Exactly 54 years ago on this day Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first minute of their title-rematch.
The May 25, 1965 fabled victory put Ali on top of the world as he began the unparalleled journey of The Greatest of All to the delight of countless people on the planet.
The lightning pace of his “phantom punch” took the world by storm and Ali shot to prominence that would evolve him into a civil rights champion and make him a metaphor of culture, sports and life.
So it sounded in perfect sync with celebration of the May 25, 1965 moment that Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Tennessee opened its state-of-the-art exhibition center with a display of Ali’s artifacts and photos on Saturday. It also includes a replica of a custom-made-robe that Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, presented to Ali in Las Vegas.
Naturally, the exhibition becomes a tribute to both iconic figures, who remained friends until Elvis’s death in 1977. Elvis lived in Memphis and Graceland, his home, is a huge tourist magnet. Ali was a big fan of Elvis because, according to the champ, he had a soul. Ali called the singer “the greatest of all time.”
“They were pop culture revolutionaries. They were both born very poor — they weren’t emulating anyone, they weren’t copying anyone. They were just getting out what was inside of them,” Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings, said, according to Associated Press.
According to Graceland, the home of Elvis Pressley, the $20-million Graceland Exhibition Center is an 80,000 square foot facility.
Besides'”Muhammad Ali: Greatest of All Time,” the inaugural exhibition includes interactive “National Geographic Presents: Earth Explorers,” and “A Century of the American Motorcycle.”
