'Greatest' actor needed 'the package' to play Muhammad Ali, Lonnie Ali says

NEW YORK CITY — Michael B. Jordan and Lonnie Ali, the wife of Muhammad Ali, believe they have the complete package in actor Jaalen Best to play the late boxing legend in the upcoming Prime Video TV series "The Greatest."

That's crucial because the three-time heavyweight champion Ali, who died in 2016, had the complete "package," Lonnie Ali said at the Amazon 2026 Upfront at the Beacon Theatre on May 11.

"We knew from the start that whoever plays Ali has got to be Ali," said Lonnie Ali, standing on the arm of executive producer Jordan onstage. "He has to have the courage and the conviction, the heart. He's got to have the looks. All of it. Muhammad was pretty." The actor chosen to play him, she added, "had to have 'the package' as they say. Because (Ali) did. He did."

Whether the joke was intended or not, the audience laughed about how the boxing legend was the greatest in more ways than they might have imagined. But the first-ever authorized project about Ali’s life is a serious affair. Lonnie Ali, the boxer's wife and co-founder of the Ali Center, is an executive producer and consultant on the project due out later this year. She pointed out it's been 30 years since her late husband stepped out on another stage at the 1996 Olympics to light the torch even as he faced Parkinson's disease.

"Muhammad Ali is a man who transcended sport. No athlete, no celebrity, no public figure had an impact quite like Ali," Oscar-winner Jordan said in his opening remarks. "Until now, no project has ever been authorized by the Ali estate."

"The Greatest" will follow the boxer and social advocate who started as Cassius Clay and changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to the Muslim religion.

Lookalike actor Best was found after a nationwide search.

"We looked high and low," said Ali. "And I'm telling you, his mother would be so proud of this young man."

Best took the stage and showed some of the footwork Ali made famous.

"This process has been humbling, terrifying, exhilarating, and inspiring all at once," said Best. "I gave it everything I had, and it changed me forever."

Jordan also unveiled a new TV series set in the "Creed" universe, "Delphi," which will follow young boxers training at the Delphi Gym. The series will begin production in Los Angeles on May 18 with executive producer Marco Ramirez. Jordan, who starred as Adonis Creed in the film series, will executive produce.

Jordan announced that the TV series adaptation of author Rebecca Yarros’ best-selling “Fourth Wing” has been ordered to series on Prime Video.