At 18 years old, Muhammad Ali won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Mr. Ali additionally lit the Olympic Cauldron at the opening of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.The fight between boxers Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali was billed as the “Fight of the Century” and held on March 8, 1971 – 50 years ago. Fought in Madison Square Garden in New York City, it was widely regarded as one of the biggest boxing matches in history and is still considered one of the most publicized sporting events ever. Two undefeated boxers would battle it out on the world’s biggest stage for the Heavyweight title.In this first fight (of what would become three) Frazier won in 15 rounds via unanimous decision, and it would serve as the precursor to the ‘Super Fight II’ (1974) and the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ (1975) – both of which were won by Mr. Ali.

The NFT is an animation of an original never-before-seen illustration done by Muhammad Ali, which still hangs in the Ali family household. It was part of his personal portfolio of art that Mr. Ali kept private. Of particular note is Mr. Ali’s gentle use of color throughout the work, as well as his use of small marker points to reflect the size of the crowd. Notably, Mr. Ali depicts himself as larger than Mr. Frazier, despite his loss in the fight.A letter written by Mrs. Lonnie Ali (PDF file) dated July 20 2021, is also included stating that the source work will, in perpetuity, either remain with the Ali family or be donated to a museum.