And the boxing legend and cultural icon Muhammad Ali celebrated his 65th birthday Wednesday. Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title during the prime of his career after he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. Ali’s birthday was honored Wednesday at the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

Ali Center CEO Michael Fox: “He has stood tall and fought the good fight, whether it was in the ring where he thought he could beat someone or whether it’s fighting the government with the likes of the Vietnam War and his stand on that.”