Muhammad Ali in media and popular culture


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

Literature

Books

Featuring Ali himself

Film and television

When We Were Kings is a 1996 Academy Award-winning documentary film about the "Rumble in the Jungle", Ali's 1974 fight against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire.
The high school cheer squad in Happy Harbor on the cartoon Young Justice use Ali's "Floats like a butterfly Stings like a bee" line as their cheer. The school's team name is the Bumblebees.
Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami is a 2008 WLRN documentary which charts Cassius Clay's transformation from young boxing hopeful to cultural icon. The film traces Ali's stunning rise through the heavyweight ranks, his friendship with Malcolm X, his historic clash with champion Sonny Liston, and his subsequent refusal to fight in Vietnam.
a.k.a. Cassius Clay is a 1970 documentary that covered Ali's triumphs and setbacks up to that moment in time.
The documentary When Ali Came to Ireland tells the story of Ali's first visit to Ireland to fight against Alvin Lewis in July 1972.
Numerous individuals have portrayed Ali in film biographies, including Ali himself in the 1977 film The Greatest. Others include:
Ali has appeared as himself in numerous scripted films and television series, including the films Requiem for a Heavyweight, Body and Soul, and Doin' Time ; and the television series Vega$, Diff'rent Strokes, and Touched by an Angel. He also provided the voice for the titular character in the 1977 NBC animated series, .
Ali is featured prominently in a series of ESPN specials in honor of his 65th birthday. The shows include Ali Rap, Ali's Dozen and Ali 65. They premiered on December 9, 2006, at 9 pm EST on ESPN. Ali's fight with Larry Holmes was also the subject of one of ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series; "Muhammad and Larry" by Albert Maysles first aired on ESPN on October 27, 2009.
Ali appeared on the WGBH series Say Brother, where he spoke about his reasons for not serving in the Vietnam War.
Facing Ali is a 2009 documentary on the topic of all the fighters that Ali faced during his career. Each one is interviewed at length. The film made the shortlist for the 82nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Documentary Feature, but did not make final list.
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, 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!"
He also appeared in a commercial for fish sticks circa 1981.
Ali appeared in one of the posters for the "Think Different" campaign by Apple Computer in 1997.
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

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.

Trading cards

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.

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. 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.
Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, a 1976 match in Tokyo between Ali and Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976, was the first high-profile bout between a professional boxer and professional wrestler. The fight played an important role in the history of mixed martial arts. 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 in 2007.

Theater