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Created with soft pastels & ink on museum-quality, heavyweight, acid-free sanded
pastel paper, this work shows a young Black boy on a wooden stool, oversized red
boxing gloves in his lap, not as symbols of violence, but of identity & resolve. Replacing
the Everlast logo, the gloves read “Freedom” & “Courage,” honoring Muhammad Ali’s
stand against the Vietnam War draft & his willingness to sacrifice everything for his
beliefs. A butterfly rests on one glove, symbolizing transformation & Ali’s words, “Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Behind him, a fight poster reads Clay vs. The United
States, with a boxing ring bell engraved June 20, 1967, Ali’s conviction after a 21-
minute jury deliberation, & June 28, 1971, when the Supreme Court overturned it. The
poster’s phrases, “21 Minutes,” “4 Years,” & “Justice for Ali”, mark the career he lost &
the justice he won, proving some of the greatest fights are for principle, not in the ring.
Created with soft pastels & ink on museum-quality, heavyweight, acid-free sanded
pastel paper, this work shows a young Black boy on a wooden stool, oversized red
boxing gloves in his lap, not as symbols of violence, but of identity & resolve. Replacing
the Everlast logo, the gloves read “Freedom” & “Courage,” honoring Muhammad Ali’s
stand against the Vietnam War draft & his willingness to sacrifice everything for his
beliefs. A butterfly rests on one glove, symbolizing transformation & Ali’s words, “Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Behind him, a fight poster reads Clay vs. The United
States, with a boxing ring bell engraved June 20, 1967, Ali’s conviction after a 21-
minute jury deliberation, & June 28, 1971, when the Supreme Court overturned it. The
poster’s phrases, “21 Minutes,” “4 Years,” & “Justice for Ali”, mark the career he lost &
the justice he won, proving some of the greatest fights are for principle, not in the ring.