Muhammad Ali Will Get His Wish of Being 'Licked'

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 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 honored 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 ecstatic," Lonnie Ali, the champ's wife of nearly 30 years, told the AP. "Because people, every time they look at that stamp, they will remember him. And he will be in the forefront of their consciousness. And, for me, that's a thrill."

Muhammad Ali died in 2016 at the age of 74 after living with Parkinson's disease for more than three decades. During his lifetime and posthumously, the man known as "the Greatest" has received numerous awards, including an Olympic gold medal in 1960, the United Nations Messenger of Peace award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Having his face on a stamp, Lonnie Ali said, has a particular significance because it's a chance to highlight his mission of spreading compassion and his ability to connect with people. "He did it one person at a time," she said. "And that's such a lovely way to connect with people, to send them a letter and to use this stamp to reinforce the messaging in that life of connection."

A first-day-of-issue ceremony for the Muhammad Ali Forever Stamp is planned for Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky, the birthplace of the famed boxer and home to the Muhammad Ali Center, which showcases his life and legacy. That's when people can buy the stamps featuring a black-and-white AP photo from 1974 of Ali in his famous boxing pose. Each sheet of 20 stamps also features a photo of Ali posing in a pinstripe suit, a recognition of his work as an activist and humanitarian. Twenty-two million stamps have been printed. Once they sell out, they won't be reprinted. The stamps are expected to generate a lot of interest from collectors and noncollectors. Because they're Forever Stamps, the First-Class Mail postage will always remain valid, which Lonnie Ali calls an "ultimate" tribute. The AP has more on how the design came about.