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“We honor Muhammad Ali here in his hometown, a city that shaped
him and that he reshaped forever,” said longtime broadcaster Bob
Costas, who hosted the unveiling event.
The champ's friends and family gathered to celebrate the
issuance of the stamp, which went on sale Thursday.
“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,” said his widow,
Lonnie Ali.
The outspoken three-time heavyweight champ mesmerized the world
with his brash poetry and personality. He stayed in the
spotlight in his post-fighting days by continuing his
philanthropy and support of human rights issues. In his boxing
days, Ali once quipped that he should be on a postage stamp
because “that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”
The Forever Stamps come with a stamp sheet that also features a
photo of Ali posing in a pinstripe suit, a recognition of his
work as an activist and humanitarian.
Born Cassius Clay Jr., Ali, who changed his name after
converting to Islam, died in 2016 at the age of 74 after living
with Parkinson’s disease for more than three decades. He is
buried in Louisville.
During his lifetime and posthumously, the man known as The
Greatest has received numerous awards, including an Olympic gold
medal in 1960, the United Nations Messenger of Peace award in
1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
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