Muhammad Ali will be honored with a commemorative US postage stamp

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Muhammad Ali will be honored with a commemorative US postage stamp

2026-01-12 20:36 Last Updated At：20:50

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 U.S. 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 Associated Press. “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 Muhammad Ali Forever Stamps featuring a black-and-white Associated Press 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, U.S. Postal Service officials said. 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.

“This is going to be a Forever Stamp from the post office,” she said. “It's just one of those things that will be part of his legacy, and it will be one of the shining stars of his legacy, getting this stamp.”

Lisa Bobb-Semple, the USPS director of stamp services, said the idea for a Muhammad Ali stamp first came about shortly after his death almost a decade ago. But the process of developing a stamp is a long one. The USPS requires people who appear on stamps to be dead for at least three years, with the exception of presidents.

As the USPS was working behind the scenes on a stamp, a friend of Ali helped to launch the #GetTheChampAStamp campaign, which sparked public interest in the idea.

“We are really excited that the stars were able to align that allowed us to bring the stamp to fruition,” said Bobb-Semple, who initially had to keep the planned Ali stamp secret until it was official. “It’s one that we’ve always wanted to bring to the market.”

Members of the Citizen Stamps Advisory Committee, appointed by the postmaster general, are responsible for selecting who and what appears on stamps. Each quarter, they meet with Bobb-Semple and her team to review suggestions submitted by the public. There are usually about 20 to 25 commemorative stamp issues each year.

Once a stamp idea is selected, Bobb-Semple and her team work with one of several art directors to design the postage. It then goes through a lengthy final approval process, including a rigorous review by the USPS legal staff, before it can be issued to the public.

Antonio Alcalá, art director and designer of the Muhammad Ali stamp, said hundreds of images were reviewed before the final choices were narrowed to a few. Finally, the AP image, taken by an unnamed photographer, was chosen. It shows Ali in his prime, posing with boxing gloves and looking straight into the camera.

Alcalá said there's a story behind every USPS stamp.

“Postage stamps are miniature works of art designed to reflect the American experience, highlight heroes, history, milestones, achievements and natural wonders of America,” he said. “The Muhammad Ali stamps are a great example of that.”

Beyond the boxing ring, Ali was outspoken about his beliefs when many Black Americans were still fighting to be heard. Born Cassius Clay Jr., Ali changed his name after converting to Islam in the 1960s and spoke openly about race, religion and war. In 1967, he refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War.

That stance cost Ali his heavyweight championship title and barred him from boxing for more than three years. Convicted of draft evasion, he was sentenced to five years in prison but remained free while appealing the case. The conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971, further cementing his prominence as a worldwide figure.

Later in life, Ali emerged as a global humanitarian and used his fame to promote peace, religious understanding and charitable causes, even as Parkinson’s disease limited his speech and movement.

The commemorative postage stamp comes at a time of political division in the U.S. and the world. Lonnie Ali said if her husband were alive today, he'd probably “block a lot of this out” and continue to be a compassionate person who connects with people every day.

That approach, she said, is especially important now.

“We have to mobilize Muhammad’s life and sort of engage in the same kinds of acts of kindness and compassion that he did every day,” she said.

Inside the Golden Globes: The reunions and moments the telecast didn't show

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Emma Stone just seems more comfortable out of her seat than in it at awards shows.

At the Golden Globes Sunday, the “Bugonia” star held court with a rotating cast of companions, from Kirsten Dunst to Jennifer Lawrence -- not in the main ballroom, but in a much smaller side room with a bar, a tea and coffee station and an ever-replenishing supply of decadent desserts, Nobu sushi, caviar cups and, perhaps most importantly, no television cameras.

Here’s some more of what you didn’t see on the Golden Globes broadcast.

Before the show even started Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo found one another near the bar and chatted for a while, not about plans for an impromptu “Thriller” dance, but about how Jay Penske, whose media empire includes Hollywood trade publications like “The Hollywood Reporter,” “Variety” and “Deadline,” also co-owns the Golden Globes. “Isn’t that crazy,” he said. Conversation then shifted to how he nearly missed his own category last year due to the security backup at the drop off area. He made it in, eventually, but just by a hair and had to take a seat in the aisle.

As the clock ticked down, Glen Powell escorted his mother into the ballroom, taking her arm to navigate the steps Alicia Silverstone just had to sidestep down. They spotted their table off to the side and Powell took a beat: “Want to hit the bar then?”

Silverstone was having her own issues though, and another mom soon came to the rescue: Mila Kunis was on a mission to deliver some Band-Aids to Silverstone, who thanked her profusely.

Elsewhere, Colman Domingo danced his way to his table. Teyana Taylor, flanked by security trying to rush her to her seat, snapped a selfie with a guest. Rose Byrne paused to hug Elle Fanning, while Universal chair Donna Langley spoke to Benicio Del Toro. And Kylie Jenner made her way in at the last minute, without Timothée Chalamet and with only minutes to showtime.

Stone beelined to the side room after the first award, leading her “Bugonia” director Yorgos Lanthimos and costar Alicia Silverstone along with her. Stone and Lanthimos were deep in conversation, with brief interruptions requesting selfies.

Over at the coffee and tea station, Kirsten Dunst was halfway through pouring herself a cup of coffee when she paused and told husband Jesse Plemons “I don’t want this, do you?” Her order instead was cranberry and some sparkling, which Plemons dutifully delivered to her throughout the night. Both were also excited to greet Wagner Moura.

After Stellan Skarsgård’s win, Sean Penn made his way to the “Sentimental Value” table to give Renate Reinsve a big hug, while Megan Everett-Skarsgård, who had just gotten a very public boost from her husband, celebrated with Elle Fanning.

Seth Rogen, meanwhile, followed his first win of the evening with what looked like a very, very dirty martini.

Ariana Grande led a glamorous train to the ladies’ room, telling Jessie Buckley and Reinsve to “hold on to me!” The three made a brief stop to say hi to Tessa Thompson, and pose for a photo, before reaching their destination. In the line for the toilets, Grande sighed “phew we made it,” holding up her voluminous gown as best she could. Still someone soon stepped on a part of it, apologizing profusely. Grande put her at ease immediately, though, insisting, “No, I’m the problem!”

Later in the show, Jennifer Lawrence made her way to the bar area where she hugged Jeremy Allen White before finding Stone, who put down her white wine and took her friend’s face in her hands. They fluffed their hair when a photographer asked for a photo before they decided to take their own selfie as well.

Dunst spotted Lawrence nearby too, telling “The Testament of Ann Lee” filmmaker Mona Fastvold and Zoë Kravitz that she just wanted to say hi. Plemons soon arrived with three drinks to dole out. One was not for Lawrence, who joined the line to order her own drink.

In another part of the room, Gayle King, who snacked on a small bite of dessert, appeared to have procured a to-go box for the sushi and soon was next to the “KPop Demon Hunter” women picking some choice pieces.

Patrick Schwarzenegger took a good long look at the dessert table, before moving on, empty-handed to the sushi. No protein shakes here for the “White Lotus” star.

Back inside the ballroom, the commercial breaks are a race to socialize. Everywhere you looked, there were interesting chats happening: Dwayne Johnson and Steven Spielberg, Macauly Culkin and Parker Posey, Maya Rudolph and Selena Gomez, Johnson and Timothée Chalamet and Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, to name a few.

Others stayed put in their seats as the night went on. Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Adam Sandler seemed content to hang at their very starry table. (Why get up when people can come to you instead?). Jessie Buckley let her “Hamnet” son, a tired-looking, Jacobi Jupe sit on her lap for a bit. And Eva Victor took a moment to reapply their lipstick before their category was up.

Were Marty Supreme (Chalamet) and The Smashing Machine (Johnson) talking about greatness? Was Sean Penn smoking inside the ballroom? What did Britt Lower whisper to Grande? And what did Grande then write on a napkin and pass to Lower? Why was Ethan Hawke’s wife Ryan Hawke carrying a tote bag that said “Snoop’s Survival Kit” and what was in it? And what did Stone say to the three Beverly Hills Police officers that made them laugh so much?

For more coverage of the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards