“I should be a stamp, because that’s the only way I’ll ever be licked.”
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) once said this before his 1971 fight against Joe Frazier. Now the former heavyweight champion will get his wish.
The Greatest will be featured on a US stamp for the first time next year, according to the US Postal Service. The stamp will be unveiled on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at an event taking place in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky (USA) on the first day of issue.
The saying “I should be a stamp, because that’s the only way I’ll ever be licked” was uttered by Ali in the run-up to his fight against Joe Frazier . In this context, “licked” means “defeated” – and Ali liked to boast that he could not be defeated. Irony of history: Despite this announcement, the boxing idol lost the subsequent fight against Frazier on March 8, 1971 in Madison Square Garden (known as the “Fight of the Century”), which was also his first professional defeat.