Digital Exhibits
Explore the digital exhibits that have been curated by the Muhammad Ali Center's collections department. Each exhibit explores a different aspect of Muhammad Ali's life through the use of items from our collection. To view an exhibit, click on the title.
Muhammad and LeRoy: A Friendship in Art
LeRoy Neiman was born on June 8, 1921. In honor of his 100th birthday anniversary and the fifth anniversary of Muhammad Ali's passing, the Muhammad Ali Center, with the help of the LeRoy Neiman Foundation, would like to honor these legends and their friendship through a digital exhibit of photographs, letters, and artwork. LeRoy Neiman and Muhammad Ali met in May 1962 while Ali was...
World Stage: An Olympic Introduction to the Greatest of All Time
The 1960 Olympic Games held in Rome was a competition of firsts. It was the first time Italy hosted the Games. Though they were supposed to be held there in 1908, Mt. Vesuvius erruption in 1906 made the nation wait 52 years before they would be the epicenter for the world's most elite athletic competition. It was the first time the Games were televised. Every day film was...
Beyond the Boxer: Ali and the Humanitarian Within
What comes to mind when you hear the name Muhammad Ali? Boxer? The Greatest of All Time? Legend? While most of the world remembers Ali as a boxer, the Muhammad Ali Center considers one of Ali's most lasting legacies to be his work as a humanitarian. Beyond the Boxer: Ali and the Humanitarian Within features a curated selection of some of Muhammad Ali's humanitarian efforts from 1954...
Training the Greatest: The Story of Ali and Dundee
The Fight of the Century, the Rumble in the Jungle, the Thrilla in Manila... Who did all of these fights have in common? Muhammad Ali, of course. But who else? Well, that would be Angelo Dundee. Beginning in December 1960, veteran trainer Angelo Dundee was tasked with molding a young Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay) into a professional heavyweight boxer that had a chance at a...
The Champ's Camp: A Closer Look at Fighter's Heaven
After spending a majority of his career training at the Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida, and setting up camp in countless hotels and convention centers around the world, Muhammad Ali needed a change. His solution? Build a training camp in the woods. In the early 1970s, Muhammad took a trip to the Pocono Mountains in Eastern Pennsylvania. He was met with fresh mountain air, rolling...
Laying the Foundation for Change: Muhammad Ali & the Civil Rights Movement
As the 13th Amendment legally abolished slavery in the United States in 1865, the U.S entered the Reconstruction era from 1865-1877. Reconstruction was a period that followed the Civil War, and a time in which attempts were made to redress the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic legacy. Yet, the racial justice advancements of the Reconstruction era would be...
Pugilist, Painter, Poet, Performer: The Many Sides of Muhammad Ali
Heavyweight Champion of the World. Messenger of Peace. The Greatest. All these titles are used to describe Muhammad Ali, but they fail to capture all facets of his personality. Muhammad Ali cannot be accurately described by a single word or title. He crossed the boundaries between professional fighter to activist to minister. What many people do not know is that he also crossed...
In the Face of Adversity: Muhammad Ali's Conscientious Objection
"Some people said that what I did was wrong. But everything I did was according to my conscience." On April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali shook up the world for the second time when he refused induction into the United States Army. He was exiled from boxing, his titles and passport were taken away, and he faced a $10,000 fine and five years in prison--and even still, he stayed true to his...
From the Archives: the George Kalinsky Collection
The Muhammad Ali Center's permanent collection relies on generous donations made by people from all walks of life. We have received items from faraway fans, sportswriters, artists, visitors to our museum, friends and family of Ali's, and beyond. Each item donated to the Muhammad Ali Center assists in carrying on our mission of mobilizing Muhammad Ali's legacy to foster respect, inspire...
The Fight That Shook Up the World! Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay, Jr.
Before Muhammad Ali was Muhammad Ali, before he was Heavyweight Champion of the world, and even before he won an Olympic gold medal, he told the world that he was the greatest boxer of all time. While most people believe this to be true today, 64 years after he became a professional fighter, there were many skeptics in the beginning. In the early days of Ali's career, sports journalists and...
