It wasn't just that Muhammad Ali was "the greatest" -- that rare breed of athlete so gifted that their feats of sport feel almost sacred -- but that he was one of the world's most compelling personalities. His energy, his wit and his flair for the dramatic endeared him to boxing fans all over the world and, most importantly for Magnum, made him an unbelievably photogenic subject.

Today Muhammad Ali turns seventy-one, and we celebrate the occasion with a slideshow of iconic Ali images from our archive.