A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

ALI

Thu, 18 Apr '24
Athlete with the only vertically mounted marker on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so his holy name is not walked upon
Mon, 15 Apr '24
Boxer Muhammad
Tue, 2 Apr '24
Boxer who defeated Superman in a 1978 DC Comics issue
Sun, 24 Mar '24
See 30-Down
Tue, 27 Feb '24
Oscar winner Mahershala
Thu, 15 Feb '24
Olympic champion who said he threw his gold medal into the Ohio River
Wed, 14 Feb '24
Actress Wong
Wed, 24 Jan '24
See 50-Across
Tue, 16 Jan '24
Athlete who boasted "I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast; I'm pretty and can't possibly be beat"
Sat, 13 Jan '24
___ Stroker, Tony-winning actress for 2019's "Oklahoma!"
Tue, 5 Dec '23
Actor Mahershala of "Moonlight"
Wed, 22 Nov '23
Wepner's 1975 opponent in the ring
Tue, 7 Nov '23
Boxer who received a Liberty Medal for being a "champion of freedom"
Mon, 30 Oct '23
"___ Baba and the 40 Thieves"
Sun, 22 Oct '23
2001 biopic starring Will Smith
Tue, 29 Aug '23
Boxing family surname
Tue, 15 Aug '23
Comedian Wong
Sat, 12 Aug '23
Nickname that drops "son"
Fri, 19 May '23
Comedian Wong
Sun, 26 Mar '23
Actor Mahershala
Tue, 14 Mar '23
"He died the most beloved person on the planet," per Ken Burns
Sun, 12 Mar '23
"Sportsman of the Century," per Sports Illustrated
Wed, 8 Feb '23
Comedian Wong
Wed, 18 Jan '23
23-Across, in boxing
Wed, 11 Jan '23
Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1974 (10 years after he first became world champion)
Thu, 5 Jan '23
Stand-up comedian Wong
Mon, 31 Oct '22
"Moonlight" actor Mahershala
Sun, 30 Oct '22
Comedian Wong
Sun, 9 Oct '22
Boxer Laila
Mon, 19 Sep '22
Thrilla in Manila boxer
Sat, 2 Jul '22
Tony-winning actress Stroker
Mon, 20 Jun '22
Oscar winner Mahershala
Wed, 25 May '22
Comedian Wong
Mon, 2 May '22
Boxing family surname
Sun, 16 Jan '22
Slugger from Louisville
Sun, 12 Dec '21
Mahershala of "Moonlight"
Sat, 11 Dec '21
Subject of David Remnick's "King of the World"
Mon, 22 Nov '21
"Baby Cobra" comic Wong
Wed, 3 Nov '21
Comedian Wong
Tue, 12 Oct '21
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" boxer
Wed, 6 Oct '21
"Always Be My Maybe" actress Wong
Mon, 19 Jul '21
Boxer who floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee
Tue, 22 Jun '21
2001 Will Smith title role
Thu, 27 May '21
Mahershala of "Green Book"
Mon, 3 May '21
Mahershala of "Green Book"
Wed, 28 Apr '21
"The Louisville Lip"
Mon, 12 Apr '21
Heavyweight champ known as "The Greatest"
Tue, 30 Mar '21
Mahershala with two Oscars
Tue, 23 Mar '21
Woman's nickname that drops "-son"
Sun, 14 Mar '21
Comedian Wong
Fri, 12 Mar '21
___ Krieger, U.S. women's soccer star
Mon, 8 Feb '21
Actor Mahershala
Thu, 31 Dec '20
Oscar-winning actor for "Moonlight" and "Green Book"