Inside the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville

Muhammad Ali is regarded as the greatest boxer of all-time, but of course, his accomplishments go way beyond just hitting people in the head for a living. He’s a cultural icon and humanitarian with a legacy of fighting for peace and justice around the world.

Ali was born 72 years ago in Louisville, where the Muhammad Ali Center now chronicles his achievements. The exhibits tell the story of his rise to fame, his name change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, his religious background, his arrest for refusing to serve in Vietnam, and of course, his athletic accomplishments.

The center is based around Ali’s six core guiding principles: confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality.

There’s a wall of photos from Ali’s life. This one is by far the best: Ali with the Dalai Lama. It’s a meeting of two great minds. And even better than that: Ali’s rocking a glorious stache.

You can enter a mini boxing ring to step into Ali’s shoes, and there’s a punching bag on the wall to allow guests to work out their aggression.

The Center has other non-Ali exhibits as well. This one highlighted the bed-in for peace by John Lennon and Yoko Ono during the Vietnam War.

The center has a lot more to explore, including multimedia presentations that are too complex to be captured in photographs. Even those who aren’t boxing fans will find something of interest here.