Three days before a match with Duke Sabong in Las Vegas in 1961, Clay met the outrageous wrestler “Gorgeous George” Wagner, with his dyed blond hair, flashy robes, and a habit of insulting opponents while touting his own good looks and wrestling skills. To Clay’s surprise, the wrestler drew fans by the thousands who hoped for his defeat. A light went on. The more Clay bragged about himself, the more he sassed his opponents, the more outrageous his self-presentation, he realized, the more fans would come out to see him lose. He began touting his looks and his skills and denigrating those of his opponent: “I’d never been shy about talking, but if I talked even more, there was no telling how much money people would pay to see me.” Lots of fighters boast, but Clay also took to ridiculing his opponents in rhyme, seemingly making up doggerel on the spot, using the black verbal art of the dozens. Boasting “I am the greatest,” he took charge of his own identity in and out of the ring.
