THE LOUISEVILLE LIP . Oil on birch panel. 35 " x 48 "
NOW AVAILABLE AS A LIMITED EDITION, HAND ENHANCED CANVAS PRINT

Cassius Clay, or Muhammad ali, as he was later known, was one of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers, as well as one of the world's most famous individuals, renowned the world over for his boxing and political activism. In 1999, he was crowned Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and is considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. He carried his hands at his sides rather than the orthodox boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face. Instead, Ali relied on his extraordinary reflexes and reach (83 inches) to keep him away from his opponents' blows. Muhammad Ali punched to the head much more than most boxers—a high-risk strategy since, over the duration of a long fight, punches to the body can be much more effective in tiring an opponent out.