Muhammad Ali found icon status in blending sport with politics and activism

During the Beatles’ first visit to the United States in 1964, clever publicity agents arranged a meeting with Cassius Clay, then training for the bout that would make him heavyweight champion. The result was a memorable photo of a whooping Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, standing astride four “knockout victims.”

They were two emerging cultural forces beginning their path to global fame.

But as popular as the Beatles became, it was Ali who went on to become the most recognised person in the world. That picture was among the first to show him growing into that persona alongside the major cultural, political and entertainment figures of the era.