Muhammad Ali combined athletic precision, verbal rhythm and political courage in a public image that still feels electric. In this original mixed-media portrait, I translate that energy through forceful lines, unstable colour and an intentionally imperfect surface rather than a conventional sports likeness. The drawing focuses on Ali as both boxer and cultural figure: quick, defiant and impossible to separate from the history surrounding him. Created in Istanbul, the work forms part of my ongoing portrait series of musicians, filmmakers, writers, athletes and thinkers who transformed the way they were seen. Original Muhammad Ali portrait illustration by İlker Ortaç, an Istanbul-based writer, illustrator and visual artist.