Muhammad Ali once joked that it should be a postage stamp because “that’s the only way I’ll lick it.”
Now, the three-time heavyweight champion’s joke has become a reality.
He is widely considered the most famous and influential boxer of all time Cultural power With which he fused athletic brilliance Political conviction And showmanship, Ali is honored for the first time with a commemorative U.S. postage stamp.
“As a sort of custodian of his legacy, I’m thrilled. I’m excited. I’m ecstatic,” Lonnie Ali, Hero’s wife Nearly 30 years ago, the Associated Press reported. “Because people, every time they look at this stamp, they’ll remember it. It’ll be at the forefront of their consciousness. And to me, that’s exciting.”
Muhammad Ali died in 2016 at the age of 74, after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than three decades. During his life and after his death, the man known as “The Greatest” received numerous awards, including the Olympic Gold Medal in 1960, the United Nations Messenger of Peace Award in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Lonnie Ali said having his face on the stamps is especially important because it is an opportunity to highlight his mission of spreading compassion and his ability to connect with people.
“He did it one person at a time,” she said. “This is a great way to connect with people, to send them a letter and use this stamp to reinforce messages in this communication life.”
The first-day Muhammad Ali Forever stamp ceremony is scheduled for Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky, the famous boxer’s birthplace and home to the Muhammad Ali Center, which showcases his life and legacy. Then people could buy Muhammad Ali Forever stamps that feature a black-and-white Associated Press photo from 1974 of Ali in his famous boxing pose.
Each sheet of 20 stamps also features an image of Ali wearing a pinstripe suit, in recognition of his work as an activist and humanitarian. Twenty-two million stamps were printed. Once sold, it will not be reprinted, US Postal Service officials said. The stamps are expected to generate a lot of interest from both stamp collectors and non-philatelists.
Because they are forever stamps, the first class postage stamp will always be valid, and is what Lonnie Ali calls the “ultimate” honor.
“This will be a forever stamp from the post office,” she said. “It’s just one of those things that’s going to be part of his legacy, and it’s going to be one of the shining stars of his legacy, and it’s going to get that seal.”
The idea for the Muhammad Ali stamp first came shortly after his death nearly a decade ago, said Lisa Pope Semple, director of stamp services at USPS. But the stamp development process is long. The USPS requires people who appear on stamps to have been dead for at least three years, excluding presidents.
While the USPS was working behind the scenes on the stamps, one of Ali’s friends helped launch the #GetTheChampAStamp campaign, which sparked public interest in the idea.
“We’re really excited that the stars were able to align that allowed us to produce the stamp,” said Bob Semple, who initially had to keep the planned Ali stamp a secret until it was made official. “It’s the product we always wanted to bring to market.”
Members of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, appointed by the Postmaster General, are responsible for selecting who and what appears on stamps. Every three months, they meet with Bob-Semple and her team to review suggestions submitted by the public. There are usually between 20 and 25 commemorative stamps issued each year.
Once a stamp idea is chosen, Bob Semple and her team work with one of several art directors to design the postage. It then goes through a lengthy final approval process, including rigorous review by USPS legal staff, before it is released to the public.
Antonio Alcala, art director and designer of the Muhammad Ali stamp, said hundreds of images were reviewed before the final selections were narrowed down to a few. Finally, the AP photo, taken by an unnamed photographer, was chosen. Ali appears in his prime, wearing boxing gloves and looking directly at the camera.
Alcalá said there is a story behind every USPS stamp.
“Stamps are miniature works of art designed to reflect the American experience, highlighting the heroes, history, landmarks, achievements and natural wonders of America,” he said. “The Muhammad Ali stamps are a great example of that.”
Away from the boxing ring, Ali was vocal about his beliefs when many black Americans were still fighting to be heard. His real name is Cassius Clay Jr., and Ali changed his name after converting to Islam in the 1960s and spoke openly about race, religion, and war. In 1967, he refused to enlist in the US Army, due to his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War.
This situation cost Ali the heavyweight championship title and banned him from boxing for more than three years. Convicted of draft evasion, he was sentenced to five years in prison but remained free while the case was appealed. This conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 1971, cementing his status as a global figure.
Later in life, Ali emerged as a global humanitarian and used his fame to promote peace, religious understanding and charitable causes, even as Parkinson’s disease limited his speech and movement.
The commemorative postage stamp comes at a time of political division in the United States and the world. Lonnie Ali said that if her husband were alive today, he would “prevent a lot of this” and continue to be a compassionate person who connects with people every day.
This approach is especially important now, she said.
“We must rally Muhammad’s life and engage in the same kinds of acts of kindness and compassion that he did every day,” she said.