Gone but not forgotten is “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, who would have celebrated his 83rd birthday today if he were still alive.
Ali was more than just the greatest heavyweight champion, winning the world title a record three times! He was a great humanitarian.
Ali has done more for boxing than anyone could have imagined. From being the light heavyweight gold medalist at the 1960 Olympics 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 Sonny Liston, 35-1 with 26 Knockout after that. Six rounds with Liston claiming a shoulder injury and refusing to get off the chair. The fight was evenly matched at the time: 57-57, 59-56, and 56-58.
After coming off the canvas in the fourth round against British and Commonwealth champion Henry Cooper, 27-8-1, Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee was told to cut Ali's glove to give him time to re-flip. Ali finished Cooper at 2:15 of the next round at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.
Before that it was one of his closest fights to date, as he defeated Doug Jones, 21-3-1, 8-1, and 5-4 twice in rounds at Madison Square Garden, New York. When I met Ali in 1973 at his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, when he appeared from another room, I foolishly asked him: “When are you going to give Doug Jones a rematch?” Then he invited me back to where he was.
It was another four years ago when I sat next to Ali at his camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania and didn't learn my lesson, saying, “Why are you fighting all these bums?” Even as an army vet, I had all the respect in the world for him.
After he refused to be drafted into the army in the 1960s, instead, years later, he returned 15 American hostages from Iraq.
He finished his career in December 1981 with a record of 56-5 with 37 knockouts. He was stopped only by “The Easton Assassin” Larry Holmes in his next to last fight. By then, his man, Ferdy Pacheco, had left the corner, claiming he was medically unfit to continue. Dr. Nardello of the New York Commission stated that “Ali's kidneys were collapsing.” This was after his fight with the hard-hitting 54-5-1 Ernie Shivers, which he won 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 lost in boxing, the loss to (Leon) Spinks was the most painful. I didn't train properly. He did that in the rematch, regaining the title in front of over 60,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA.” This will be his last victory.
A week ago, it was the birthday of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, who in Las Vegas gave me a long white silk robe with the words “People's Choice” written on the back. “He should have had people’s champion written on his back,” Ali said. Two years before Elvis died, he called Ali, wanting to visit him at Camp Deer Lake, not wanting anyone to know he was coming to spend time together. Upon his departure, Ali said: “Elvis Presley was the most humble person I ever met. What a nice guy.
“I beat him for six rounds; and in the seventh, when I hit him in the side, he fell on my ear and said, ‘Is that all you got, George?’” Ali won the title for the third time after beating the great champion George Foreman 40-0 in Zaire, Africa. He added Foreman: “It was bigger than boxing!”
“Iron,” Mike Tyson once said, “Cuss (D'Amato, his trainer) and Ali had the same birthday.” He first met Ali when he was in a reform school and Ali was visiting. After Ali was defeated by Holmes, he said, “I'll get 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 alongside Ali. Upon being introduced to the ring, Ali tapped Holmes on the gloves and went over to Tyson, whispering in his ear, and Tyson later told him, “Kick his ass for me!” At 2:55 of the fourth round, Holmes fell for the third time on his back!
Ali died in June 2016 at the age of 74.
