From Denial to Recognition in Louisville
About 300 attended Thursday’s ceremony honoring the late boxer. Famed broadcast legend Bob Costas served as Master of Ceremonies, and in addition to various city, state, and USPS officials, numerous luminaries offered some words, including Lonnie Ali, Ali’s widow and co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Center; famed photographer Neil Leifer, who snapped the iconic photo of Ali standing over Sonny Liston; actor Jaalen West, who will be playing Ali in “The Greatest,” Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming limited series; and Greg Fischer, the former Louisville Mayor who is credited with the “Get the Champ On A Stamp” campaign.
Asked to cite his favorite moment of the ceremony, Louisville resident Kris Vance said Costas was top notch, but also said, “Just hearing all the tributes and from Lonnie Ali, and how she continues to keep his legacy alive with the Ali Center and other ways as well.”
Vance has been a longtime friend of Muhammad’s brother, Rahman Ali, who passed away last year. He went to college with Rahman’s daughter, Satina, and she extended an invite. The event was open to the general public. Attendees just had to pre-register via e-mail. Everyone was given an Ali stamp pin upon entry. Three large sheet cakes greeted arriving Ali fans, and one had a famous quote from a young and brash Clay/Ali, “I should be a postage stamp because that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”
Why the Stamp Means More Than Design
A phalanx of officials formed a line as a high-ranking Postal Service employee pulled the sheet off the two versions of the Ali stamp. One shows a 1970s visage of Ali above the name “Ali” in bold black lettering. The other shows the same image below the name “Ali” in bold red lettering. The images were created to recall old fight posters, according to the USPS. The full sheet of 20 stamps, which can be purchased for 15.60 at Post Offices around the country, features a handsome image of Ali in a pinstriped suit with his name above him, also noting he was a “Boxer, Activist and Humanitarian.”
Muhammad Ali was an undefeated heavyweight in the 1960s when the United States Military attempted to draft him. Though he likely wouldn’t have served on the front lines in America’s war with Vietnam, he refused induction, as he felt no need to fight America’s battles when he wasn’t even being treated fairly in his own country as an African-American, especially in the less progressive Southern states. He was stripped of his titles and saw his boxing license suspended. He even faced the threat of prison. It would cost him his boxing career, and serious earnings, for three-and-a-half years. Ali was forced to speak on the college lecture circuit to try to make ends meet.
There were a great deal of Americans who were displeased with his refusal of the draft, especially those who already had issues with him changing his name and joining the Nation of Islam. However, he stood by his beliefs, returned to the boxing ring in 1970, regained the heavyweight title in 1974 against George Foreman, lost it to Leon Spinks four years later, then regained it from Spinks months later, becoming boxing’s first ever three-time heavyweight champion. His looks, charisma, and principles earned him millions of fans here and abroad, and even those who took issue with him eventually warmed to him. He became not only a national but a global icon, and with his influence helped get American hostages released from Iraq in 1990.
“He believed in what he thought was right,” said New York-based boxing referee Arthur Mercante Jr. “At the time of the Vietnam War, people bashed him after refusing the draft, but we have Presidents that didn’t go into the draft. Nobody says anything about that. But he stood on his ground, and that’s one thing I’ll never forget.”
Mercante’s father, Arthur Mercante Sr., was the third man in the ring for the famous “Fight of the Century,” which paired an unbeaten Ali, in his third fight back since the three-and-a-half-year layoff, against reigning champion Joe Frazier in March 1971.
Mercante Jr said of the Ali stamp, “That’s a great honor for him. God bless his soul. Well deserved. I think that’s an unbelievable achievement. I’m sure his daughters and his wife are so proud.”
Lonnie Ali said at Thursday’s ceremony, “We are deeply honored the Postal Service is commemorating Muhammad with an official Forever stamp. This historic recognition celebrates not only his extraordinary achievements, but the values that defined his life of courage, compassion, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to human dignity and respect.”
She added, “From Louisville to communities across the nation and around the world, Muhammad’s legacy continues to inspire people to stand up for what is right and to lead with purpose. This stamp serves as a lasting reminder that his greatest victories were not only in the ring, but in his lifelong dedication to humanity, justice, and compassion for all.”
The stamp ceremony took place two days before Ali’s birthday. He would have turned 84 on January 17. It has been nearly ten years since his passing. He died on June 3, 2016.
“He was so much more than a boxer,” said Vance. “He was an activist, a humanitarian. Yes he was a boxer, but he did a lot of things outside of the sports world. He was much bigger than boxing. He was unique.”
To purchase the Ali stamps, visit your local United States Post Office, or order them online athttps://store.usps.com/store/home
