Muhammad Ali once joked he should be on a stamp because ‘that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.’ Wish granted

Legend boxer 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.”

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.”