https://www.scmp.com/rss/322759/feed The latest stories on Muhammad Ali, American professional boxer and often regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.<br /> en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Muhammad Ali once joked that he should be a postage stamp because “that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked”. Now, the three-time heavyweight champion’s quip is becoming a reality. Widely regarded as the most famous and influential boxer of all time, and a cultural force who fused athletic brilliance with political conviction and showmanship, Ali is being honoured for the first time with a commemorative US postage stamp. “As sort of the guardian of his legacy, I’m thrilled. I’m excited. I’m... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339636/muhammad-alis-legacy-lives-new-us-postage-stamp-nearly-decade-after-his-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339636/muhammad-alis-legacy-lives-new-us-postage-stamp-nearly-decade-after-his-death?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:00:18 +0000 SCMP Reporter SCMP Reporter Hong Kong has played host to some of the world’s biggest names in sport, including football greats Pelé and Diego Maradona, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, tennis stars Steffi Graf and Serena Williams, and many more. Here, we delve into the South China Morning Post’s photographic archives to revisit the times when these superstars graced the city’s sporting venues and impressed local fans. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331780/pictures-sports-icons-hong-kong-pele-serena-williams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331780/pictures-sports-icons-hong-kong-pele-serena-williams?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 02:00:08 +0000 Relive the moments when global icons like The Beatles, Muhammad Ali, Judy Garland, Mother Teresa and Luciano Pavarotti graced Hong Kong’s shores. A dip into the South China Morning Post’s archives reveals how these legendary figures left their mark on the city and its people. 1. When Beatlemania hit Hong Kong and over 1,000 fans greeted the Fab Four at Kai Tak airport In June 1964 The Beatles arrived in Hong Kong as part of a world tour that saw them perform at Kowloon’s Princess Theatre.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/article/3292301/hong-kongs-star-studded-past-beatles-and-muhammad-ali-judy-garland-mother-teresa-and-pavarotti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/article/3292301/hong-kongs-star-studded-past-beatles-and-muhammad-ali-judy-garland-mother-teresa-and-pavarotti?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:15:07 +0000 Muhammad Ali. Evander Holyfield. Lennox Lewis. Three boxers from an elite club of heavyweight greats to have been three-time world champions. Anthony Joshua can put his name on that exclusive list by disposing of a British rival who sees himself as the future of the sport’s marquee category. He can do it on quite the stage, too. Joshua, a darling of British boxing since winning Olympic gold at the London Games in 2012, is looking to complete his late-career rebuild by beating Daniel Dubois to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3279158/anthony-joshua-bids-emulate-muhammad-ali-3-time-heavyweight-champ-front-95000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3279158/anthony-joshua-bids-emulate-muhammad-ali-3-time-heavyweight-champ-front-95000?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:00:14 +0000 Lynn Farah Lynn Farah Boxing has long been a popular sport around the globe, with many fighters becoming household names and earning significant fortunes through their careers in the ring. And, of course, multimillion endorsements and ambassador roles have only added to their net worths. They’re spent their careers fighting, punching opponents and taking hits in one of the world’s most dangerous sports, so it comes as no surprise that top boxers can make a pretty penny for their efforts. Ding-ding! In this corner,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3255339/5-richest-boxers-world-2024-net-worths-ranked-manny-pacquiao-floyd-mayweather-and-oscar-de-la-hoya?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3255339/5-richest-boxers-world-2024-net-worths-ranked-manny-pacquiao-floyd-mayweather-and-oscar-de-la-hoya?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:00:11 +0000 American photographer Flip Schulke’s iconic photo “Muhammad Ali Boxing Underwater” (1961) captured the boxing legend and cultural icon aged 19, standing on the floor of a Miami swimming pool in a boxing pose. Ali had told Schulke that this was his usual training method, but it turned out the boxer couldn’t even swim at the time and was guided instead by his eye for a compelling image. Libby Alexander, co-founder and chief executive of Splash Foundation, a Hong Kong charity that teaches domestic... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3252551/how-photo-muhammad-ali-boxing-underwater-inspired-founder-hong-kong-charity-teaches-underprivileged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3252551/how-photo-muhammad-ali-boxing-underwater-inspired-founder-hong-kong-charity-teaches-underprivileged?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:15:14 +0000 When you’re related to one of the greatest boxing legends of all time, it’s perhaps inevitable that sporting prowess will be one of your defining characteristics. And so it is with Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of the late Muhammad Ali, whose athletic career to date has already included American football, snowboarding and MMA. Unlike his younger brother Nico Ali Walsh, 23-year-old Biaggio didn’t get into combat sports right away, instead starting out as a running back in American football at his... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3183231/meet-muhammad-alis-grandson-biaggio-ali-walsh-unlike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3183231/meet-muhammad-alis-grandson-biaggio-ali-walsh-unlike?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 19:00:10 +0000 “I genuinely believe the best is yet to come,” Jeremy Lin said ahead of his possible NBA return this season. “I’ve had so many of my amazing opportunities were taken away through extenuating circumstances. But right now I still have more opportunities,” Lin said in a documentary to mark the release of his Xtep One signature shoes earlier this month. Lin, who signed with the Chinese sports brand last August ahead of moving to the Beijing Ducks, is hoping to return to the NBA for the upcoming... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3109849/jeremy-lin-steps-nba-comeback-best-yet-come-he-says-mark-signature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3109849/jeremy-lin-steps-nba-comeback-best-yet-come-he-says-mark-signature?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2020 03:17:45 +0000 Just five months ago, when Tokyo was still hoping that their Olympics were going to take place in 2020 and not 2021, the IOC doubled down on its commitment to eradicating politics from sport. Cynics might suggest it actually reaffirmed its stance on keeping politics away from its commercial partners. Things change. As we have seen in the past two or so weeks, where even Olympic partners like Adidas have got involved in the Black Lives Matter protests that have spread across first the US and then... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3088983/tokyo-2020-olympics-needs-stand-athletes-take-knee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3088983/tokyo-2020-olympics-needs-stand-athletes-take-knee?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jun 2020 07:00:18 +0000 Long before the crying Jordan meme, when Michael Jordan retired from professional basketball (the second time, not the third), he was widely considered “the greatest basketball player of all time”. In the years since, the “greatest” debate has intensified in the context of basketball, as LeBron James, who wears both of the heir apparent nicknames “the chosen one” and “King James,” built an impressive resume that made a comparison with Jordan legitimate. Still, it rankled many in the basketball... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3082153/michael-jordan-lebron-james-muhammad-ali-or-babe-ruth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3082153/michael-jordan-lebron-james-muhammad-ali-or-babe-ruth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2020 10:00:11 +0000 Boxing – or as it was once known, pugilism or prizefighting – is one of the oldest sports in the world, but it remains one of the most popular to this day. Just look at the global success of Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather, to Asia’s own Manny Pacquiao – all of whom are household names. Remember, the sport has surely inspired more movies in Hollywood than any other (think Rocky, Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby). “Boxing is a very passionate sport,” says Jay Lau, Hong Kong boxing promoter,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3048844/conor-mcgregor-manny-pacquiao-and-even-muhammad-ali-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3048844/conor-mcgregor-manny-pacquiao-and-even-muhammad-ali-how?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2020 12:00:09 +0000 They say that money talks but it does much more than that. It speaks so loudly as to silence those without it and forces others to bury their heads in the sand. That’s the case in Saudi Arabia where Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jnr are fighting on Saturday night in the so-called “Clash on the Dunes”. While the fighters are set to net millions of dollars, millions of Saudi citizens are being oppressed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s punitive regime. It seems much longer than a year ago when... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3040950/anthony-joshua-vs-andy-ruiz-saudi-arabia-fight-latest-not-last-sports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3040950/anthony-joshua-vs-andy-ruiz-saudi-arabia-fight-latest-not-last-sports?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Dec 2019 00:00:06 +0000 US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is considering pardoning some 3,000 people “who may have been treated unfairly”, including late heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. “We have 3,000 names. We’re looking at them. Of the 3,000 names, many of those names have been treated unfairly,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn before he departed for a Group of Seven summit in Canada. In some cases, their sentences are “far too long”, he said. Trump said he was considering a pardon... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2149987/muhammad-ali-among-3000-trump-considering-pardons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2149987/muhammad-ali-among-3000-trump-considering-pardons?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jun 2018 14:06:59 +0000 Muhammad Ali’s 1974 WBC heavyweight championship boxing belt and a handwritten letter about his conversion to Islam are among items that will hit the auction block in September, in the biggest such sale since the death of the iconic boxer in June. Heritage Auctions said on Friday that the auction will include the trunks Ali wore for his “Rumble in the Jungle” victory over George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The gloves worn by Sonny Liston when he lost his title to Ali in 1964 are also among 79 lots... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2006419/muhammad-ali-auction-items-tipped-fetch-heavyweight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2006419/muhammad-ali-auction-items-tipped-fetch-heavyweight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Aug 2016 21:48:00 +0000 “The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! Rumble, young man, rumble!” Like millions of fans, I was mesmerised by Muhammad Ali, whose brash talk and magnificent skills in the ring captivated audiences the world over during the 1960s and ’70s. He proclaimed “I am the Greatest” and he backed it up with some of boxing’s most thrilling bouts such as Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman and Thrilla in Manila against “Smokin Joe” Frazier. His fights... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1972444/how-muhammad-ali-befriended-us-and-then-delivered-his-magic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1972444/how-muhammad-ali-befriended-us-and-then-delivered-his-magic?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jun 2016 08:15:15 +0000 Muhammad Ali made his final journey through his hometown Friday — past the little pink house where he grew up and the museum that bears his name — as an estimated 100,000 mourners along the route pumped their fists and chanted, “Ali! Ali!” for the former heavyweight champion of the world known simply as The Greatest. A hearse bearing Ali’s cherry-red casket, draped in an Islamic tapestry, arrived at Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery in a long line of black limousines after a 19-mile drive via... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1972096/american-boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-final-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1972096/american-boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-final-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2016 19:30:00 +0000 Tom Lysiak was a very good hockey player. Rick McLeish was as well. They just both picked a bad week because anyone who left the earth over the past seven days or so would have been overshadowed by the loss of Muhammad Ali. I mean, Muhammad Ali? Introductions are meaningless for a man who once had the undisputed title of the most famous person on earth. Ali’s death is the most significant passing since Nelson Mandela left us a little less than three years ago and both men can be described in a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1971964/fear-was-only-word-and-not-institution-muhammad-ali-which-why-he-truly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1971964/fear-was-only-word-and-not-institution-muhammad-ali-which-why-he-truly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2016 14:52:23 +0000 Thousands of people came together across creeds and nationalities for a Muslim prayer service in remembrance of Muhammad Ali on Thursday, the start of a two-day farewell to the beloved boxing legend and civil rights hero. Men, women and whole families filled the cavernous Freedom Hall arena in Ali’s hometown in Kentucky to pay their respects before the casket of the 20th century’s most singular personalities, who died last week at age 74. The brief ceremony in Louisville launched two days of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1971425/thousands-mourn-boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-muslim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1971425/thousands-mourn-boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-muslim?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2016 01:58:06 +0000 As the faithful chanted a Muslim prayer in unison, dignitaries and fans stood shoulder to shoulder to honour a man who used his celebrity to push for peace among races, religions and cultures. On phones and screens around the globe, thousands more joined the service from afar through streams and broadcasts, watching a traditional Muslim funeral ceremony play out for one of their heroes. The prayer service on Thursday, known as Jenazah, began two days of memorials that Muhammad Ali crafted... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1971424/thousands-flock-louisville-muhammad-ali-remembered-islamic-jenazah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1971424/thousands-flock-louisville-muhammad-ali-remembered-islamic-jenazah?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2016 01:55:00 +0000 Muhammad Ali made his name as a black heavyweight boxing champion, but he is being mourned for being more than a sporting great. The courage and tenacity he showed in the ring extended into issues of race, religion, politics and charity, to the point that he became the world’s most recognisable person. Even in diplomacy he had a role; among his trips, he visited China twice to build ties with the US, on one occasion in 1979 meeting paramount leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平). In all he attempted, with... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1968734/or-out-ring-myriad-reasons-celebrate-life-boxing-great?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1968734/or-out-ring-myriad-reasons-celebrate-life-boxing-great?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jun 2016 15:30:45 +0000 Long before his dazzling footwork and punching prowess made him a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion known as Muhammad Ali, a young Cassius Clay honed his skills by sparring with neighbourhood friends and running alongside the bus on the way to school. The man who became the world’s most recognisable athlete was a baby sitter, a jokester and a dreamer in the predominantly black West End neighbourhood of Louisville where he grew up and forged lasting friendships while beginning his... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1968206/theft-his-bike-spurred-future-world-champion-muhammad-ali-learn-how-box?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1968206/theft-his-bike-spurred-future-world-champion-muhammad-ali-learn-how-box?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jun 2016 09:15:45 +0000 The death of Muhammad Ali was a sharp reminder of a glittering era of heavyweight boxing that contrasts starkly with the anemic state of the sport’s marquee division today. Ali, who died of septic shock on Friday at the age of 74 after decades of battling Parkinson’s disease, was the cornerstone of a heavyweight triumvirate that also included Joe Frazier and George Foreman, whose flair and ferocity kept boxing at the forefront of the cultural conversation. Muhammad ruined us for everybody. He... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1965804/muhammad-alis-passing-highlights-current-pitiful-state-heavyweight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1965804/muhammad-alis-passing-highlights-current-pitiful-state-heavyweight?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jun 2016 05:15:30 +0000 In a funeral he planned years ago, Muhammad Ali will be coming home as a “citizen of the world” when he is buried Friday in Louisville. A procession will carry his body down an avenue that bears his name, through his boyhood neighbourhood and down Broadway, the scene of the parade that honoured the brash young man – then known as Cassius Clay – for his gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. Muhammad Ali was clearly the people’s champion. And the celebration will reflect his devotion to people of all... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1965706/muhammad-alis-death-triggers-outpouring-emotion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1965706/muhammad-alis-death-triggers-outpouring-emotion?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jun 2016 02:45:45 +0000 Muhammad Ali, the American three-time world heavyweight boxing champion, whose death at the age of 74 was announced by his family on Saturday, will be remembered as a superstar in the ring – but also as cultural icon who touched the hearts of people around the world – including China. Death of a legend: Boxing titan Muhammad Ali, the fighter who embraced China, dies at 74 Ali made two important visits to the mainland during this lifetime, which effectively helped to end the Communist Party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1965087/how-muhammad-ali-helped-land-knockout-blow-end-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1965087/how-muhammad-ali-helped-land-knockout-blow-end-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2016 11:45:15 +0000 Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, widely acknowledged as “the Greatest Of All Time”, has died in hospital at the age of 74, it was announced early on Saturday. “After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74,” spokesman Bob Gunnell said. Ali, whose fame transcended sport during a remarkable heavyweight boxing career that spanned three decades, had been hospitalised in the Phoenix, Arizona, area with a respiratory ailment this week. Concern for the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1964661/death-legend-boxing-titan-muhammad-ali-fighter-who-embraced-china-dies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1964661/death-legend-boxing-titan-muhammad-ali-fighter-who-embraced-china-dies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2016 02:30:15 +0000 Former world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali has been hospitalised for a respiratory issue, family spokesman Bob Gunnell said on Thursday. Gunnell said in a statement that Ali was in fair condition but that a brief hospital stay was expected. Ali, 74, has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for more than three decades and has kept a low profile in recent years. His last public appearance was in April at the ‘Celebrity Fight Night’ gala in Arizona, a charity that benefits the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1963465/boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-hospital-respiratory-ailment-according?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1963465/boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-hospital-respiratory-ailment-according?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jun 2016 02:15:30 +0000 The freak show that Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor are talking about will almost surely never happen, and for that anyone who would even consider opening their wallet to pay for it should be grateful. It’s strictly fodder for online babble, no matter how much either man tries to convince people otherwise. Both seem desperate for attention in floating the idea of a match between a boxer and an MMA fighter. Both are also quite skilled in manipulating social media, as evidenced in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1953875/how-muhammad-ali-set-precedent-mcgregor-vs-mayweather-freak-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1953875/how-muhammad-ali-set-precedent-mcgregor-vs-mayweather-freak-show?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 May 2016 05:30:30 +0000 It was, Muhammad Ali would later say, the closest thing to death he had ever known. He and Joe Frazier had gone 14 brutal rounds in the stifling heat of a Philippines morning before Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch mercifully signaled things to an end, his fighter blind and battered and feeling pretty close to death himself. It was the final time the two fighters would meet in a trilogy that transcended the sport of boxing. The last meeting would take place in the most unlikely of places, and be a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1863110/closest-thing-death-how-muhammad-ali-and-joe-frazier-nearly-killed-each?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/1863110/closest-thing-death-how-muhammad-ali-and-joe-frazier-nearly-killed-each?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2015 03:00:15 +0000 Boxing legend Muhammad Ali is happy that Floyd Mayweather remains unbeaten, but the sporting icon wants to see him face Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao. The former world heavyweight champion posted a message on Twitter hailing Mayweather's majority-decision triumph last Saturday over Argentina's Marcos Maidana but slipped in a jab of his own about Mayweather having yet to face Pacquiao. “Congratulations FloydMayweather. Maybe after you rest up we can see you rumble with MannyPacquiao!” Ali... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1506218/muhammad-ali-wants-manny-pacquiao-fight-floyd-mayweather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1506218/muhammad-ali-wants-manny-pacquiao-fight-floyd-mayweather?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2014 15:15:45 +0000