In February 1973, two men with enormous nicknames crossed paths in Las Vegas: the King of Rock ’n’ Roll and “The Greatest.”
Elvis Presley was performing at the Las Vegas Hilton while Muhammad Ali was preparing to fight heavyweight contender Joe Bugner.
Elvis decided Ali needed something special for the occasion.
He had a spectacular white, rhinestone-covered boxing robe made for him in the flashy style of Elvis’s own stage costumes. Graceland confirms Elvis presented the robe to Ali before the Bugner fight. There was one funny problem.
The back reportedly read “People’s Choice,” although the intended wording was “People’s Champ.” ESPN reports that Elvis was bothered by the mistake, but Ali assured him the robe was fine.
Ali returned the gesture with something equally personal: a pair of autographed boxing gloves.
One was inscribed to Elvis with “You are the greatest,” while the other referred to Elvis as Ali’s “main man.” Graceland confirms that Ali gave Elvis signed boxing gloves, and the gloves have since been displayed as pieces of Presley history.
Muhammad Ali Wearing the Robe Elvis Gave Him
The surviving footage shows Ali entering in the elaborate Elvis-designed robe.
Their connection was not simply a publicity photograph.
Ali later spoke affectionately about Elvis and described him as a personal friend. He remembered Elvis as unusually humble and kind, despite being one of the most famous entertainers alive. Accounts also say Elvis later spent quiet time at Ali’s training camp in Pennsylvania, where Ali helped give him privacy away from the crowds. The friendship makes sense in an unexpected way. Both men understood what it meant to become larger than their profession. Ali was not simply a boxer and Elvis was not simply a singer. Wherever either man went, crowds followed.
And the gifts they exchanged captured their respect perfectly.
Elvis gave “The Greatest” a robe fit for the King. Muhammad Ali gave the King boxing gloves telling him he was “the greatest.”