Under Armour x Muhammad Ali Collection

Under Armour’s latest collection pays homage to one of the greatest solo athletes of all time, Muhammad Ali. The event took place in the world famous Gleason’s Gym which has trained some of the best fighters in history. Upon entering the gym it felt…alive. That threshold had been crossed by so many amazing athletes, the air was dense, and the equipment well-worn with thousands of punches. There was classic music blaring from the DJ booth, and surprisingly, the DJ was spinning the old fashioned way. The historic Thrilla in Manila fight was being screened on one side of the gym, as today is the fortieth anniversary of that incredible bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Under Armour athletes were warming up and sparring in all the rings; the air was buzzing with punches and jabs. The event started off with this introduction video.

After this video was shown, ESPN sportscaster/commentator Joe Tessitore got up on stage and welcomed everyone in attendance. He sat down with Nick Woodhouse, the president of Authentic Brands Group, and Glenn Silbert, the Senior Vice President of Men’s Apparel at Under Armour. Here’s the footage.

In the middle of the ring, Joe Tessitore questioned Glenn Silbert about the collection:

“The starting point of the product creation process for us was really doing something that hadn’t been done before, with Muhammad Ali. We asked the question: what would it be like if Muhammad Ali trained in Under Armour product back in the day? I don’t think you could be better or bigger than greatest of all time but how much better could he have been? The team, we have a few of our team members here who did a phenomenal job, we put together a core–we call it–a performance pack, for Muhammad Ali. Whether it’s a legging, whether it’s a four way stretch woven short, all of our textiles have an air of performance in them but we really put this first collection through the lens of performance and training, as you’ll see here today. In 2016 we’re going to be honoring his legacy.”

“How so?” asked Joe Tess.

“Key moments that define his legacy in the sport; whether it be how he trained in Deer Lake to prepare for the Olympics, to the actual Olympics. It’s an Olympic year next year so you’ll see a lot of interesting things around Ali and how we’re going to activate him around that time period.”

The collection will include many different types of apparel including the Ali French Terry Pullover Hoody ($69.99) that has a smooth out layer and a soft inner laying to keep you warm while the Moisture Transport system wicks sweat, a few different tees like the Ali Rumble Photoreal T ($34.99) that features Charged Cotton, the fitted women’s Ali Fleece Capri ($59.99), the women’s Ali Fleece Pullover ($64.99) with ColdGear technology, a few different shorts like the Ali HIIT Short ($49.99) with durable woven fabric, and a few men’s compression leggings with graphic prints. The gem of this collection is a very limited footwear offering: a gorgeous black and white Under Armour Speedform Phenom. The all white perforated upper, ‘GREATEST’ across the tongue, and collar quote makes for a really great package. All these pieces drop on November 1 at UA.com and UA Brand Houses.

Thoughts on the collection? Share them in the comments below.