As the tributes continue to pour in for the greatest sportsperson the world has ever seen, so too do the more obscure tid-bits and anecdotes from Muhammad Ali's storied life and career.
In 1963, six months before he humiliated Sonny Liston and gained the World heavyweight championship, Ali - then Cassius Clay - released a primarily spoken word album with Columbia Records.
The eight-track album (or eight-round album, as it was stylised) was naturally titled I Am the Greatest; it's true - he said it before he knew he was. Ali collaborated with comedy writer Gary Belkin on the material, performing it live before an audience of 200 people.
The tracklist (round list) was as follows:
Round 1: "I Am The Greatest"
Round 2: "I Am The Double Greatest"
Round 3: "Do You Have To Ask?"
Round 4: "'I Have Written A Drama', He Said Playfully"
Round 5: "Will The Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down"
Round 6: "Funny You Should Ask"
Round 7: "2138"
Round 8: "The Knockout"
9: "Afterpiece" (see Round 1)
10: "I Am the Greatest"
11: "Stand by Me" (song)
12: "The Gang's All Here"
The first eight tracks were largely dedicated to his upcoming bout with Liston - who to this day remains one of the hardest-punching heavyweights in history - but after that, Ali stopped describing them as rounds as he believed Liston would be finished after the eighth. As it transpired, 'The Louisville Lip' was two rounds greater than even he thought he was; Liston was done before the seventh.
After Ali 'shook up the world', the album actually saw some success, and title track 'I Am The Greatest' was nominated for a Grammy Award. It was released on two occasions as a single - firstly with the B-Side 'Will The Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down?', and secondly accompanied by Ali's raw yet surprisingly decent cover of Ben E. King's classic, 'Stand By Me' - one of two musical numbers on the LP, which you can listen to above.
It's the title track, however, which perhaps best encapsulates the man's greatness, as he eloquently describes it himself to his audience at 30th Street New York Studio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcX7puFfFJc
This is the legend of Cassius Clay,
The most beautiful fighter in the world today.
He talks a great deal and brags indeedy,
About a muscular punch that's incredibly speedy.
The fistic world was dull and weary,
With a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary.
Then someone with colour, someone with dash,
Brought fight fans a'runnin' with cash.
This brash, young boxer is something to see,
And the heavyweight championship is his destiny.
This kid fights great, he's got speed and endurance,
But if you sign to fight him, increase your insurance.
This kid's got a left, this kid's got a right,
If he hits you once, you asleep for the night.
And as you lie on the floor, while the ref counts ten,
You'll pray that you won't have to fight me again.
For I am the man that this poem is about,
The next champ of the world - there is no doubt.
This I predict, and I know the score,
I'll be champ of the world in '64.
When I say three, they go into third,
So don't bet against me - I'm a man of my word.
If Cassius says a cow can lay an egg,
Don't ask how - reach that skillet!
He is The Greatest!
Yes! I am the man this poem is about,
I'll be champ of the world - there is no doubt.
Here I predict Mr. Liston's dismemberment,
I'll hit him so hard, he'll wonder where October and November went.
When I say two, there's never a third,
Betting against me is completely absurd.
When Cassius says a mouse can outrun a horse,
Don't ask how - put your money where your mouse is!
I am The Greatest!
Of the 46 journalists ringside at Miami Beach on February 25th 1964, 43 picked Sonny Liston to beat the 7/1 Ali...by knockout.
They didn't realise it then, but he was a man of his word.
You can listen to I Am The Greatest in full on Spotify.
