Five things you might not know about Muhammad Ali

He was a Sufi and an amateur magician

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali breathed his last Saturday night at the age of 74, leaving the world in grief over the loss of the ‘greatest ever’.

People, world-over, know of his heroics in the ring as much as outside it; for being a symbol of political defiance when he stood against the Vietnam war and for the rights of the black community.

Here is a list of five things that you might not have know about the legendary boxer:

1. He changed his name more than once

It is commonly known that Muhammad Ali, who was named Cassius Clay, changed his name after following his conversion to Islam in the 1960s but this was not the first time he changed his name.

Author of Approaching Ali, Davis Miller revealed that the former three-time World Heavy Wight champion first changed his name to Cassius X from Cassiur Clay, which was later in 1964 changed to Muhammad Ali by political leader Elijah Muhammad (who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975) on May 6, 1964.

2. He was a Sufi

According to Miller, in 2005, Ali disclosed he feels the closest connection to Sufism, considered the most peaceful sect in Islam. "Ali announced he is a Sufi around 2005, saying that of all of the sects of Islam, he feels the closest connection to Sufism," said Miller, who also agreed that Sufism was probably the right sect for the world renowned boxer.

"Sufism is arguably the most peaceful sect of any major or minor religion. Sufis believe that to purposely harm any person is to harm all of humanity, to harm each of us and to damage the world.

"It is the perfect fit for Ali, who had been living in the ways that Sufis do for decades before he'd heard of the religion.

"Few people have heard about the profound ways Ali's faith has evolved over the years. He has been a world soul for many decades; he has grown from separatist to universalist."

3. He fought with an injury during his big comeback

Miller further said Ali, who was stripped of all titles and medals after he refused to be drafted for the Vietnam war, made his return to the ring after more than three-and-half-years with a fractured rib.

"Ali had only six weeks to prepare for this contest," Miller says. "In training, his boyhood friend and former heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis badly fractured one of Ali's ribs.

"Even with this injury, Ali did not reschedule the fight, being entirely uncertain that if he did, he would ever get the chance to fight again."

4. Parkinson's taught him new ways to communicate

Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1984 at the age of 42, learned new ways to communicate during his illness.

"The art of gesture is quite important to him," Miller said. "He communicates with his hands and fingers, his facial features, his eyes.

"He surprises visitors by making a sound with his thumb and index finger that's not unlike a cricket in your ear. He blows on the top of heads, tickles the inside of palms when he shakes hands, teasing almost everyone who visits him.

"Though he can walk, Ali is often seen sitting in a wheelchair or positioned in an easy chair. He is no longer the world's most vocal and irrepressibly animated person."

5. He was an amateur magician

Ali was famous for his quick-fire combination of punches, but according to Miller, he had other tricks up his sleeves as well. "Until recently, throughout his years with Parkinson's disease, Ali surprised visitors by performing prestidigitations [sleight of hand tricks]," Miller says.

Miller also revealed that the most lasting memories of Ali’s magic took place more than four decades ago in 1975. "I'd just finished sparring a round with him, nearly got knocked out by only one punch, and Ali helped me out of the ring," Miller recalls.

"Escorting me to a seat among the small crowd, where I sat, looking freshly electrocuted, he leaned over and whispered, 'You're fast. And you sure can hit, to be so little.” He might as well have said he was adopting me.

"Then, while his longtime sparring partner Eddie 'Bossman' Jones was being introduced, Ali climbed back into the ring, where he boxed a relaxed, beautiful and dazzling round, bouncing dozens of jabs, straight right leads, easy hooks and effortless uppercuts off of Jones' face and headgear.

"After the bell rang at the end of the round, and a corner man had removed his gloves, Ali stepped back to the center of his ring. 'The man without imagination has no wings,' he shouted, pointing down at the audience with his left fist. 'He cannot fly.'

"Still holding his left fist at eye level, the one he'd used to tattoo the 'Bossman' for the past three minutes, he rolled it over, bent his arm at the elbow, and slowly pulled it in close to his chest.

"Opening his hand, a bird I now know to have been a Carolina wren flew with a fluttering of wings from Ali's palm and up to the ceiling.

"The crowd oohed and aahed. I can't imagine anyone who was there will ever forget the experience."

The article originally appeared on CNN.