Standing astride Lewiston’s Main Street, not far from a huge sign that reads “Hopeful,” is a new bronze statue of a resolute Muhammad Ali.

His connection to the city is known to the world mostly through a 1965 heavyweight boxing bout where Ali’s “phantom punch” knocked Sonny Liston down for the count before some fans had even settled into their seats.

A stunning photograph that captured the moment has long since become one of the iconic images of the era.

That’s perhaps a thin reason to install a statue of Ali in Lewiston.

But it isn’t the whole story.

As Lewiston resident and Bates College graduate Ilyas Bashir said during Saturday’s unveiling ceremony, “Ali showed us that the fight is bigger than the ring. That’s why this moment matters. That’s why this statue matters, especially to kids in our community who can look up at Ali and see that greatness starts right where we stand.”

Ali once used his voice to remind Lewiston of what it should be.

At the time, some in the city, including its mayor, fretted publicly that an influx of refugees from Somalia was becoming too great a burden.

Mayor Larry Raymond wrote an open letter in 2002 that suggested the “Somali community must exercise some discipline” and limit its numbers — in a city he could only call home because it once embraced, reluctantly, hordes of immigrants from Quebec.

Ali issued a public rebuke of Raymond and the bigotry that he expressed.

“This insinuation was, at best, irresponsible,” Ali wrote in an open letter that now hangs on the wall of the Androscoggin Historical Society on Lisbon Street. “At worst, it was evidence of a deeper prejudice against a refugee population that has faced unimaginable tribulations in Somalia.”

The boxer called Raymond’s words “insensitive and inflammatory” and encouraged him to open his mind and promote tolerance instead. “Doing so will enliven the cultural richness of the community,” Ali said.

Ali pointed out that “Somali-Americans, like all Americans, have the inalienable right to live anywhere in the United States they choose.”

Moreover, they have a responsibility to raise their children and families in cities and villages that are safe and clean. That many Somali-Americans have found such a place in Lewiston is a credit to that city, and to the State of Maine.”

Bashir, a lightweight boxing champion who grew up across the river in Auburn, is proof of Ali’s wisdom.

“The name Muhammad Ali carried weight in our family, not just because he was a boxing legend but because he was a Muslim, black and unapologetically himself. He looked like us, believed like us and showed us what greatness could look like on a world stage,” Ilyas said.

The letter by Ali is the flip side of the fierce boxer, who showed grit and determination in the ring but also in the pursuit of a better world for everyone. Ali had the heart and gumption to overcome the challenges that beat too many people down.

In his letter castigating Raymond, Ali hailed those fighting “all forms of racism, discrimination and ethnic divisiveness” and expressed the wish that everyone in Lewiston would find “peace and goodwill.”

He was a fighter for justice long after his boxing days came to an end.

In Lewiston, Ali added luster to his fame, but he didn’t forget the city he once said held “a special place in my memories.”

Instead, he pointed out that the city faced “an even greater contest” than his match against Liston.

That quest to welcome everyone and to treat them with respect isn’t over.

Ali’s statue will remind people the real fight is ongoing — and it’s not just for him to step into the ring. It’s for all of us.