The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a Muhammad Ali commemorative Forever Stamp in the champion’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, with 22 million stamps going on sale the same day. The stamp features a 1974 Associated Press photograph of Ali holding his gloves in a fighting stance, his last name in bold black and red lettering. Friends and family of the late champion gathered for the ceremony, hosted by broadcaster Bob Costas.
The issuance marks one of the more prominent postal tributes to the three-time heavyweight champion, who died in 2016 and is remembered both for his dominance in the ring and for decades of humanitarian and human rights advocacy — a dual legacy reflected in the stamp sheet’s second image, which shows Ali in a pinstripe suit.
“We honor Muhammad Ali here in his hometown, a city that shaped him and that he reshaped forever,” Costas said at the unveiling.
Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, spoke at the ceremony. “This stamp will travel millions of miles, it will pass through countless hands, but it will quietly remind the world of a man who dared to believe that kindness could be powerful and that being in service to others could be heroic,” she said.
The stamp
The Forever Stamp reproduces an AP photo from 1974, showing Ali in a fighting stance with his gloves raised. The stamp sheet pairs that image with a second photograph showing Ali in a pinstripe suit, which postal officials said recognizes his work as an activist and humanitarian.
The Postal Service printed 22 million of the stamps, which went on sale Thursday.
Ali himself, known for his ringside wit, once quipped that he should be on a postage stamp because “that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”
Ali’s legacy
Born Cassius Clay Jr. in Louisville, Ali converted to Islam and changed his name before becoming one of the most recognized athletes in the world. He won the Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960 and went on to claim the heavyweight championship three times.
He continued his public role after retiring from boxing, pursuing philanthropy and human rights causes. He received the United Nations Messenger of Peace designation in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Ali died in 2016 at the age of 74 after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than three decades. He is buried in Louisville.