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- Prime Video has released the official trailer for The Greatest, an eight-part scripted series following the early life and rise of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
- Newcomer Jaalen Best stars as Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, alongside Michael Ealy as Malcolm X, Amin Joseph as Sonny Liston and Giovanni Ribisi as Angelo Dundee.
- Executive produced by Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, the first authorised scripted series about the boxing icon premieres all eight episodes on 4 November 2026.
Rocky. Raging Bull. Million Dollar Baby. Creed. The Hurricane. Hollywood has given us some unforgettable stories about stepping into the boxing ring, but few can hold a candle to what Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. achieved as Muhammad Ali. Olympic gold medallist, three-time heavyweight world champion and arguably the greatest boxer of all time, Ali didn’t need Hollywood to make his life extraordinary.
Now, Prime Video is bringing that extraordinary life back to the screen with The Greatest, an eight-part drama starring newcomer Jaalen Best as the young Cassius Clay. The streaming service has released the first official trailer ahead of the series’ 4 November premiere, when all eight episodes will arrive exclusively on Prime Video.
Unlike a straightforward sporting biopic focused on famous fights and championship belts, The Greatest promises to explore the man behind the legend. It’s the first authorised scripted series about Ali’s life, with his widow, Lonnie Ali, serving as an executive producer. And judging by the trailer, there’s as much going on outside the ropes as there is inside them.
From Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali
The trailer takes us back to Louisville, Kentucky, where a young Clay is weighing up his future in professional boxing after winning Olympic gold. His family has their own ideas about what that future should look like, but Clay already knows he has the talent, confidence and personality to become something much bigger.
We see flashes of his rapid rise through the heavyweight ranks, including his famous clash with Sonny Liston, alongside the relationships and political convictions that would shape the man he became. There’s also a glimpse of the larger-than-life character who could turn practically anything into a performance, declaring, “I’m young, I’m pretty, I’m fast, and I can’t be beat.”
Even before he floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, the man had a way with words.
1/5More Than Boxing’s GOAT
But the trailer makes it clear this isn’t just about winning fights. As Clay begins to find his voice in a changing America, the series explores the expectations placed on a Black heavyweight champion, his growing social consciousness and his determination to make his own decisions, even when the world would rather he kept quiet.
Best leads a cast that includes Omari Hardwick as Cassius Clay Sr., Dana Gourrier as his mother, Odessa ‘Bird’ Clay, and Kai Parham as his brother Rudy. Amin Joseph plays Sonny Liston, Giovanni Ribisi plays legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, and Michael Ealy portrays Malcolm X.
Series creator Ben Watkins (known for Cross) serves as showrunner, with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation among the companies bringing Ali’s story to television.
Many have tried to capture Muhammad Ali on screen, including Will Smith’s Oscar-nominated performance in 2001’s Ali (watch out for that smack, Chris). With Ali’s family involved and eight episodes exploring his early years, The Greatest has a chance to show the man behind the bravado and the knockout punch.
All eight episodes of The Greatest premiere exclusively on Prime Video on 4 November 2026.
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