Never saw Muhammad Ali duke it out in the ring?
The 2001 drama “Ali” isn’t your only chance to relive the rope-a-dope. Here are five notable appearances Ali himself made on screen that will give you a glimpse of the late boxing great in action.
‘When We Were Kings’
This documentary gives you a ringside seat and a behind-the-scenes view of “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the legendary 1974 heavyweight championship bout between Ali and George Foreman.
The film won the Oscar for best documentary in 1997.
‘The Greatest’
Ali played himself in this 1977 dramatized version of his life, which trailers billed as “a story you only think you know.”
The film’s star-studded cast also included Ernest Borgnine, Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones.
‘Arnold’s Hero’
This 1979 episode of the classic sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes” features an exchange between Ali and Gary Coleman’s character, Arnold.
The boxer pays Arnold a visit after his siblings claim he’s dying.
Ali agrees to sign an autograph for Arnold, then delivers one of his trademark rhymes when he realizes the child isn’t really on his deathbed.
“I’ve been north and I’ve been south, but now I’ve found me somebody with my kind of mouth,” Ali quips.
‘Ali-Frazier I: One Nation… Divisible’
This TV documentary from HBO Sports examines the lead-up to the March 1971 bout at Madison Square Garden between Ali and Joe Frazier.
The film, which includes interviews with fellow boxers, trainers and promoters, won a Peabody Award in 2000.
‘The Trials of Muhammad Ali’
This documentary explores Ali’s life outside the ring, focusing on his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War and the legal battles that followed.
It includes “rare archival footage of Ali’s fiery speeches on college campuses and heated exchanges during TV appearances,” according to the film’s website.
