Rafi had always wanted to meet the sports star. In 1979, when he was on a tour in the US performing in 14 different cities, a fan and a friend who knew Muhammad Ali arranged a meeting. Ali spoke to Rafi, his wife, and his son, about music and boxing for about 45 minutes.
At the end of the meeting, the two wanted to take a picture together.
Rafi's son Shahid Rafi, who was 18 at that time, told Indian newspaper Times of India in 2011:
“Ali said, 'We will pose like this. You punch me on the face and I will punch you back'. And they laughed about it.”