President Obama just shared some touching mementos Muhammad Ali gave him
President Barack Obama was a fan of Muhammad Ali - no real surprise there, as he was pretty much universally beloved as the Greatest of All Time. Still, the Champ had a special relationship with Obama in his later years. To celebrate the late great, Obama went on Facebook Live to show off a couple mementos Ali had given him and explain their deep significance.
The first object Obama displayed was a large book titled "Goat: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali." The Champ gave Obama the book personally when he was first running for the United States Senate. "It was a nice way for me to know that I had a champ in my corner," Obama said.
Obama remembered hanging the iconic picture of Ali's triumphant defeat of Sonny Liston over his desk at his campaign office and finding comfort in it as he ran an underdog campaign. He recalled that he would see the champ and remember "he shocked the world, and maybe I could too."
The president also showed off a signed pair of boxing gloves Ali gave him. The gloves have been displayed in the Oval Office dinning room for the entire time Obama has been president.
"He was one of a kind," Obama concluded. "And in my book he'll always be the greatest."