harder and win the match. In the end, Frazier won in the 15th round. It was the first defeat of Ali's career. 

Floyd Patterson fought Ali in Madison Square Garden in September 1972. Patterson was expected to win match but one of Ali's punches cut his face and the match was stopped in the 7th round. 

Ali and Frazier faced off at Madison Square Garden again in January of 1974. In an interview leading to the match, both men verbally and physically attacked each other. They were fined several thousand dollars. 

Later on in the ring, Ali was able to out punch Frazier, and eventually won by decision. 

Ali fought Ken Norton in Yankee Stadium in September of 1976. Despite being wary of the challenge, Ali was offered $6 million to agree to the fight. 

Though Norton had won many of the earlier rounds, Ali fought back and by the 14th round there was a tie. Ali won the 15th round and in turn won the match. 

Muhammad Ali was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor the year that the award was founded, 1986. He was honored alongside various well known Americans like Joe DiMaggio, Rosa Parks, and Donald Trump. 

Muhammad Ali was given a special tribute at the 5th annual ESPY awards in Radio City Hall in February of 1997. He was given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for refusing to fight in Vietnam. By this award ceremony, Ali was already visibly slowing down due to Parkinson's Disease. 

As part of the 'Bridging the Millennium" series, Muhammad Ali was one of the 16 leaders who ran one of the opening bells for the New York Stock Exchange. Ali rang in the opening bell on December 31, 1999 with his wife and the president of the Stock Exchange. 

On Dec. 31, 2000, Muhammad Ali helped ring in 2001 with his wife and Mayor Rudy Giuliani at Times Square. 

At the United Nations Association in New York City in 2002, Muhammad Ali was awarded the Global Leadership Awards. He was honored at the ceremony for his work in promoting tolerance and peace through his career. 

Decades after his first famed visit to sign autographs and promote in Harlem, Muhammad Ali returned with his daughter Laila. Both boxers were featured in a new Adidas wallscape in February 2003. 

Muhammad Ali attended his daughter's WBC Super Middleweight Championship fight against Shelley Burton in November 2011 at Madison Square Garden. 

More than 30 years after Muhammad Ali's fight with Norton in Yankee Stadium, he returned and was honored with the Six Star Diamond Award. This was before the American League baseball game between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. 

After Muhammad Ali passed away at the age of 74, tributes to his legacy were found on a screen at Madison Square Garden and at the Apollo Theater. Both tributes honored Ali's memory by referring to him as "The Greatest."