Training the Greatest: The Story of Ali and Dundee

The Fight of the Century, the Rumble in the Jungle, the Thrilla in Manila... Who did all of these fights have in common?

Muhammad Ali, of course. But who else? Well, that would be Angelo Dundee.

Beginning in December 1960, veteran trainer Angelo Dundee was tasked with molding a young Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay) into a professional heavyweight boxer that had a chance at a world title. Though, Muhammad was not exactly looking for someone to tell him what to do; it was all a formality to him. "He doesn't train me, no one trains me," he would say.

So, Angelo claims he did not train him. Instead, he leaned into Muhammad's natural abilities as a fighter, slipped in suggestions here and there about punching speed and footwork, thought of words that rhymed for Muhammad to put into his poems about his opponents, and supported Muhammad's every choice, even when it meant they would not be in the ring together for a while. This approach was exactly why their partnership in boxing lasted for over 20 years, and why their friendship lasted way beyond Muhammad's retirement from the sport.

Training the Greatest: The Story of Ali and Dundee explores the timeline of a lasting friendship, and one of the biggest and most memorable legacies that boxing has ever seen through photographs, newspaper clippings, and items from the Muhammad Ali Center's collection.