Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture

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This article covers the boxer Muhammad Ali's appearances in media and popular culture.

Contents

Pop art painting of Muhammad Ali by John Stango StangoAli.jpg
Pop art painting of Muhammad Ali by John Stango

Literature

Books

Magazine articles

Poetry and quotations

Illustrated books

Comics

Books for children

Music

Featuring Ali himself

Songs

Artists

Visual arts

Film and television

Television advertisements

In 1971, Ali appeared in a television commercial for Vitalis alongside fellow boxer Joe Frazier, and he appeared in a 1997 Super Bowl TV commercial for Pizza Hut with his real-life trainer Angelo Dundee.

In 1978, Ali appeared in a public service announcement for the New York City Department of Health exhorting parents to immunize their children. The PSA ended with the tagline "No shots, no school! It's the law!"

In 1980 Ali also appeared in a television ad for d-CON Roach Proof: after hitting a heavy bag (a training device suspended from above that simulates the bulk of an opponent for punching), he turns to the camera in his boxing gear, raises and shakes a fist, and exclaims to the audience, "I don' want you livin' wit' roaches!"[ citation needed ]

He also appeared in a commercial for fish sticks circa 1981.[ citation needed ]

Ali appeared in one of the posters for the "Think Different" campaign by Apple Computer in 1997.[ citation needed ]

Has appeared in at least one poster advertising Coca-Cola.

Ali appears with other famous athletes in a Gatorade advertisement, narrated by rapper Lil Wayne.

Photography

Manga and anime

Video games

Ali has appeared in numerous video boxing games, some of which feature him as the title character. Examples include Foes of Ali , Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing and the Knockout Kings series and its follow-up, the Fight Night series. Ali appears and is playable in WWE 2K24 as part of the celebration of 40 years of WrestleMania.

Trading cards

Ali has many trading cards from sources around the globe but the 1965 Collezioni Lampo I Grandi Campioni Cassius Clay is widely considered his most valuable rookie card.

Other

Ali with clowns Charlie Frye and Skeeter Reece in 1980 The Champ and The Clown.jpg
Ali with clowns Charlie Frye and Skeeter Reece in 1980

Dance

After Ali knocked-out German boxer Karl Mildenberger in 1966, there was a dance craze in Europe called "The Muhammad Ali Dance" which mimmicked Ali's footwork and punching stance to a swinging up-tempo beat. "The Muhammad Ali Dance" appeared in various teen dance television shows across Europe in 1966. [34]

Institutions

Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ—One of the world's largest dedicated Parkinson's Centers.

Martial arts

Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee was influenced by Ali, whose footwork he studied and incorporated into his own style while developing Jeet Kune Do in the 1960s. [35] In turn, taekwondo fighter Jhoon Goo Rhee later taught Lee's "accupunch", a non-telegraphed punch, to Ali while coaching him; Ali used the "accupunch" to knockout Richard Dunn in 1975. [36]

Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, a 1976 match in Tokyo between Ali and Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki (now Muhammad Hussain Inoki) in 1976, was the first high-profile bout between a professional boxer and professional wrestler. [37] The fight played an important role in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). [38] In Japan, the match inspired Inoki's students Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki to found Pancrase in 1993, which in turn inspired the foundation of Pride Fighting Championships in 1997. Pride was acquired by its rival Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2007. [39] [40]

Theater

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