Gone but not forgotten is Muhammad ‘The Greatest’ Ali who would have celebrated his 83rd birthday today if he were still alive.
Ali was more than the greatest heavyweight champion, winning the world title a record three times! He was a great humanitarian.
But he did more for boxing than anyone could have imagined. From 1960 Olympic light heavyweight gold medalist in Rome, Italy to winning the title on February 25, 1964, going undefeated in his 20th fight, stopping the most feared fighter in the world in Sonny Liston, 35-1 with 26 knockouts after six rounds with Liston claiming a shoulder injury by refusing to get off his chair. The fight was tied then: 57-57, 59-56 and 56-58.
After going off the canvas in his previous fourth-round bout against Briton and Commonwealth champion Henry Cooper, 27-8-1, Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee was said to have cut Ali’s glove to give him time to come back. Ali finished Cooper at 2:15 of the next round at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom.
The previous one was one of his closest fights to date, defeating Doug Jones, 21-3-1, 8-1 and 5-4 twice in rounds at Madison Square Garden, New York. When I met Ali at his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1973, as he appeared from another room, I stupidly asked him, “When are you going to give Doug Jones his rematch?” Then he called me back to where he was.
It would be another four years when I sat next to Ali at his camp in Deer Lake, Pa., and didn’t learn my lesson, saying, “Why are you fighting all these bums?” Even as a military veteran, I had all the respect in the world for him.
Refusing to be drafted into the military in the 60s, he made up for it by bringing 15 American hostages from Iraq years later.
He finished his career in December 1981 with a record of 56-5 with 37 knockouts. He was only stopped by Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes in his penultimate fight. By then his player Ferdie Pacheco had left the corner, claiming he was medically unfit to continue. Dr. Nardiello of the New York commission stated, “Ali’s kidneys were disintegrating.” That was after his fight with the tough Earnie Shavers, 54-5-1, a victory in September 1977 at Madison Square Garden.
Ali lost to 1976 Olympic gold medalist Leon Spinks, 6-0-1, by split decision. “Of all the fights I’ve lost in boxing, losing to (Leon) Spinks hurt the most. I didn’t train properly. He did so in a rematch, reclaiming the title in front of over 60,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. It would be his last victory.
A week ago was the birthday of the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, who in Las Vegas presented Ali with a long white silk robe with the words “People’s Choice” on the back. Ali said, “It should have said People’s Champ on the back.” Two years before Elvis’ death, he contacted Ali, wanting to visit him at the Deer Lake Campground, not wanting anyone to know of his arrival so they could spend time together. After leaving, Ali said: “Elvis Presley was the most humble person I have ever met. What a good guy.”
“I beat him for six rounds; in the seventh, when I hit him in the side, he fell in my ear and said is that all you’ve got, George?” Ali won the title for the third time, defeating champion ‘Big’ George Foreman, 40-0, in Zaire, Africa. Foreman added, “it was bigger than boxing!”
“Iron,” Mike Tyson once said, “Cus (D’Amato, his trainer) and Ali had the same birthday.” He first met Ali when he was in reform school when Ali visited him. After Ali’s defeat of Holmes, he said “I’ll catch him for you!”
It was January 22, 1988 at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At ringside was future President Donald J. Trump next to Ali. After being introduced to the ring, Ali patted Holmes on their gloves and walked over to Tyson, whispering in his ear, which Tyson later said, “Break him for me!” At 2:55 of the fourth round, fell for the third time, Holmes on his back was knocked out!
Ali died in June 2016 at the age of 74.
