The 1996 Olympic Cauldron Lighter was Ali, a three-letter name. Ali is the professional name of Muhammad Ali, an American former professional boxer, widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. He was known for his unique boxing style, which he described as 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'. Ali was chosen to light the cauldron at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, becoming the first African-American to do so.