Boxing legend Muhammad Ali took on fights outside the ring for civil rights and against war, bringing strong messages to the UN since the 1970s, so ahead of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, we looked back at what he brought to the world.
"Here's a little Black boy from Louisville, Kentucky, sitting in the United Nations talking to presidents of the world, why? Because I'm a good boxer," he said at a press conference at UN Headquarters in 1979. "I needed boxing to get here. So, my purpose is to use boxing to get to people."
Devoting most of his time outside the boxing ring to the pursuit of peace, Mr. Ali had earlier delivered a statement at the UN the year before to address the UN Special Committee against Apartheid in South Africa.
From the 1970s until his death in 2016, the United States Olympic gold medallist floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, as he often aptly described himself, both inside and outside the boxing ring.
Listen to our Podcast Classic episode below.
