Watch: When Muhammad Ali set up a fight against Sylvester Stallone

The legendary boxer surprised Sylvester Stallone who was making the announcement for Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Oscars in 1976 by coming on the dais from backstage. They even engaged in a mock fight much to the delight of the audience and the fans watching the broadcast. 

Ali had played himself in the 1977 movie The Greatest which was not only a rip-off of his nickname but also a dramatised version of his life based on his autobiography. While Sylvester was then on a high with his hit Rocky series, which is believed to be loosely based on another world-ranked boxer Chuck Wepner, who fought Ali and lost on a KO in the 15th round.

So it was only fitting that Ali got into a mini bout with his reel life rival if not the real one at the Academy Awards only to hug each other later on.

The three-time heavyweight champion died on Friday at a hospital in Phoenix aged 74. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's, but was admitted following a respiratory issue.

Stallone got a big surprise at the 1976 Oscars, where he announced the Best Supporting Actress nominations. As he went into humble mode for the cameras, he didn’t notice someone sneaking up behind him. “You stole my script,” vamped the legendary Muhammad Ali, as he and Stallone began to mock spar, “All of that was me, I’m Apollo Creed!”