About 15 years ago, my sister Phoebe was working as an assistant to a prominent photographer who was putting together a book, “The Virtuoso”, which featured 40 extraordinary talents in areas ranging from dance to comedy to baking and yes, boxing. Ali was one of the subjects. fairly separate from the sports world, Phoebe was young and ignorant of the sports world and basically had zero sense of Ali’s place in the world.

When he walked into the room, she was overcome by emotion and was nearly brought to tears. Not by his historical importance or his boxing greatness, but by his pure presence. Supernatural.