Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight boxing champion famous for his rhyming boasts and showmanship, built his public image around declaring himself the greatest long before social media existed. Lines like this one survived because they capture that persona in a few seconds: playful, defiant and utterly self-assured. As short-form video grew, editors began lifting Ali's voice for sports highlights, workout clips and comeback edits, where a real legend saying it carries more weight than a narrator could. That mix of history and humour keeps the clip in circulation.