The painting is of the young boxer Cassius Clay pointing his finger and proclaiming “I am the greatest!” Clay became Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam in ‘75. Ali defeated almost every top Heavyweight in his era, an era which is called the Golden Age of Heavyweight boxing. He is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in history. He was a masterful self-promoter, and his psychological tactics were very effective. It was his boxing skill however, that enabled him to scale the heights and sustain his position.