EssentialCurved peak
The essentials- Curved peak cap, ALI logo printed in colour across the front
- Two photographs inside the letters, silhouette with arms raised on a red square
- 9 colourways: white, black, red, grey, blue, navy, yellow, pink, sand
- 55–59 cm / 21.7–23.2 in, 7 cm / 2.8 in peak, 9 cm / 3.5 in crown — €29
On 30 October 1974 in Kinshasa, Muhammad Ali spent seven rounds on the ropes letting George Foreman, unbeaten and heavily favoured, empty his arms into a covered guard. In the eighth he came off them and put Foreman down: the tactic entered the language of boxing as rope-a-dope.
That is the figure this cap carries, with the champion's name and photographs set into the lettering.
The logo, near and far
ALI is built from three capitals filled with photographs: Ali in his guard inside the A, Ali face-on inside the L. The I is replaced by a red square where his silhouette with arms raised is cut out in black, with ALI on a black band just beneath. The motif is printed — the only technique that can hold an image inside lettering. At four metres you read ALI; at one metre the photographs come up inside the letters.
Cut and adjustment
Pre-formed curved peak, soft 9 cm / 3.5 in crown, rear adjuster strap. The measurement table shared by every curved peak cap sits on the Canelo washed cap listing.
Technical specifications
Worth knowing
A photograph inside lettering requires printing: embroidery works with a limited number of thread colours and cannot hold the tones of an image. That technical choice is what fits a portrait into three letters a few centimetres tall.
Worth a look
The Muhammad Ali Jumpman cap puts him in the Air Jordan pose with a glove in place of the ball. The WBC World Champion cap carries the belt he won three times, and the Lonsdale cap takes the London side of the sport. Everything sits in the boxing caps collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is rope-a-dope?
A tactic where the boxer leans back on the ropes with a high guard and lets his opponent punch himself out before counter-attacking. Muhammad Ali used it against George Foreman on 30 October 1974 in Kinshasa and won in the eighth round.
What size boxing cap should I get?
The rear strap covers 55–59 cm / 21.7–23.2 in. Measure with a tape about 1 cm / 0.4 in above the eyebrows, around the back of the skull over the bump, without pulling tight.
How many times was Muhammad Ali heavyweight champion?
Three. He first won the title from Sonny Liston in February 1964, regained it from George Foreman in Kinshasa in 1974, and took it a third time from Leon Spinks in September 1978 — the first heavyweight to do so.
How do you wash a cap with a photographic print?
By hand, lukewarm water at 30 °C / 86 °F maximum, mild soap, dabbing the motif rather than brushing it. Dry in the shade: a photographic print loses its tones in direct sun faster than a flat block of colour.
Which colourway shows the print best?
White and sand keep the photographs at their clearest, since the letters read against a light ground. Black and navy make the red square the first thing you see, with the images coming through closer in.
All nine colourways sit under the same listing: pick yours from the drop-down above.
