BoxRec

Robinson wrote:And many without any knowledge of Boxing know him
and regard him without question as being the best ever.

I see many people buying Ali posters and wearing his face
on their T-shirts. Not boxing fans...just fans of the image
of Ali and the likes.

He is one marketable man. Though I fear none of the royalties
or revenue from his image, quotes and so on go to him...
they no doubt go to some smart manipulator of contracts
out there who is sitting on a gold mine born out of another
man's hard work.

This guy is so great...You are a very smart man

With the unsteady stroke of a pen, Muhammad Ali has earned more money in five seconds than in 21 years of "floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee."

The recent, highly-publicized signing, a $50 million deal with New York marketing firm CKX Incorporated, may have secured much of the financial future of Ali's seven children and his wife, Yolanda. Ali's name, image and likeness will be marketed exclusively for five years by CKX, which also owns the rights to Elvis Presley -- for which it paid $100 million -- and "American Idol."

http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/ali420



More important, Ali transcended his sport as few athletes have. His silhouette conjures up echoes not just of his boasting rhymes but of his unapologetic stances on religion and politics. Shortly after winning his first title, he announced that he had joined the Nation of Islam and was changing his name from Cassius Clay to Cassius X – later to become Muhammad Ali. And citing his religion, he refused to serve in the Army after being drafted. His opposition to the Vietnam War cost him the heavyweight title and more than two prime years in the ring, in addition to drawing a five-year prison term (the Supreme Court eventually threw out his conviction for draft evasion). But it also solidified his reputation as an athlete who was fighting for more than just a paycheck.

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/16 ... n/ed-ali16

The world is Muhammad Ali's domain...The ring was just his playground...