The legendary boxer won the first of his three world heavyweight championships at the Miami Beach Convention Center in 1964. The fight between Ali — then known as Cassius Clay — and reigning champion Sonny Liston catapulted Ali into global stardom and gave us the famous post-victory quote, “I shook up the world!”
In honor of the 60th anniversary of that fight, the Washington Avenue Business Improvement District and HistoryMiami Museum have teamed up on an exhibit dedicated to the man who could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Running from Friday, February 23, through Monday, April 1, at 555 Washington Ave., the exhibit's location was chosen because it’s the former home of the 5th Street Gym, where Ali trained for years.
Scheduled to attend the exhibit's opening will be Ali's friend and “Soul Man” singer Sam Moore and members of Ali’s family.
“There was no way we were going to allow this 60th anniversary to come and go and not pay respect to him,” says Troy Wright, executive director of the Washington Avenue Business Improvement District. "We’ve only been working on this for two and a half months, but when you see the space, it looks like we spent a year on it."
The exhibit tells Ali’s story — from his birth in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, to his death in 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona — using photographs, videos, and artifacts.
There's a special section that consists of nearly 50 photos taken by Miami Herald photographers on the eve of the Ali-Liston bout in Miami Beach. And what photo timeline would be complete without the famous picture of Ali in a boxing stance underwater? Photographer Flip Schulke took that photo inside a pool at the now-closed Sir John Hotel in Overtown.
Muhammad Ali hits the punching bag at the 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach in February 1971.
Photo by Larry Spitzer/Louisville Courier-Journal
But the celebration won't just take place at the exhibit. O Cinema will screen the documentaries When We Were Kings (1996) and Muhammad Ali (2021) for free on Saturday, February 24. And then, the following day, February 25, will be proclaimed Muhammad Ali Day in Miami.
(In 2016, after his death, the City of Miami Beach proclaimed that Convention Center Drive would also be known as Muhammad Ali Way.)
Knight hopes that those who aren’t as familiar with Ali will take in the festivities and learn about one of the most celebrated and charismatic sports figures in history. As for those who got to witness Ali's incredible run as it was happening, he believes they'll enjoy the walk down memory lane. Knight already saw Ali’s impact firsthand while setting up the exhibit.
"One of the guys who helped lay the carpet and put up the posters was almost brought to tears. He remembered the life-changing experience he had because of Ali," says Knight. "Ali was more than just a boxer. He was unlike anyone else."
Muhammad Ali 60th Anniversary. Noon Friday, February 23, through Monday, April 1, at 555 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; washavemb.com. Tickets cost $15 to $25 via eventbrite.com.
