Being the brother of a living icon, the spotlight is sure to spill over. Rockman Ali, the younger brother of Muhammad Ali, sat in the front row and watched with pride the presentation at the grand opening of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville on Nov. 19.

The crowd at the sold-out event also included former President Bill Clinton, Angelina Jolie, James Taylor and Matt Lauer.

Cassius Clay, the boy who would become “The Greatest,” learned to box in his hometown of Louisville from a police officer after someone stole his bike when he was 12. In high school, Cassius won six Kentucky championships, two national Golden Glove championships and two Amateur Union Championships.

Moving up the ranks of athletic fame, Ali was at one time more well-known than the Pope. Today, he lives in Michigan with his wife Lonnie and travels occasionally. Recently, he was honored by President Bush with the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest honor.

“You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned? Wait till I whup George Foreman’s behind. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t. I done wrassled with an alligator. I done tussled with a whale.
Only last week I murdered a rock. Injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean I make medicine sick.”

- Muhammad Ali, 1974, talking about the Rumble in the Jungle, a fight against George Foreman in Kinshasae, Zaire. Ali regained the Heavyweight Championship at the fight.

Nathan Morgan is junior photojournalism major from Madison, Tenn. He can be reached at nathan.morgan@wku.edu.