Tag Archives: Muhammad

Posted on 04/24/2017

Female Boxer Jackie Tonawanda: Body Guard for Ali at Deer Lake!
By: Ken Hissner

Female boxer Jackie Tonawanda’s name was brought to this writer’s attention by NJ Boxing Commissioner Larry Hazzard on April 22nd at the boxing event held at the Claridge Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

There have been many articles pertaining to female boxer Jackie Tonawanda who was born Jackie Garrett on September 04, 1933 in New York and would later in life be a female body guard for heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali at his Deer Lake boxing training camp in PA. In June 9, 2009 she passed away at the age of 75 at the Mt. Siani Hospital in Harlem, NY.

Known as “Lady Ali” Tonawanda was 35-1 with 35 stoppages in the amateurs. Though there is no confirmation on it she had one six round professional match losing to a Diane Clark. At 5:09 and 123 lbs. she couldn’t have fought middleweight Clark posted on box rec.

Tonawanda had such trainers as David Vasquez and Freddie Brown. In 1975 she sued the New York Boxing Commission for not allowing female boxers to be issued professional boxing licenses per Ed Dooley who ran the commission. She was granted a license.

Tonawanda was a personal advisor for professional heavyweight Israel “King Kong” Garcia, 20-11 (13). In November of 2003 on Cedric Kushner’s Thunder Box Tournament held at Trump’s Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ, were 3 round bouts and Garcia defeated “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon but lost to Maurice Harris in semi-final.

Tonawanda was a member of New York’s Ring 8 Veteran Boxers Association. Former heavyweight title challenger Gerry Cooney also a member of Ring 8 knew her from her boxing beginnings and had high praise for her.

Posted on 04/20/2017

Muhammad Ali In Fat City History
By: Jorge Martinez

Recent events have exposed fissures in our union and rocked our national identity. It is in this venue that I share the following story of two “Fat City” residents and Muhammad Ali. One is Mayor, Joan Darrah, the other is Ralph Lee White, a man she called, the most hated man in Stockton. Although not true, White is undoubtedly a controversial, outspoken and adversarial figure. Some might say he got rich by promoting unhealthy habits in the population. He has nevertheless played a pivotal role in the shaping of Stockton’s reputation. Ask the hundreds of people that line south Stockton streets to celebrate the end of slavery, a parade he funds without city support. This is also an unknown chapter in the life of Mohammad Ali, once known as “The Most Hated Man in America”. White was a civil rights advocate who served as a city councilman from 1971-87. Ralph’s challenges to the status quo embarrassed the Mayor. After self-described personal affronts Joan Darrah, stripped White of power by changing the city charter, specifically to prevent him from running for office. The sheer un-American-ness of this is stunning and remains a black mark on her legacy. The manipulation of the law is explained in her book that identifie as done for the greater good. See complete story in Boxing Heroes, 2016, Amazon.com

We must revisit another time of great uncertainty, the Vietnam War. Many rebelled against the draft and American foreign policies. One of these was Muhammad Ali, who inspired many young amateur boxers like myself. Suffering under the whip of Jim Crowe in the southwest, I dreamed of Olympic gold and a world title. I fought with an unrelenting desperate need to succeed, prepared to bleed and die if necessary. I was reaching for the stars that although shined brightly, were just beyond my reach. Without means of getting an education, I enlisted in the Army in 1971, and prepared for war in Vietnam against a people who as Ali said, “ I an’t got no fight with no Vietcong”. The gym was my church and boxing my religion. It saved me by releasing the fury that might have exploded destructively. As history records, Ali refused to serve and was arrested, held for a period, released and stripped of his title. Ali’s refusal sparked the country’s ire and he became “the most hated man in America”. The Viet Nam war ripped the country apart and intensified the divide that still affects our nation. The war eventually ended and a small measure of healing was obtained, meanwhile life in Stockton continued as usual.

Unimpressive in social improvements or economic growth, Joan Darrah’s tenure included the killing of Mr. Ramirez, victim of a mistaken SWAT invasion of his home. It also included The Cleveland Elementary School massacre in January of 1989 that rocked the nation. This was one of many school shootings to come and 28 years latter it’s still under investigation. The culprit was Patrick Edward Purdy a 26-year-old racist with a criminal record that used an AK-47 to kill five children and wound 31 others. It was the worse massacre of children in history before the 12-14-12 shooting at Sandy Hook School in Newtown Connecticut. Many questions remain as some believe Purdy had accomplishes. Interviews with a teacher at the event suggest there may have been another person who was not identified. Attempts to gain information via the Freedom of Information act were denied by the attorney general. My amateur sleuth research suggests Patrick Edward Purdy may have been a serial killer responsible for other murders across the country. This has been denied nor verified.

In her book, Darrah Joan Getting Political, QuillDriver Books 2003, 27, refers to Ralph as “ the star performer, clown, high flyer, and lion tamer in one, at the Monday Night Circus. (City council meetings) The story of White’s gradual transformation from respected and energetic young activist to a man many Stocktoinans saw as corrupt and self serving, unfolded over two decades from roughly 1966 to 1986 “. The pot calling the kettle black, Darrah conveniently forgot the rich typically use wealth to influence politics, like her husband Jim Darrah, a local judge. Without wealth or prestige Ralph Lee White, known as the most hated man in Stockton, recruited Mohammad Ali, the most hated man in America, to assist in a fundraiser. Something no one thought he could do. Although the mayor did not support the White-Ali Match at the University of the Pacific, nine hundred other people did. The event was an overwhelming success and raised thousands of dollars. An excited audience watched as Ali allowed Ralph Lee White to show off and kind enough to feign a knock down, on July 1, 1982. To his credit, Ali never rebutted Ralph’s claims of a real knock down. To my amazement Ralph still claimed it was real in 2016. Today, I am saying his retelling of the event is comical, amusing and intended as innocent humor. The fundraiser made Fat City Boxing history.

Surprising little has been said about Ali’s time in Stockton or this historical event. I accidently learned of it years later. The Mayor referred to it as a “staged fight”, not a public service. Her last attempt at regaining the spot light faded away with her cloudy legacy.

Mohammad Ali is gone and although Ralph Lee White has slowed down with age, yet continues, who knows what chapters remain unwritten. Like Ali, Ralph is full of life and surprises. He has rebuked several mayors including, Ed Chavez, Ann Johnston and current Mayor Michael Tubbs 2017. In retrospect, fundraisers have come and gone, but no one has matched White’s achievement of having Mohammad Ali come to Fat City. The infamous book Fat City, 1969 by Leonard Gardner, described Stockton as hopeless. Gardner unpardonably made the main antagonist white, which can only be interpreted as catering to his readership. It certainly has nothing to do with reality. White fighters in Stockton are a myth. There has not been a serious white contender from Fat City in my 30 years as a boxing journalist.

In 2016, famous, but never a champion Yaqui Lopez convinced the Spinks Brothers to visit Fat City to raise funds for his boxing program. Michael Spinks knocked out Yaqui Lopez in seven rounds in 1980. The event was mildly successful. Thanks to the gods of violent sports that give birth to a new crop of warriors, Fat City has never lacked for brawlers. Today, we have Nate and Nick Diaz, world-class UFC fighters. There are several up and coming boxers such Gabriel Flores, an international golden glove champion. Gabriel will make his professional debut on May 5, 2017 in Reno Nevada. I will cover the event live from ringside and bring details to Fat City. My ringside commendation will be made available to local radio stations throughout the central valley at no charge. I yearn for the days when average Americans knew the names of young lions that made history with their fists. The poorest of Fat City know what movie hero Rocky Balboa said, (paraphrase)” The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean nasty place. Life isn’t about getting hit, its about how hard you can get hit, then get up and keep going forward, but you gotta be willing to take the hits.” I dream of a new TV reality series, like The Contender to help us along. As a former boxer, referee, amateur coach, professional trainer, promoter, sportswriter and finally author of Boxing Heroes, 2016. I got to say; Thank God for Boxing!

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Posted on 01/25/2017

The Harder They Fall: Gladys Rosa—A Conversation (Part II)
By Kent Wallace

(Authors Note: When we last left Gladys Rosa, the young, no-nonsense lass was being pitched by boxing legend Don King—but not biting. Let’s take it from there…)

So I’m back at the 92 (my office), seated beside Cindy “Boom Boom” Podgorski—amber potion in one hand, the phone in the other with Gladys Rosa in conversational mode. I ask her to pick up her story from where we left off…

The Bronx born teen graduated high-school early (if you recall she was an advanced student, working as an intern—for school credit—with New York City honcho Melvyn Haywoode). Immediately after graduation Gladys accepted a full-time, salaried job, with Mr. Haywoode.

King, however, never known as a wilting flower, was doggedly determined to bring Gladys into his fold.

It was Gladys’ mom Gloria who fielded the call from King. She advised the promoter that her daughter was not available at the time but would be glad to pass on a message. King provided his private number.

“My mom was ecstatic—she knew who Don King was as my mom was a district leader and community activist—very politically and socially involved. My dad on the other hand was a one man Puerto Rican parade—he was so proud.

“In a sense, I called Mr. King back as much as for my folks as for myself.”
King wanted the kid. At the time he had legendary, Damon Runyonesque, press agent Irving Rudd working for him. When told she would be mentoring under the best in the business (Rudd) Gladys agreed to meet with the P.T. Barnum of the P.R. milieu.
Irving and Gladys had a break-bread, sit down session at a mid-town deli. Irving was impressed with the sophistication of the South Bronx teen. “I knew from my herring and Matzo Ball soup,” Gladys laughed.

Student and teacher hit it off and Irving had a suggestion…

“There was a big fight coming up and Irving asked me to put together a press release for him to peruse. I wrote it overnight and brought it by his office the following morning on my way to work.”
Irving loved it! A job offer was tendered (on a Thursday). Gladys went to work the following Monday.

“It was quite impressive, entering the Town House offices at 32 East 69th Street that very first time,” recalled Gladys. “The walls were plastered with posters of historical bouts and fighters. And what a gallery of champs it was! You must remember at the time Don King promoted Ali, Norton, Duran, de Jesus, Escalera and more. These were household names in Rosa casa—I’d grown up watching them on television with my dad.

“My first job was to serve as translator for Roberto Duran who was going up against Ken Buchannan. This put me in with the bulls right off. There wasn’t just Roberto to deal with but his powerful Panamanian manager Carlos Eleta and Luis Henriquez, his right hand man—they considered me, and in fact called me, a secretary! “

Gladys guided “Manos de Piedra” through the gauntlet of media platforms (television, radio and print). It wasn’t long before the pugnacious Panamanian saw much more than merely a youthful secretary—but a skilled, translator/publicist instead.

“When Roberto turned to me after one of the many interviews and said, ‘Eres mas que una secretaria’ the bond was born. And suddenly, he seemed thrilled by the Hispanic connection. He’d never seen a Latina operating so seamlessly in this man’s game. Roberto became my biggest fan!”

Duran won that night—becoming the WBA lightweight champion of the world.
Two years later, the life changing bout for Gladys and the entire boxing world took place in Madison Square Garden. The rematch of Ali/Frazier…

“Unbridled chaos from the announcement of the bout to the first bell,” Gladys laughed.

“Ali was training in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. Irving was the inside guy, Murray Goodman was the outside guy and I was the gal in the middle—the liaison between the Ali camp and the Garden media corps.

“We were churning out 2-4 press releases a day as everything was news. You’ve got to remember, there was no internet back then—no emailing, no texting, I was hand delivering press release to the global boxing media.”

As for Ali himself, this writer needed to know…

“Ali was gracious, larger than life, and very easy going—a pleasure to work for. He respected my work ethic and I recall him once saying, ‘Usually I see women at these press conferences trying to impress—to stand out—to get a piece of the shinning sun. But Gladys is all business—she’s here to work.’”

Not everyone, however, was as complimentary of the youthful upstart and her position in this mano-y-mano realm typically regulated to men.

Dick Young, the legendary sports writer and colorful curmudgeon (a man, by the way, who refused to call Ali anything but Cassius Clay), wanted to know who the hell Gladys was and what the hell she was doing.

“He seemed to be eyeballing me and finally he came up and said, ‘You’re too nice to be in this racket. Tell your parents they didn’t do a good job!’

“I was steamed. My family was untouchable. I turned to Mr. Young and said, under no uncertain terms, ‘Watch what you say Mister. I’ll make you eat your words!’”

Spicier than fresh Sofrito and perhaps inspired by the Louisville Lip hisself, the Latina Lip put Mr. Young in his place!

That trait of fearless feistiness followed the lass throughout her storied career…

(Stay tuned for Part III)

Posted on 01/17/2017

Ali’s Birthday & Seven Heavyweight Champions Who Are Capricorns!
By: Ken Hissner

Cus D’Amato at his home in the Catskills of New York once told this writer back in 1982 that “if a new kid came into the gym and is a Capricorn(12/22-1/20) I will work with him”. Well, he trained and managed heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson who was born January 4th with a 55-8-1 (40) record who passed away on May 11th, 2011 at the age of 71. He was the 1952 Olympic middleweight champion.

On the 17th of January we celebrate the 75th birthday of Muhammad Ali, 56-5 (37), who passed away on June 3rd, 2016. Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award from President George W. Bush in November of 2005. In 1998 Ali received the “GQ Man of the Year Award” presented to him by Whitney Houston. Ali received the “Personality of the Century Award. In 1974 Ali received the Sports Illustrated “Sports Person of the Year Award. In 1999 Ali received the “Sports Personality of the Year Award” by the BBC. Ali was the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight champion. In November of 1990 Ali met with Iraq President Sadam Hussein and brought back 15 American hostages to the US. It was something no President of this country ever did without paying ransom for them or firing a shot.

There are six other heavyweight champions who were born under the sign of Capricorn. Philadelphia’s formerWBC & WBA champion “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon, 55-13-1 (38), is 59 having been born on December 27th. South Africa’s Corrie “The Sniper” Sanders, 42-4 (31), was the WBO heavyweight champion was born on January 7th, 1966 and at 46 he passed away on 9/23/12.

New Zealand’s Joe Parker, 22-0 (18), won the WBO heavyweight title December 10th, 2016, and is 25 born January 9th, 1992, and currently living in Las Vegas, NV. Former WBC & WBA heavyweight champion “Big” George Foreman, 76-5 (68), was born January 10th, 1949 and is 68, living in Houston, TX. He was the 1968 Olympic heavyweight champion. “Smokin” Joe Frazier, 32-4-1 (27), was born January 12th, 1944 and passed on November 7th, 2011 at age 67. He was the 1964 Olympic heavyweight champion.

Posted on 01/01/2017

​From Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali: Goodbye to the Greatest
​By: Eric Lunger

​As a New Year begins, I have been thinking a lot about Muhammad Ali, who passed away last June. I was born two years after Cassius Clay (as he was then) defeated Sonny Liston in Miami to become heavyweight champion of the world. I vaguely remember watching Ali’s last fights on TV, but I didn’t become a serious boxing fan until the 1980s and the emergence of “Iron” Mike Tyson.

​I recently read David Remnick’s KING OF THE WORLD, originally published in 1998. Remnick does an excellent job conjuring the reader into the world of the Jim Crow South with its crippling segregation.

However, the strength of Remnick’s book, in my view, is the way it shows how the white boxing media (in those days, mainstream media) delineated the identities of Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson. Liston was cast as the villain, the dangerous criminal Black man with shadowy ties to the Mafia, while Patterson was the accommodating, polite, Christian “Negro,” who articulated the slow aspirations of the burgeoning integrationist civil rights movement.

​By defeating Liston, converting to Islam and changing his name, and then beating Patterson, Ali exploded both stereotypes. He refused to be a Liston-type villain or a Patterson-type “Uncle Tom,” as Ali later lambasted some of his opponents, notably Joe Frazier. Ali was saying to himself and to America, a Black man can be whoever he wants to be. Ever eloquent, Ali said it best at a press conference: “I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.” I am free to be what I want – with that phrase, much more than his ability to dance in the ring and his unprecedented skills, Ali the boxer broke the boundaries of what was expected from an African-American athlete, or any athlete for that matter.

​If that were all, Ali would be remembered as a great champion and a great human being. But his opposition to the Vietnam War, so principled and so self-negating, catapulted Ali into a different realm. Again, Ali’s words:

Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?

Without gratuitous self-aggrandizement, without self-referential praise, Ali articulated the hypocrisy of the war, as he saw it, and the hypocrisy of a segregated Nation. Some fifty years later, it’s easy to underestimate the personal damage that Ali was inflicting on himself. As expected, he was sentenced to prison and fined, stripped of his titles, and barred from boxing. In all, Ali lost more than three years at the peak of his powers, and his reputation was shattered. Eventually vindicated by the Supreme Court, Ali resumed his boxing career in 1970, and the great bouts with Joe Frazier and George Foreman followed. But for many, Ali’s opposition to the draft and his refusal to compromise his principles made him “The Greatest.”

​Muhammad Ali died on June 3rd, 2016. He had grown up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky, but when he passed, an African-American was president of the United States. Being a symbol is perhaps too heavy a burden for any human being to carry, and Ali had his faults like all of us. But I still watch Ali’s fights with wonder at his preternatural skill in the ring, and his courage beyond it.

Posted on 12/30/2016

Ronda Rousey Returns After “Biggest Upset in Combat Sports History”? Not By a Long Way
By: Matt O’Brien

Friday night sees the long-awaited comeback of“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey following her shocking defeat to Holly Holm last November, in a result infamously described by UFC commentator Joe Rogan as, “the biggest upset in combat sports history”. Prior to her defeat,Rousey had demolished a string of 12 opponentswith only one of them making it out of the first round – a devastating record by any standard, and there’s no doubt that Holm’s knockout was a truly enormous upset, with the challenger overcoming odds of up to 12-1 against her.

That being said, it takes two people to make a fight, and the bookies’ published odds are not the only ingredient that goes into a big upset – the wider context of the underdog’s role is also vital. Ronda’s record was indeed formidable, but keen observers had noted that it could be a far more difficult task than anything she had faced before, with Holm being a former world-boxing champion and arguably the first bona fide world-class striker “Rowdy” had faced off against.

So while Rogan’s assertion that it was the “biggest upset of all time” might be right as far as UFC or even MMA history goes, once we include the sweet science the scale of Ronda’s defeat falls a few rungs down the list of “greatest ever upsets”. Here are five of my favourite shocks in boxing history that eclipse Holly Holm’s upset victory over Ronda Rousey:

1. James Douglas KO10 Mike Tyson, Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship, February 1990

This is the grand-daddy of upsets: not just the biggest upset in the history of boxing; not even the biggest upset in the history of combat sports. This one is arguably the biggest upset in the history of sports, period.

The reason for the scale of Douglas’ shock was twofold: firstly, “Iron” Mike was a destructive force the like of which had rarely, if ever, been witnessed before. Carrying an undefeated 37-fight record, all but four of Tyson’s victims had been knocked out, 17 of them in the first round. Tyson made a habit of making accomplished world-class boxers look like bunny rabbits caught in the headlights of a freight train. Secondly, Tyson’s awesome aura was set against Douglas’ far less-than-fearful persona. A competent yet unspectacular heavyweight, Douglas’ physique was rippled rather than ripped andhis style plodding rather than punishing.

Weeks before the contest though, Douglas’ mother had died, providing him with the kind of motivation and discipline he’d previously lacked. Meanwhile Tyson had fallen into the age-old trap of believing his own hype; his preparations consisted largely of hosting Japanese women in his hotel room and he was knocked down in sparring by Greg Page.

Even so, a listless Tyson was able to floor the challenger and almost pulled off a knockout victory in the eighth round. Douglas beat the count and continued to pummel the champion with a solid jab and powerful right hand. In the tenth, “Buster” unloaded a vicious combination punctuated by a huge right uppercut that sent Tyson sprawling. As he scrambled to put the gumshield back into his mouth, referee Octavio Meyran waved the finish and signaled the greatest upset in history, as the 42-1 outsider stunned the world.

*To his credit, Joe Rogan later admitted that this was actually a bigger upset than Rousey-Holm.

2. Evander Holyfield TKO11 Mike Tyson, WBA Heavyweight Championship, November 1996

It is a testament to Tyson’s fearsome aura and the magnetic grip he held on the public consciousness that six years after the Douglas defeat and following three years of incarceration, he was yet again considered invincible – despite Douglas’ evidence to the contrary. Tyson had demolished four challengers in just eight rounds since his release from prison, though he had yet to face anyone offeringmuch resistance. Frank Bruno looked scared stiff as he walked to the ring and Bruce Seldon put forward probably the meekest capitulation in the history of heavyweight championship boxing, surrendering in just 109 seconds. Evander Holyfield was a different proposition altogether, though few credited him with this distinction at the time.

Once again, the monumental scale of Holyfield’s upset was not just a measure of how highly Tyson was regarded – it also came from a foolish under-estimation of what “The Real Deal” had left to offer. A glut in recent performances in the ring, including a KO defeat to arch nemesis Riddick Bowe and a health scare regarding a heart condition had effectively erased memories of Holyfield’s fighting skills and warrior spirit.Many pundits argued that Holyfield was not just going to lose, but that he was in danger of being seriously injured.

The former champ opened as a 25-1 underdog, but his ironclad self-belief, granite chin and counter-punching strategy troubled “Iron” Mike from the outset. When Holyfield took Tyson’s vaunted power punches, retained his composure and kept firing back, it soon became evident that “the Baddest Man on the Planet” had no back-up plan. They say a picture tells a thousand words, but when Tyson was lifted off his feet by a left uppercut in the sixth round, far less than that were needed to describe the look on his face. Holyfield proceeded to administer a beat down until a dejected Tyson was finally rescued by referee Mitch Halpern in the eleventh round.

3. Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis, WBC/IBF/Lineal World Heavyweight Championship, April 2001

Lennox Lewis had been knocked out before, but going into his fight with Hasim Rahman he was in the process of establishing himself as one of the most dominant heavyweight champions in history. He’d already made 12 defences over two reigns as WBC championand was making the fourth defence of the lineal and unified title he won against Evander Holyfield. He had also cut a swathe through potential heirs to the throne, blasting Michael Grant in two rounds and thoroughly outboxing dangerous New Zealander David Tua.

Unfortunately, Lewis had also spent time during preparation for his title defense schmoozing on the Hollywood film set of Ocean’s Eleven, while unheralded challenger Hasim “The Rock” Rahman grafted in the intense heat and high-altitude of a South African boxing gym.But while Rahman was a motivated and respectable contender, he’d done little in his career to indicate he posed a serious threat. Indeed, two years prior he had been brutally knocked out by Oleg Maskaev.

In the ring though, the difference in each man’s preparation showed, as a complacent Lewis blew heavily and struggled to assert himself. In the early rounds, there were warning signs that Rahman’s overhand right posed danger, but even so the end came suddenly and unexpectedly in the fifth round, as Lewis backed against the ropes and the 20-1 outsider unleashed a haymaker that landed flush on the jaw. The champion crumpled into a heap and minutes later was still in disbelief about what had occurred. To his credit, Lewis returned the favour when properly focused for the immediate rematch, knocking out Rahman in the fourth round to reclaim his title.

4. Muhammad Ali KO8 George Foreman, World Heavyweight Championship, October 1974

The 4-1 odds on Ali for this fight really don’t do justice to the monumental scale of the task he overcame on this momentous night. Foreman – much like Tyson years later – was considered to be an unstoppable force that had brutally manhandled some of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world. Joe Frazier, the undefeated heavyweight champion, conqueror of Muhammad Ali and one of the finest fighters the division had ever seen, was bounced around the ring like a rag doll and brutally stopped in two rounds.Ken Norton, a fighter who’d also taken Ali to the wire on two occasions (going 1-1 with The Greatest) was similarly dispatched by Foreman in less than 6 minutes.

In contrast, Ali was 10 years removed from his initial title-winning effort against Sonny Liston, had barely squeezed by Norton in their second fight, and looked sluggish in a dull rematch victory over Frazier.

A 32-year-old Ali offered his usual, charismatic, confident predictions before the bout, but few took him seriously, and even his own camp appeared to fear the worst. Norman Mailer described the atmosphere in Ali’s dressing room as, “like a corner in a hospital where relatives wait for word of the operation.” The dark mood failed to stop the irrepressible Ali, who boxed one of the most brilliant, bold fights ever witnessed to recapture the Heavyweight Championship and cement in his place in history with a truly unbelievable upset of epic proportions.

5. Ray Leonard W12 Marvin Hagler, WBC Middleweight Championship, April 1987

In 1982 “Sugar” Ray had retired following surgery to repair a detached retina, returning to the ring in 1984 in what should have been a routine victory over Kevin Howard, but announced his retirement again following the fight after suffering his first ever career-knockdown. Now, having only boxed once in five years, Leonard was moving up two weight classes from his favoured welterweight division to take on one of the greatest middleweight champions of all-time. It looked liked Mission Impossible on Viagra.

“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler hadn’t lost a boxing match since dropping a majority decision to Bobby Watts over a decade earlier, had won 13 consecutive middleweight title matches, and was ranked as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by KOMagazine. It’s therefore a testament to Leonard’s star power that he opened only as a 4-1 underdog, and had even shortened these odds to 3-1 by the time of the fight. Among the “experts”, few gave the challenger a chance though, with 18 in a poll of 21 writers picking Hagler to prevail.

The eventual split decision in Sugar Ray’s favour is still bitterly disputed to this day. While there is a strong argument that Hagler did enough to win, there is no denying the success of Leonard’s psychological games, and the fact that he pulled one of the greatest examples of mind over matter in the history of boxing.

Honourable Mentions

The fights above comprise my personal favourite selection of huge boxing upsets greater than Holm’s defeat of Ronda Rousey, though there’s arguably a host of others than should make the cut. Here’s a brief selection of the best of the rest…

Randy Turpin W15 Ray Robinson, World Middleweight Championship, July 1951

Englishman Turpin probably caught the original “Sugar” Ray at the perfect time, as he came to the end of a busy European tour. Still, defeating arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time was a stunning achievement.

Cassius Clay TKO7 Sonny Liston, World Heavyweight Championship, February 1964

On paper the 8-1 odds were even steeper than when the older version of Clay [Ali] defeated George Foreman, as the Greatest “Shook up the World” for the first time in his amazing career.

Frankie Randall W12 Julio Cesar Chavez, WBC Super Lightweight Championship, January 1994

Chavez was lucky to escape with a draw against Pernell Whitaker four months earlier, but was still officially undefeated after 90 fights, 27 of them for world titles, and he entered the fight as a massive 18-1 favourite.

Max Schmeling KO12 Joe Louis, June 1936

The young, undefeated “Brown Bomber” was widely perceived as unbeatable, but the German had studied his style and exploited his weaknesses to great effect. A more experienced Louis destroyed Schmeling in a single round in their famous rematch two years later.

Lloyd Honeyghan TKO6 Donald Curry, Undisputed Welterweight Championship, September 1986

Curry was considered one of the elite fighters in the sport and was being groomed for super-stardom, but he was struggling desperately to make the weight limit. Meanwhile Honeyghan paid short shrift to the champion’s undefeated record and bet $5,000 on himself at odds of 5-1, shocking the bookies and the boxing world in the process.

Posted on 12/13/2016

Boxing Insider Notebook: Ali, Cintron, Peralta, Bute, Clarkson, and more…
Compiled By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of December 6th to December 13th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

HBO Announces Multi-Part Muhammad Ali Documentary

An untitled HBO Entertainment multi-part documentary about the life and career of Muhammad Ali from LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment and Antoine Fuqua’s Fuqua Films has started production and will debut on the network, it was announced today by Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and CINEMAX Programming. Directed by acclaimed feature-film director Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “Southpaw,” “The Magnificent Seven”) the documentary will explore Ali’s greatest triumphs and comebacks, painting an intimate portrait of a man who, against all odds, dreamed and achieved the impossible, over and over again.

“Muhammad Ali is indisputably one of the most iconic and distinctive figures in the history of world sports,” said Antholis. “His impact resonates far beyond the boxing ring and is woven deep into the cultural and social tapestry of the second half of the 20th century. From the moment LeBron James told us of his deep visceral connection to Ali’s life and legacy, we were committed to helping him realize this film, and our enthusiasm has only grown as Antoine Fuqua has developed his compelling cinematic vision for telling one man’s incredible journey.”

“It’s tough to put into words how much it means to me to be a part of this project honoring the legacy and telling the extremely important story of the great Muhammad Ali,” says LeBron James. “He transcended sports and used his platform to empower people, which paved the way for all athletes and people of every race and gender that came after him, myself included. It’s important that his story continues for generations to come, and it’s an honor for SpringHill Entertainment and me to be a part of this.”

“Muhammad Ali meant many things to many people, and he is someone who had a deep impact on me from an early age,” says Antoine Fuqua. “Being given the opportunity to tell his story, both inside and outside of the ring, is a privilege, and a dream come true, and I couldn’t have found better partners than LeBron and HBO to help memorialize ‘The Greatest of All Time.’ ”

The story of Muhammad Ali is a study in greatness. A 1960 Olympic gold medalist from racially divided Louisville, Ky., and longtime heavyweight champion, he forged a long and tumultuous career inside the ring, and confronted a chaotic life outside the ring. Through it all, he continued to rise above his own imperfections, and challenge the imperfections of the world around him.

Ali never chose the easy path, and that fierce unwillingness to back down helped galvanize his greatness. It also contributed to his ultimate decline, both inside and outside the ring, as tragic and painful as it was to witness. His personality, his voice, his message and his legacy all endure.

Said Lonnie Ali: “We are at a perfect time in history, and in our lives as Americans, to welcome this special documentary on Muhammad with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment and HBO. This documentary will have national and global appeal. I’m hopeful this documentary will engage the audience in a similar way Muhammad engaged his audience and fans. Without a doubt, Muhammad’s life journey provides simple yet extraordinary lessons for all of us, with perhaps the most important one being, to see and embrace the humanity in all people.”

The production team is highlighted by one of today’s most socially responsible and community-minded athletes, NBA superstar and three-time world champion LeBron James.

The film is being produced with full participation of the Muhammad Ali family estate coordinated through Jamie Salter, chairman and CEO of the Authentic Brands Group, the majority stakeholder of the Muhammad Ali Brand.

The documentary will combine archival footage and gorgeous, cinematic recreations that will transport viewers into the ring and at home with “The Greatest of All Time.” The production will also feature never-before-seen photos and footage from private collections of the Ali family and others.

The film is an HBO Entertainment presentation in association with SpringHill Entertainment and Fuqua Films; executive producers, LeBron James, Antoine Fuqua, Maverick Carter, Paul Wachter, Bill Gerber, Jamie Salter and Glen Zipper; directed by Antoine Fuqua; producer, Sean Stuart; written by Steven Leckhart.

Bute Set to Fight Alvarez on February 24th

Group Yvon Michel (GYM) and Gestev are very happy to confirm the Clash of Titans mega-event as former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight world champion Lucian Bute (32-3-1, 25 KOs) will face World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver light heavyweight champion Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (20-0, 10 KOs), Friday, February 24, in a 12-round light heavyweight bout at Vidéotron Centre of Québec City.

This event is a presentation of Vidéotron, in association with Mise-O-Jeu.

Alvarez will put his WBC mandatory challenger position to champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs) in danger with an end of April date for this world title fight having already been reserved.
Bute has also set his goal to challenge Stevenson. The veteran southpaw plans to clearly demonstrate that he deserves another wotld title shot, taking on the No. 1 conternder in undefeated Alvarez.

Whatever the final outcome, the winner will be the most popular and legitimate challenger for Stevenson, dramatically increasing interest and notoriety of a totally Québécois world championship showdown.

All the ingredients are gathered to heighten popular interest in this fight, which will prove to be one of the most significant in the history of Quebec.

It is a local confrontation between two athletes who chose Quebec as their adopted home, fully integrating in the loal culture and learning French, as well as where they’ve fought the vast majority of their bouts. The result of this major clash will also have enormous repercussions at the international level in the light heavyweight division.

In one corner is former world champion Bute, who has delivered many inspirational performances during his 13 world championship fights (10-2-1, 8 KOs) to become a great star and admired celebrity in Quebec.
The other corner finds unbeaten Alvarez, a world-class fighter for the past three years who has delivered his most brilliant performances abroad, albeit mostly in the shadows of other great stars of Quebec. The former Colombian Olympian wants to establish his true value after having prepared for Stevenson by fighting opponents for more than the past year. He will earn his highest purse, which is similar to what he would have received to fight Stevenson first.

“The last six months have been tough for me,” Bute explained. “After the Washington situation was settled, I was happy to finally sit down and discuss my next fight. I accepted as soon as I was offered the fight. We’re talking about an undefeated guy ranked number 1 by the WBC. It’s quite a challenge. I tip my hat to Alvarez for putting his position in peril.

“I was expecting the winner of the unification title fight between James Dégale and Badou Jack, but I had no guarantees and I could not afford to wait. My goal is to fight again for a world championship, whether it’s at 168 or 175 pounds, and I did not want to just take a meaningless preparatory fight.

Strongest Overall Card for “Knockout Night at the D” Set for Saturday

The strongest overall card of the highly acclaimed “Knockout Night at the D” series is set for this
Saturday night (Dec. 17), airing live (7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET) on CBS Sports Network from inside the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center indoor facility. FloBoxing.tv will live stream the undercard worldwide, starting at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET), in addition to three main card TV bouts – excluding North America – beginning at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET).

The “Knockout Night at the D” series, presented by the D Las Vegasand Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, is promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions.

Jim “J.R.” Ross and Joey Varner will call all the action live from ringside, while Jeff Huston will be the ring announcer and fight-week master of ceremonies.

The 10-round main event is a classic match-up of contrasting styles between undefeated Oscar Cantu (14-0, 1 KO) and Aston Palcite (21-2, 18 KOs) for Cantu’s North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super flyweight belt, as well as the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Inter-Continental super flyweight championship. Cantu is rated No. 4 (as a flyweight) by the World Boxing Council (WBC), while International Boxing Federation (IBF) Pan American super flyweight champion Palicte is ranked No. 11 by the IBF and No. 15 by the WBO.

Unbeaten Chilean junior middleweight champion Angelo Baez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) will make his U.S. debut against Jamaica-native Nathaniel Gallimore (15-1-1, 12 KOs), fighting out of Evanston, Illinois, in the eight-round co-feature.

Promising Los Angeles welterweight prospect Flavio Rodriguez (5-0, 4 KOs) faces Mexican foe invader Dilan “El Terrible” Loza (5-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round bout that will open the televised segment of the evening.

Las Vegas’ new Big 3 – welterweight Jeremy “J-Flash” Nichols (7-0, 2 KOs) and RJJ-promoted junior lightweight Randy “El Matador” Moreno (7-0, 6 KOs), and bantamweight Max “The Baby-Faced Assassin” Ornelas (6-0, 3 KOs) – will all be showcased this Saturday night.

In a pair of scheduled six-round fights, flashy 26-year-old Nichols meets another undefeated opponent, San Diego’s Kevin “KO” Ottley (3-0, 2 KOs), in an interesting match of unbeaten prospects that should propel the winner to the next level of the welterweight division, and constantly improving 21-year-old Moreno takes on Milwaukee’s Mike Fowler (5-3, 2 KOs) in the former’s eighth fight since turning pro March 20th. Fan favorite Ornelas, 18, will square off in his seventh the eighth fight of his six-month pro career against California bantamweight Jorge Perez (6-4-1, 3 KOs) in a four-rounder.

Ft. Worth, Texas junior featherweight Jessie Hernandez (7-1, 6 KOs) is also fighting on the undercard against Sharone Carter (6-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round match.

Additional fights will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Abreu Upsets Peralta, Cintron Wins
Berlin Abreu won a 10-round split decision over David Peralta to capture the WBC Latino Welterweight bout this past Saturday at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center.

The bout headlined a nine-bout card, which was promoted by GH3 Promotions, King’s Promotions and Sampson Boxing.

It was a terrific back and forth battle that produced action throughout the fight. Abreu used his quickness to fire off rapid fire combinations. Every time it seemed that Abreu was seizing control of the bout, Peralta would would storm back with a hard flurry of his own.

Both guys had a lot of swelling on their faces. In the final-third of the contest, Abreu landed more, and even had Peralta backing up and holding on.

The bout could be a breakthrough performance for Abreu, who sprang the upset over Peralta. Peralta came into the bout ranked number-15 by the WBC, and was coming off a possible career making victory over former world champion Robert Guerrero.

Abreu of Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic won by scores of 97-93 and 86-94, while Peralta took a card 97-93.

Abreu is now 14-1. Peralta of Cordoba, Argentina is now 26-3-1.

In the co-feature, former two-time welterweight champion Kermit Cintron was sharp in taking out Rosemberg Gomez after the 3rd round of their scheduled 8-round welterweight bout.

Cintron was dominant throughout as he showed signs of the fighter, who won the world welterweight title on two occasions. He had Gomez hurt in round three as he divided up his attack to the head and body and finally floored the native of Managua, Nicaragua with a combination. Gomez best offense was a tackle of Cintron as he fell to the canvas on the knockdown. Cintron was alright and after the round, Gomez and his corner pulled the plug on the contest.

Cintron of Reading, PA is now 39-5-2 with 30 knockouts. Gomez is now 19-6-1.

Samuel Clarkson Finishes Year with One Round Destruction of Larry Pryor

Uprising Promotions light heavyweight Samuel “Main Event” Clarkson (19-3, 12 KOs) finished off 2016 with a bang on Friday night at the aptly titled Bomb Factory in Dallas, relentlessly pounding on veteran Larry Pryor until earning a TKO stoppage at the 2:59 mark of the opening round. The victory is the second for Clarkson over the past six weeks and extends his current winning streak to nine consecutive contests.

From the onset of this bout, Clarkson was methodically headhunting, blasting vicious hooks to the body and following them with hammering shots up top. It did not take long before Pryor got a taste of his power, and it quickly became evident that the 11-year pro was in trouble. Defensively, Clarkson looked very sharp as well, stalking Pryor with his hands high while doing a very nice job of slipping punches as he worked his way inside.

Midway through the first frame, Clarkson bullied Pryor onto the ropes and started switching levels so he could not avoid his attack. After unloading a flurry with both hands, Clarkson then crumbled Pryor with a right hook to the body for his first knockdown of the evening.

A second knockdown appeared to come shortly after the first one when Clarkson was again hammering Pryor on the ropes. The Maryland native looked to lose his legs and go down for a second time, but the referee in charge ruled it a push. However, the writing was already on the wall.

As soon as action resumed, Clarkson led with a brutal right uppercut that snapped Pryor’s head back before following that up with a powerful overhand left that put Pryor in a world of trouble. Not letting him off the hook, Clarkson pounded out a violent flurry before finishing off Pryor with another right hook to the body. Pryor again went to the canvas, and that would be the end of the fight.

The official time of the stoppage came at 2:59 of the very first round.

Posted on 11/20/2016

The Greatest Wife: Exclusive Interview with Khalilah Ali
By: Ron Scarfone

There are only two people still alive who know Muhammad Ali best and were a significant part of his life when he was in his prime. One of the two people is Dr. Ferdie Pacheco. The other person is Khalilah Ali. Khalilah was married to Muhammad Ali for ten years from 1967-1977. Dr. Ferdie Pacheco was known as “The Fight Doctor” and served as Muhammad Ali’s doctor and cornerman for about 15 years. Muhammad Ali was not allowed to box professionally for more than three years after refusing to be inducted into the United States Army in 1967. Muhammad Ali objected to the Vietnam War and the killing that was done in the name of war, but he was still convicted of draft evasion. Muhammad Ali was 25 years old at the time. He would not fight again until 1970.

He did get back into shape, but he was never the same boxer in spite of the success he had after he obtained a license to box again. His prime years were taken from him. When he returned to the ring, his trainer Angelo Dundee said that Ali was more flat-footed which made him easier to hit. Prior to his forced hiatus from boxing, it was very difficult for opponents to hit him. Khalilah was married to Muhammad Ali during the time that he could not box up until the time that his skills were so diminished that people were urging him to retire.

Pacheco left Muhammad Ali’s team in 1977 because he knew that his health was at risk and he did not want to be a part of it. Khalilah and Muhammad Ali divorced in 1977. Khalilah was a fighter like her former husband, but she trained in martial arts. Khalilah trained with Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly who both starred in the famous martial arts movie Enter the Dragon. Khalilah eventually became a ninth degree black belt in a style which was a blend of different disciplines.

Prior to the art exhibition, I met Khalilah for the first time at a healing get-together organized by a friend of mine. My friend wanted me to come because I am an energy healer and also so I could meet Khalilah. A book that I have in my collection is titled Ali: The Greatest Champ which was published in 1976. The book is about Muhammad at his training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. The book has a photo of Khalilah while she was there at the camp when Ali was training there. The book states that her name is Belinda which was her name before she changed it to Khalilah. When I arrived at the get-together, I immediately recognized Khalilah who was selling a coloring book that she had written. The book has no International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and it is self-published. Khalilah has written another book that would be much more lucrative, but it has not been published yet. It is an autobiography about her life and marriage to Muhammad Ali who was formerly known as Cassius Clay, but he changed his name after his conversion to Islam in 1964.

Khalilah told me about the art exhibition that she was having of Dr. Ferdie Pacheco’s paintings, so I went on opening night. A few of Pacheco’s paintings were on display for the public to view at Atelier 3 in Hollywood, Florida. One of the paintings of Muhammad Ali shows a young Ali at the original 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida. Another painting of Ali shows his face, but it looks like a Romero Britto painting with black outlines and bright colors. At the art exhibition, Khalilah spoke on a small stage to the people who came and said that we must have “gracism” instead of racism in our society.

Khalilah agreed to let me interview her at a later time and we met at a restaurant in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The city of Deerfield Beach is also where the headquarters of Don King Productions is located which is promoter Don King’s company. I brought my book titled Ali: The Greatest Champ to the interview and showed Khalilah her photo in the book. She was happy to see this book which she never saw before or knew about, although she did recall the time when the photographer for the book was there at Muhammad Ali’s training camp in Deer Lake which is where the photo of Khalilah was taken. Before I began the interview, I gave Khalilah the book for her to keep and she said to me that it is a great gift. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Below is a transcript of our conversation.

Boxing Insider: Hi Khalilah.

Khalilah Ali: Hi Ron.

Boxing Insider: Nice to see you again.

Khalilah Ali: Good to see you again. Ron the healer.

Boxing Insider: Yes, and I work for Boxing Insider. You married Muhammad (Ali) at 17 (years of age), right?

Khalilah Ali: Mmm hmm.

Boxing Insider: How old were you when you (first) met him?

Khalilah Ali: When I first had an encounter with him, I was 10 (years of age).

Boxing Insider: At the time when he was called Cassius Clay, you didn’t like his last name (Clay). You were saying it was kind of like mud. (Writer’s Note: Muhammad gave Khalilah an autographed photo of himself when she was 10 years old.)

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I actually broke it down (for him). I said “Your name is Cassius Marcellus (Clay). Did you know that Cassius Marcellus was a Roman name?” He said “It is?” I said “Yeah, do you know what the Romans did to people?” He said “No.” I tore up the autograph (photo) and I gave it to him and I said “You need a name of culture, respect, and honor. Favorably a Muslim name. But you can take that back with you. I don’t want it.”

Boxing Insider: You were talking about his first and middle name which was a Roman name, but then you talk about the last name.

Khalilah Ali: Then, the “Clay” was dirt and mud. I said “That’s what your name is. Your name is Clay. That you’re mud. That’s what it is.” And he said “Yes.”

Boxing Insider: You were married to him in 1967, right?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, he had already won the title in 1964. He became a Muslim. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave him his Islamic name which he was looking for all the time from our first encounter. He had actually (originally) named him Cassius X after he became a Muslim. He said “No, I don’t want Cassius X. I want a name of respect. I want a name of culture. I want a Muslim name.” The Honorable Elijah Muhammad (therefore) gave him the name Muhammad Ali. He (Muhammad Ali) didn’t make up the name. He didn’t give it to himself.
Boxing Insider: You were married to him and they (the U.S. government) were attempting to draft him (into the U.S. Army because of the Vietnam War).

Khalilah Ali: No. They drafted him first, but he failed the psychological test. Then, he became a Muslim. All of a sudden, he becomes smarter. They drafted him again. They are not supposed to draft anybody twice, but America does what it wants to do. It makes the laws. It breaks the laws.

Boxing Insider: I know that. I believe you.

Khalilah Ali: That’s the whole point of being a Muslim. We know the white man’s ways.

Boxing Insider: The first time (he was drafted), you said he failed the psychological (test) and therefore he could not be in the war. They drafted him again?

Khalilah Ali: They overturned it and they drafted him again.

Boxing Insider: He did not want to fight in a war. He rejected it.

Khalilah Ali: That’s what Muslims do. We are conscientious objectors.

Boxing Insider: Then, the sanctioning body took away the title. The boxing commissions took away his license to box.

Khalilah Ali: Exactly. As a punishment.

Boxing Insider: During that three years (of inactivity), it was a very tough time. I know that you were supporting him financially during those tough times because he couldn’t box. He couldn’t make the money. How was that back then?

Khalilah Ali: There was a lot of support behind him. I was supporting him with the money that I had. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad supported him as well. The Muslim organization also supported him and then gave him a job to be a minister so he could get paid for the work he was doing by spreading Islam and going around to colleges.

Boxing Insider: And he made money from the speaking engagements?

Khalilah Ali: Exactly. It wasn’t that much, nothing he was used to. It was something (which was) better than nothing. He had to raise a family.

Boxing Insider: I also read that, during that time, he was very distraught over what happened.

Khalilah Ali: Of course. It was a big blow. You become an Olympic champion and then you become a professional boxing champion and they take everything and they strip everything that you have won and owned and earned and they are just going to take it away. Taking away your license to fight is one thing, but taking away your passport where you can’t travel to any countries to be supported by any other country.

Boxing Insider: They took his passport away too?

Khalilah Ali: Of course. It was devastating. He was devastated. He couldn’t leave the country. I don’t understand what that has anything to do with not going into the army.

Boxing Insider: So essentially, he was not under house arrest. He was under country arrest.

Khalilah Ali: Country arrest. Yeah.

Boxing Insider: He could not leave the country.

Khalilah Ali: He was imprisoned in his own country.

Boxing Insider: He did not have total confidence that he was going to get his license back to box.

Khalilah Ali: What would you think? It’s like you’re in your prime and they stripped everything that you know how to do. You don’t have a college degree. You have no education to go and have a law career or a doctor’s career or a medical career or a mechanical career. He would have to go back to school. The man is in his prime to work as a fighter.

Boxing Insider: Even if he learned a trade, the money wouldn’t be nearly as much as boxing.

Khalilah Ali: Nowhere near it. You’re talking three long struggling years. It can take a toll on a person. My objective was to keep him in a positive state of mind, his mind directed and focused on a family, focused on people, to be The People’s Champion. This was like a political campaign for me because my objective was to keep him in a positive zone. He’s always been a person that people liked. Everywhere he would go, he has recognition, but it doesn’t pay the bills. It took time. It didn’t stop him from traveling to New York or California. We would set up speaking engagements to build up his morale, to build up his People’s Champion title.

Boxing Insider: When he did these speeches, what was he mainly talking about?

Khalilah Ali: He was talking about why he didn’t go into the army, why it was necessary to stand up for your own beliefs since he was in the Muslim world and he was learning a part of the Muslim world running around with Muslim ministers, things like that, trying to learn the religion as he grew. That entitled (him to be on) a lot of TV shows, talk shows, interviews as a ploy to keep the person alive, to keep him active, to keep him marketable because the main objective is to get that title back.

Boxing Insider: And there was a lot of support for him and he finally came back.

Khalilah Ali: It was tough because a lot of people didn’t like the fact that he did not go to the armed forces. He was like a thorn in everybody’s side. Why did this guy do this? He is American. Why didn’t he go into the army? You had conversations from Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis. It was all negative toward him. Masses of black people thought it was disrespectful not to be an Uncle Tom. To us, that’s what it was. Uncle Tom. Your uncle fighting in a world and in a life where the masses of civil rights are in action. The revolution is on the forefront and there are a lot of things going on in our country (at the time). The Black Power. Black people are standing up for their struggle to be free. You had a lot of people on the scene during that period. You had Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and Sonia Sanchez. These were freedom fighters and Ali was in the middle of this swarm of freedom fighters. By being in the middle of the freedom fighters, he activated a lot of love toward the brothers. With all this going on, they gravitated toward Ali’s strength, Ali’s dedication, and Ali’s stand. This is where I met all these wonderful people. I was excited just meeting these activists, these people of truth and peace fighting for our rights. We were right in the middle of it.

Boxing Insider: And now you do speaking engagements around the country and you in a similar way are talking about things like that.

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, the journey that I’m on basically hits on our humanity. I have a coloring book called Color To Learn that teaches manners and etiquette. We have a new process right now. We’re not dealing with civil rights anymore. We’re dealing with humanity right now. We’re dealing with people having competition with the police. Black lives matter. It’s a different kind of revolution. It has to stop. The same thing that is going on now was going on then. It isn’t stopping. It’s just in a different generation. I have been working on the humanity and I mean humanity for all people. It’s all about humanity now because we are as one. We can work together. We don’t have to go into separate bathrooms or (drink from) separate fountains. That’s all over. We’re all working together, but we still have some of that embedded racism still there.

Boxing Insider: The Jim Crow laws are gone, but we still have racism in South Florida.

Khalilah Ali: Of course. There is racism everywhere. It is only visible when you look at it to visualize it. If you ignore it, it doesn’t (appear to) exist.

Boxing Insider: You had an art exhibit recently with some of Ferdie Pacheco’s work. It was titled Return to Grace and you talked about the word “gracism,” a word that you coined. Would you describe what that word means?

Khalilah Ali: I will. Returning to Grace means that people are coming to realize that there is humility and we must bring forth harmony and peace with grace. It is very hard to see on certain people. People tend to react in different ways as if they don’t care about human feeling. They’ve lost compassion. They’ve lost respect. They just roll over people. You got people on cell phones walking down the street. This is all they do 24/7. If the satellite would go out, what would these people be doing? What is so important that you walk down the street and walk into a pole if you cannot see your surroundings? They do it in the car. They cannot communicate on a one-on-one basis anymore. It’s all texting. You know what we used to do in the old days? We would write letters (and) take time to write letters. They don’t do that anymore and that takes away the compassion. It takes away the spirit of the soul. It becomes plastic. Non-loving, non-fearing, nothing. There’s nothing there. Children go to school and they don’t teach cursive anymore. They can’t even read cursive. They say, “What does that say?” That’s a sad thing to see a young child (or) an adult teenager (that) can’t read cursive. What does that tell you? They would rather type rude words on the Internet and a kid can lose his own life.

Boxing Insider: I know that the parents sometimes teach it (to their children) if the school doesn’t.

Khalilah Ali: How many parents are going to sit down and teach their kids cursive when they have a 9-5 job?

Boxing Insider: Not many, but I know with the phone, if they were conversing (and) talking to people, it’s different. They’re mostly texting it seems. They’re not really interacting that much.

Khalilah Ali: No. They’re just throwing out words and they can throw them out very cruelly too. I’ve seen teenagers kill themselves (because of) the cyberbullying (which) is the worst of all. Once you upload something on cyber, it is there forever, so it stays embedded. That’s sad with the young individual that doesn’t have a foundation and base of knowledge of the Supreme Being, so they give up. That’s a sad thing.

Boxing Insider: Also, the schools have the separation of church and state.

Khalilah Ali: That’s sad too. They have no prayer in school anymore. This is why we have so much catastrophe and famine and shooting and killing. It’s no longer safe.

Boxing Insider: Regarding the police, there are unjustified killings, (but) I think a lot of what the police does that is wrong and that doesn’t get a lot of publicity is their abuse of authority that don’t involve killings. It’s just that they are abusing their authority not only against African-Americans, but against other people as well.

Khalilah Ali: It happens to a lot of people. It depends on where you are and who you’re with and what frame of mind that the individual is in too. The police officers, they are supposed to be there to serve and protect. The majority of them, 75% of them are on their jobs doing just that, but coming out of their homes to go do their jobs is one thing. Their lives are always on the line. People don’t care about popping a cop anymore. People are killing each other, let alone the cops. They don’t care. You do have the 1% that will antagonize, bully, harass, but they’ve always done that, but it’s only 1%. You have to understand the other guy on the other side with the gun. You’ve got people who harass the cops. They call them names, profanity. That’s a living threat to a cop, period, so we have to develop discipline within ourselves and with our men and our women. We have to not be aggressive when it comes to authorities.

Boxing Insider: Are you saying that sometimes the police do make justified killings and sometimes they don’t?

Khalilah Ali: No. They don’t have to be justified to kill anyone. They’re spooked and they have to retrain the officers. There are a lot of ways of stopping, of deterring trouble without killing a person. You don’t have to kill. You can kill when you go out there hunting, but not when you are confronted with a human being. If a person has a gun and he’s out to shoot you, self-defense. That’s justification. You have to negotiate with people, talk people down. These people, they’re not out to stop you. They’re out to kill you. These people are out to kill. They don’t care.

Boxing Insider: With the young people, there are problems with the educational system. 1 in 5 kids don’t graduate high school. That’s 20%. That’s across the nation. That’s in Florida. That’s a problem.

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, that’s a problem. A lot of this, I think, is because of the mentality of the students themselves and we don’t have enough positive role models in the world to go around and help and give a good word to an individual. Sometimes, the kids are just lost around mothers and fathers arguing and fussing and cussing and using physical abuse on one another. They’re trapped and we have to train our young people before they even start having children. They’re having baby mama dramas. They have no men with their sons teaching them and the women are (also) not there teaching the children.

Boxing Insider: Father absence is a big problem.

Khalilah Ali: Father absence is a big problem. Their homes should be sound. They should get married (and) be serious in their responsibilities. You’ve got a man and a girl living in the same house (and) not married. There is no responsibility there. There’s a big gap. One does what it wants to do and once we stop doing that and taking our lives seriously, getting married and doing the right thing, there is nothing wrong with being married. There are responsibilities in marriage. If you cannot take responsibility, you are going to be a lost soul and your kid is going to end up worse. I believe in the marriage. I just believe in it. I believe that God blesses those who do the right thing. Shacking up. Living up. What kind of lifestyle are you teaching your kid right then and there? Mothers ain’t married. What do you mean you’re not married? They don’t care because it’s not a priority. If you have a home that’s unstable, the community is unstable and that community makes that state unstable and then the country becomes unstable. It’s all about family. Animals take care of their families. They do what they have to do and they don’t argue. They don’t boast. They don’t protest. They do everything that’s natural and in order in line with what God has made them and created them to be. God has aligned us and He created us in the same way, but we don’t hear it no more. We don’t listen to God’s word anymore. We don’t care. We’re individuals now. We don’t have to have God’s word anymore.

Boxing Insider: That seems to be the trend.

Khalilah Ali: But you know what? I’m going to tell you something. Out of the whole world, I say 75% is in order with God. It’s the last 25% that’s not. That’s all. We don’t want that number to keep growing. This existence right here, we would be in turmoil and chaos if it was more percentages out there than it is. We have to do that by getting that home front intact and being serious about our lives.

Boxing Insider: Getting back to the boxing. When he came back, Ali was not physically in his prime as much as before. Did the stress of waiting to get back, did that take a physical toll on him do you think or was it just age or inactivity?

Khalilah Ali: It didn’t really affect him that much. He came back just like he was in his prime because he wanted to be the best and focus on the way he focused. He’s a very tactical athlete. He has great strategies. The guy is the greatest when it comes to strategies. He kind of defeats his opponent before he even gets in the ring. Half his battle is already done because he is going to intimidate you. That’s half the battle.

Boxing Insider: I read though that before he fought George Foreman, you were not happy with his training.

Khalilah Ali: I wasn’t. He was making a big mistake because he was doing the same thing when he was getting ready for Joe Frazier the first time. He was lazy. He was focusing on a lot of garbage outside. He was getting relaxed. I just simply backed off to see what he was going to do. It was time for him to lose so he could see the value of being who he should be, training the way he should train, so I had to back off and allow him to lose.

Boxing Insider: He lost to Frazier in the first fight. With the Foreman fight…

Khalilah Ali: I wasn’t going to let him lose the Foreman fight. On my watch, I said I was going to stand there and support him and just put the clamps on him because this fight is the one we had been waiting for for a long time, going to Africa. This is a big thing. We even got a lot of the Afro-Americans here to experience going to Africa for the first time. It was an epic trip. We had singers that had never been to Africa. We had trainers that had never seen Africa. We wanted to see what our former homeland is and to show them that it’s not a jungle. Everybody thinks of Africa, you think of jungles. You think of Tarzan. It’s not real to them. This was going to be a fight that we’ve been waiting for for a very long time and it’s on my watch and I said I was going to support him and stand by him and do everything I can so he wouldn’t lose this fight and I tried every tactic that I can.

Boxing Insider: You wore a shirt that said “George Foreman.” Is that right?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I did. It said “I love him because he’s “The Greatest” (on the front). (On the back, it said) “George Foreman.” He didn’t like it at all. He took everything seriously. Boom, but we won that fight.

Boxing Insider: So you’re the reason why he won in a way, indirectly.

Khalilah Ali: I would think so because I took it very seriously. I made sure he took it seriously. He saw me being serious. He thought “I am going to get serious too.”
Boxing Insider: He won against Foreman, but he was getting older and Dr. Pacheco was concerned, particularly after the third Frazier fight. What were your feelings about whether he should continue or not after the third Joe Frazier fight.

Khalilah Ali: Ferdie Pacheco is a really nice individual. To be honest with you, I made it my business to help him with this (Foreman) fight and I felt that this was going to be my last fight with him.

Boxing Insider: You mean as a wife?

Khalilah Ali: Uh huh. After the Foreman fight was over, I was happy about that. I just didn’t see a future for me (with Ali). It’s almost like giving your boss a two weeks notice.

Boxing Insider: So you were planning on divorcing?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah.

Boxing Insider: Was it related to what was happening outside the ring?

Khalilah Ali: Outside the ring basically.

Boxing Insider: But you stayed with him a little longer until 1977.

Khalilah Ali: Sometimes, it is good to give a person a test to see if it would be good to keep working in this arena with him. I had to give him a few tests and he failed all three tests. It took a little time. I didn’t want to just jump up and run. I had to think things out real clearly about what I wanted to do. That took a little time. I didn’t want to rush into something. I wanted to make sure if I came back on this platform that things were going to be different, but they weren’t.

Boxing Insider: So he was fighting and he was winning, but he was winning 15 round decisions and taking a lot of punishment. Pacheco was concerned. He was saying you’ve got to stop or else there are going to be
consequences. People (on his team) didn’t want to stop because of the money.

Khalilah Ali: Yeah. I told him to stop fighting after George Foreman. I think it was time to hang up the gloves. I thought that would be the best time for him to come out a winner. I flash back to the time I talked to Rocky Marciano (who said) he’s not going to stop. If he won it (the title) in the ring, he’s going to lose it in the ring. He’s not going to ever stop. I believed him. I said (to him) you’re probably right. (Writer’s
Note: Marciano probably talked to Khalilah in the late 1960s while Ali was on a forced hiatus from boxing. Marciano died in a plane crash in 1969.) I didn’t want to force the issue. If you can’t get your life straightened out bad enough, I can’t do it for him. He has to do that for himself.

Boxing Insider: Well actually, he didn’t really lose it (the title) in the ring. (Writer’s Note: After winning the heavyweight title for a third time in 1978 against Leon Spinks, Ali announced his retirement. Ali returned to the ring against Larry Holmes in 1980, but Holmes was the world champion.)

Khalilah Ali: It was on the outside of the ring that we had the problems.

Boxing Insider: He lost to Leon Spinks. He lost his titles and then he won the rematch against Spinks. That was in 1978.

Khalilah Ali: That was luck.

Boxing Insider: Then he retired and he didn’t have the title.

Khalilah Ali: I wasn’t in his life.

Boxing Insider: You weren’t in his life and then he fought Larry Holmes.

Khalilah Ali: I would have never told him to fight Larry Holmes. I would have told him to never fight your sparring partners ever, but he didn’t listen.

Boxing Insider: Because they know your weaknesses, right?

Khalilah Ali: It’s not only that. It’s that they want it badder than he does. When you get to a certain point, somebody is going to want it badder than you. Whoever wants it bad enough, that’s who is going to win.

Boxing Insider: He (Holmes) was also in his prime. He was a future Hall of Famer. That was a difficult fight.

Khalilah Ali: (When Ali fought) George Foreman, 1974, that was his best prime. That was it because most of his prime was sitting out.
Boxing Insider: Some people think that his prime was lost when he was out for three years. When he looked his best was in his fight just prior to him being suspended for three years. In a way, we lost his prime like we lost Mike Tyson’s prime for about three years.

Khalilah Ali: He did his best when he beat Foreman. That was like his ultimate best because he had support. I was supporting him. He had somebody in his corner that is going to motivate him to win. When that is taken away, he’s going to lose it.

Boxing Insider: Everyone (athletes) needs a good coach and a companion to help them.

Khalilah Ali: Spiritual support is more powerful than anything in the world.

Boxing Insider: Do you think he lost some of that?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, when I left. He lost it because I was the key person that kept him on top of things. That’s just my opinion. People might say “No. He’s the champ. He can do what he wants.”

Boxing Insider: You left him in 1977. Was that after the Earnie Shavers fight or before? Do you recall that?

Khalilah Ali: I didn’t go to any Earnie Shavers fight.

Boxing Insider: That was where he took a lot of hits. (Writer’s Note: Shavers is considered to be one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. Ali won a unanimous decision after 15 rounds. In his next fight, Ali lost his heavyweight titles to Leon Spinks.)

Khalilah Ali: I wasn’t with him (at the time). He’s not going to get hurt on my watch. I allowed the (first) Joe Frazier (fight) because I knew he wasn’t going to win that one because he did not train (well). You have to understand one thing. When Muhammad Ali trains his best, he cannot be stopped.

Boxing Insider: So why was his motivation fluctuating sometimes? Was it distractions?

Khalilah Ali: A lot of distractions. When the person that you know should be there for you is not there for you, that’s the biggest distraction of them all. You have to realize one thing. He is good at what he does. Nobody can tell him anything about that ring. I would never get in the ring with this guy. I’m just saying he’s one of the best and if he’s in rare form running backwards, this guy runs ten miles backwards. I mean, who does that?

Boxing Insider: You were a high degree black belt.

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I was. I didn’t really want him to know I was doing karate, but he found out anyway. I don’t compare anything to him. I’m just saying that he was as good at what he does. Like I said, Muhammad Ali distracted his opponent and he beat him psychologically first and foremost. If I come in to you and I tell you “Let me tell you something. You look like a rabbit” and I dangle carrots in front of you, you’re going to go “Is this guy nuts?” Half the fight is over because you know this guy is nuts. He says “I can’t beat this nut.” Your whole inner self-confidence is gone out the window. You’re intimidated.
Boxing Insider: So it wasn’t just his physical (abilities), it was his psychological (abilities).

Khalilah Ali: That was 90% of the fight. The other 10% is hitting and not get hit. Ali was fast. He was known not to get hit. When you thought he was getting hit, he wasn’t getting hit. When you thought he was getting hit, he was weaving. He bobs and weaves. He’s fast and then when he gets real mad at you, he starts running backwards in the ring on you and then you’ve got to come toward him, so he’s got you. He’s got control of the whole fight.

Boxing Insider: But towards the end though, he wasn’t as fast. His ability to evade shots (was in decline). Pacheco was very adamant that he should quit. Were you as adamant to Muhammad that he should quit?

Khalilah Ali: I told him to quit after the Foreman fight, way before Pacheco (told him).

Boxing Insider: Were you constantly on him that he had to quit?

Khalilah Ali: No, because you can’t make nobody do anything. When I said you should quit, this would be the best time for you to quit. When he said no, I let him go. You can’t make anybody do anything. That’s not me in the ring. That’s him in the ring.

Boxing Insider: Up until the time that you got the divorce, did you notice signs of any…
Khalilah Ali: No, he didn’t have all that. He didn’t get that until afterward. He was a little crazy. Maybe he had brain damage then. I can see him going a little crazy or nuts. He wasn’t thinking rationally anymore like he used to. I can see that.

Boxing Insider: His abilities were declining, but he wasn’t recognizing that or he wasn’t admitting to it?

Khalilah Ali: No, the only time that I saw anything different was his hands. He used to soak his hands in ice water and solution. He used to have pains in his hands. I saw that during the Foreman fight.

Boxing Insider: They said that he had injections to numb (the pain).

Khalilah Ali: Yeah. He had injections in his hands. Something was messing with his hands. He wasn’t shaking at the time, but there was something definitely wrong with that. He had to soak his hands.
Boxing Insider: Did he have fractures in his hands?

Khalilah Ali: I don’t know what was wrong with them. It was just his hands. It was nothing else.

Boxing Insider: He never had X-rays on his hands?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, he had X-rays and everything. That’s when he started putting injections, but then they would heal after a while. Then, he would have no problem. He would hit you in the right spots where he didn’t have to use too much force, but it was only his hands. I didn’t see any sickness or anything other than him not thinking rationally.

Boxing Insider: Your book is coming out next year, right?

Khalilah Ali: God willing.

Boxing Insider: Do you have any title for it or can you say the title?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah. I don’t want to say the title right now, but I do have a working title.

Boxing Insider: I read that you were maybe going to call it I Molded The Clay.

Khalilah Ali: No, that’s not it.

Boxing Insider: So you changed your mind on that one.

Khalilah Ali: No. Somebody else thought that up because when I write the book, it’s my life story. It’s not a (Muhammad) Ali life story. It’s my life story. He’s just a part of my life, so I’m not really telling a Muhammad Ali story like everybody else. I’m speaking to him as my husband as a man and I just had these moments with this particular person. It’s my personal perspective, my personal moments that I want to share. There are certain moments that I’m sharing. It’s about Ali the man, the father, the husband. I had my moments about him, how great he is and stuff like that, but it is not a Muhammad Ali story. It’s my story.
Boxing Insider: And we have plenty of those anyway. We need one about you.

Khalilah Ali: I’m telling about my experiences and what I saw that no one else saw.

Boxing Insider: Do you feel that, of the people that are still alive today, that probably you and Ferdie Pacheco are the ones that know Ali best? Would that be correct?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah. I talked with Ferdie Pacheco last month and they were saying that he wasn’t doing well. But when I talked to him, it seems I brought his energy back and the feeling of being with Ali and the things that we talked about that we can relate to. It brought his life back. (Writer’s Note: Before this interview, I was told by Khalilah Ali’s manager that Pacheco was very ill in the hospital, so I did a distance energy healing on him. Apparently, he recovered from his illness enough to leave the hospital, but I do not know how much or how little that I contributed to his recovery.)
Boxing Insider: We’re in Deerfield Beach right now. I know Don King’s headquarters is in this city. I would imagine that you talked to him back in the 1970s when Ali was fighting.

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, it wasn’t any long conversation.

Boxing Insider: So you don’t talk to him today?

Khalilah Ali: Oh, I talk to him. I have no problem with Don King. Don King didn’t manage me. He managed Ali. I only saw him at certain points when we went to the Africa fight. He wasn’t always in our life all the time 24/7. I don’t have any problem with talking to anybody back in those days. He never did anything bad to me. He’s doing different things for the community in Deerfield (such as) giving out turkeys (for Thanksgiving) and I support him. He does a lot of community things. He will not do anything on your agenda, but if you’re with him doing it on his agenda, he’s open arms to everybody. I don’t have anything against Don King. I admire him in one aspect that he changed his life around. He had a real rugged, wild life.

Boxing Insider: Was Muhammad Ali okay with Don King?

Khalilah Ali: No. They had issues. I’ve never got into their issues.

Boxing Insider: With regarding money mostly?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, but I never got into it.

Boxing Insider: Did Ali feel that he was not compensated fairly?

Khalilah Ali: As I said, I didn’t get into it. Whatever they had against him, they were talking to the lawyers and stuff like that. I wasn’t a part of that.

Boxing Insider: I see. Do you know how many pages your book is going to be approximately?

Khalilah Ali: 200, 300 maybe.

Boxing Insider: And you wrote it with another writer or did you write it yourself?

Khalilah Ali: I wrote it myself and notes that I have been writing all along when I was living with Ali.

Boxing Insider: You had a diary in a way?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I had a diary. Yes, I did. It has been over 30 years of writing things that come to you here and there.

Boxing Insider: I know you’re probably going to have everything in your book, but is there one thing that you could reveal about Muhammad Ali right now that you never told anyone before publicly?

Khalilah Ali: There are a lot of things I haven’t told publicly. That’s the whole point of writing a book, right?

Boxing Insider: Yeah. Just one thing if you can reveal something.

Khalilah Ali: He can’t cook.

Boxing Insider: Did you cook for him?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I cooked for him. I’m a good cook. He can’t cook. He can eat. I made a chocolate cake one time, 8 or 9 inch cake. I put the icing on it and set it in front of him and I went away to get a saucer to sit next to him and the cake was gone. It was gone that quick.

Boxing Insider: He ate the whole cake.

Khalilah Ali: I said “What happened to the cake?” He said “I was hungry. It was good.” That was amazing to me. I’ve never seen anyone devour a chocolate cake like that in my life. If they had one of those fast eating cake contests, Ali would have won. He’s the champ. I just turned my back to get the saucer and I turned around and I go “Whoa!” It was literally an empty plate. Now, that’s something I never told anybody.

Boxing Insider: Okay. Well, you heard it here first.

Khalilah Ali: (laughs)

Boxing Insider: An exclusive. (laughs)

Khalilah Ali: He was a jolly fellow. (laughs) Hilarious.

Boxing Insider: After you divorced him and after the (Larry) Holmes fight and the (Trevor) Berbick fight, he retired in 1981. When you were seeing him, how did you feel about his physical condition?

Khalilah Ali: Scary. I went to my daughter’s wedding and he was shaking. I was like what’s going on? And it looked really weird to me because I never kept up with what was going on and everything. I saw him shaking. He was mumbling. I said “You can’t talk? Can’t you talk? Come on, open your mouth.” Ali is full of tricks a lot of the times. I said “Oh man, you better open your mouth and talk. I’m not going to talk to you acting like that.”

Boxing Insider: You thought he was joking?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I did. Then all of a sudden he said “I’m okay.” I said “So why are you doing that?” He said “I’m just trying to get the sympathy of the people.” I said “Man, you don’t have to go through all that. That’s not good.” That’s when I first started seeing the signs. That was pretty scary, but in the latter part, I couldn’t even look at him for five seconds. It was just too heartbreaking to see him (as) a person who I don’t even know. He was a different person altogether. It was just sad to see that. It was very sad. I mean, you’re talking (about) a person who was vibrant and energetic and funny.

Boxing Insider: It was a big change.

Khalilah Ali: It was a change. It was like a metamorphosis. It was like he was Frankenstein. He was like a whole different person. That was scary. I didn’t like seeing that.

Boxing Insider: He couldn’t talk well. Were you talking to him at all in the 1990s or in recent years?

Khalilah Ali: Yeah, I would whisper jokes and he would laugh and I would bring him back up to speed and he would kind of get out of it for a minute, but it was still sad to see. I would only whisper things and we would laugh and I would make him laugh, but it was still sad to see.

Boxing Insider: I read that you attended his funeral.

Khalilah Ali: Of course. He’s the man of my life, my first love, the father of my children. Of course, I am going to be with him until the end. Thank you so much Ron. Where is this going to be at?

Boxing Insider: Edited, but on Boxing Insider.com. There are a lot of good articles on there, not just mine. A lot of good writers.

Khalilah Ali: Do you know we have a South Beach Boxing gym?

Boxing Insider: Yes.

Khalilah Ali: South Beach Boxing is run by Jolie Glassman.

Boxing Insider: It used to be South Florida Boxing. (Writer’s Note: South Florida Boxing used to have a few locations in South Florida. One was in the city of Pembroke Pines. Another was in Miami Beach which is the location where South Beach Boxing is.)

Khalilah Ali: It has a fantastic array of trainers. They train you like a boxer, not (necessarily) to be a boxer, but like a boxer. I want everybody to come down to South Beach Boxing gym.
Boxing Insider: And you train there.

Khalilah Ali: I train there as much as I can.

Boxing Insider: Thanks Khalilah. Great interview.

Posted on 11/02/2016

“FACING ALI” DVD A SMASHING SUCCESS!
By: Ken Hissner

George Chuvalo could have won an Emmy for his performance in FACING ALI. He fought them all and was never an easy opponent. Others that fought Ali were “Smoking” Joe Frazier, Big George Foreman, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, Ernie Terrell, Sir Henry Cooper, Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle and Leon Spinks. This writer met five of them. This was a masterpiece. The following are some comments from the movie by the 10 who faced Ali:

Ali was shot when he fought Holmes. We all know that. This writer was up at Ali’s Deer Lake camp and I never saw him so fat prior for the Holmes fight. I told him “you and Max Baer had two of the best physics among the champions but look at you now.” I knew he was going to get beat by the arrogant Holmes for the whipping’s he put on him in the gym. He patted his belly and said “I like my ice cream.”

SIR HENRY COOPER: His nose was bleeding in the first round. In the 4th round he was showboating with his hands down and I dropped him with a left hook. He was supposed to have fast hands and feet and I found out he did. We fought in Wembly Stadium before forty-thousand people. Ali had a big heart, good chin and fast hands. What more could you ask for?

GEORGE CHUVALO: In the second Ali-Liston fight if Ali won he was fighting Floyd Patterson and I would fight Liston. Liston takes a dive! Every fighter that came to this country shed their blood in the ring. Ali was revered more than any boxer in history. When I first saw him he was dressed like a preppy white guy. He called me a washer woman, a wild man. So I dressed up like a washer woman for the press conference. After he changed his name he was like a pariah hated by everybody. Liston was scared to death of the Muslims. I was vocal and voiced my opinion. Ali was to fight Terrell in Rutherford Stadium in New Jersey but the boxing commission would not allow him to fight. So he chose me and to fight in Canada. He was the fastest fighter I ever fought. The plan was to go to the body and tire him out but I couldn’t get close enough to the body after the first round. Ali was shot when he fought Holmes. Ali challenged me to hit him in the body but after the first round he was moving away. After the fight he went to the hospital and I went dancing with my wife (dancing for the camera).

“BIG” GEORGE FOREMAN: Was I jealous of Ali? Sure I was for he’s tall and good looking. Everybody was jealous of him. When he met Malcolm X he was fed a bunch of un-trues! Boxing had some effect on him but this Parkinson’s disease is something (shaking his head). I look at him today and he’s a hero. He was the greatest fighter I ever fought! The best punch Ali threw never hit me for on the way down he could have hit me again but didn’t. In the first 3 rounds I felt comfortable. After the fourth round it was a different fight. He would say “is that all you got George?”

“SMOKING” JOE FRAZIER: Ali’s a great guy (Joe was wiping tears away). He said he was the greatest. I wanted to shut him down. His mom and dad didn’t want any part of Islam and mom and dad always know best. He kept saying “Frazier got my title, Frazier got my title and I want it back”. I just wanted to bury him. He thought with all that talk he would scare me. I (laughing) could go into a jungle and fight a lion with a toothpick.

LARRY HOLMES: I applaud Ali’s situation not entering the Army. My trainer (Ernie Butler) knew Angelo Dundee so he got me to go to Deer Lake. My plan was to back him to the ropes. He gave me a black eye and I was proud to show everyone. At the camp all the boxers were jealous of each other. Ali gave us a bonus and they started asking how much did I get? He didn’t have to give me anything for I was on a weekly salary. In our fight after the referee’s instructions he called me everything in the book. I never heard Ali curse before. I loved him like a brother.

RON LYLE: The game hasn’t changed. It’s just different people playing a part. When Ali came into the game he took it to another level. He meant a lot to the black community and he still does today. I had a brother killed in Viet-Nam so I could understand Ali’s stand. I was in prison when this all happened. When he came back he was still ahead of the pack but they were starting to reach him. Every fighter in the top ten knew Mr. Frazier could fight. I tip my hat off to him. After eleven rounds I was ahead. (Getting stopped in the 13th round Lyle took 25 straight punches without any in return trying to do the rope-a-dope.) He was all about love.

KEN NORTON: Ali had to know what it felt like to be on the end of his comments. After the second fight I told him “let’s do it again!” When he was sick with Parkinson’s I saw him sitting there and I said “Ali” and he slowly turned around and in a whisper said “Norton”. In our first fight he gave my son more food, better clothes and a better life by fighting him.

EARNIE SHAVERS: You can lose your life in the ring giving people what they want to see. Ali was a very unique guy. When he fought Chuvalo no one took shots like Chuvalo. He’s the only fighter I know who wasn’t affected by boxing afterwards. He was a tough, tough durable guy. Ali was a smart fighter. I couldn’t have fought a better champion than Ali. He changed my whole life. I thought I beat him until I saw the replay.

LEON SPINKS: Ali was my idol! He was a big thing for all of us guys. Then Ali changed his name when he turned to Islam with names like Hooey Hooey and Wali Wali (Spinks laughs). My name is Leon and there’s nothing white about that. Any man’s old when he’s 36 when I fought Ali. There was no one like Ali. No one could be like him! Holmes said he beat the heavyweight champ (Ali). No, he beat the former champ. Bullshit.

ERNIE TERRELL: I have a belt and want another (Ali’s). I didn’t know who gangsters were (he was managed by them). Two days before the Ali fight I was on the Jack Benny show singing “won’t you come home Cassius….” I knew he was fast but not that fast! In the second round he grabbed me grabbed me by the neck against the ropes and thumbed me and rubbed my eye (left) along the ropes. I had to fight peek-a-boo the rest of the way. He kept saying “what’s my name?” I wouldn’t call him Muhammad Ali. I asked for a rematch but never got one.

MUHAMMAD ALI: I am the King of the world. I am a bad man (prior to meeting Liston the first time). Only Frazier hit me harder than Shavers. Frazier couldn’t talk and he couldn’t sing. He hit me harder than Shavers. I told you all I was the greatest of all time and that I would be champ by 1963 (3 years after turning pro). I thought Cooper would only be a warm-up until I got that big ugly bear Liston until he hit me with that left hook putting me into the ropes. I don’t believe in forced integration. Turning my back on Malcolm X was the biggest mistake of my life. In 1966 I told them “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet-Cong and I was banned from boxing in 1967. Germans are from Germany, Italians are from Italy, Jap’s are from Japan. Where are the Negro’s from?

Ali is usually rated No. 1 to No. 4 in most people’s estimation. Whether he was better than Joe “The Brown Bomber” Louis or Jack “The Galveston Giant” is debatable. One thing for sure there was never anyone like Ali in or let alone out of the ring. I first met him in center city Philly on a corner surrounded by people after losing the first Norton fight. Two weeks later thanks to the Philly Daily News I saw his old house at 70th and Overbrook in West Philly and his new house in Cherry Hill near the Arena. Knocked on the door and his wife (second of four) Belinda let me in to “talk to the champ”. Up at his training site in Deer Lake I was able to sit across from him after a workout and that’s a story in its own what that conversation sounded like. I was there when the late great trainer Cus D’Amato was there. Word is John Madden’s son bought the property which is now a bed and breakfast the “Butterfly and the Bee”. Hopefully Madden will turn it into a museum for Ali. No matter what you thought of him before meeting him but he was one of the funniest people you could ever meet. Imagine him doing a “one man show!”

Posted on 10/30/2016

When Ali Fought Foreman
By: Jordan Seward

42 years ago to the day Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in the rumble in the jungle in what turned out to be one of the most significant boxing events in history, arguably, turned out to be the most significant victory of Muhammad ‘The Greatest’ Ali’s glittering career.

On October 30 1974, Muhammad Ali produced an 8th round knockout of the favoured George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in what is now regarded as one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century.

With the odds stacked against him, with a fearsome opponent in front of him, and, with plenty of miles on the clock – Ali didn’t just win the WBC and WBA world heavyweight titles that night, he cemented his place among the greats. And it easily could have been oh so different.

Born as Cassisus Marcellus Clay, Jr, in Louisville, Kentucky on January 14, 1942, he went on to achieve gold at the Olympic games in Rome 1960. At the age of 22 after beating Sonny Liston and claiming the WBC and WBA world heavyweight titles for the first time he converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay, which he regarded as his ‘slave name’ to Muhammad Ali.

With the United States at war with Vietnam, Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army on April 28, 1967, famously saying “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong”. He was convicted of draft evasion, fined $10,000 as well as being stripped of his belts and received a three-and-a-half-year suspension from boxing and a five-year prison sentence, though the latter was appealed and overturned.

He regained his boxing licence in 1970 and began his reinvention and climb back to the top with comeback fights against Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena. But while Ali was out of contention Joe ‘Smokin’ Frazier, an emerging talent took full advantage and claimed the world titles against Jimmy Ellis in February 1970. Ali didn’t have to wait long for his shot to claim those prized belts back though, but it was Frazier, who came out on top, dishing out Ali’s first defeat with a unanimous decision victory in 1971 to retain the belts.

Frazier would have a taste of his own medicine two years later when gold medallist from the 1968 Olympics George Foreman, knocked him down six times on route to a second round TKO. When Foreman took on Ken Norton on 26 March 1974, Norton and Frazier, bearing in mind the latter who had just been demolished by Foreman, were the only men to have defeated Ali. Norton received the same treatment as Frazier and was stopped inside two rounds.

At the age of just 25 the freakish power and sheer size of Foreman was why he was deemed as an overwhelming favourite when he and the then 32-year-old Muhammad Ali shared a ring. He was 40-0 with 37 KO’s and Ali had just avenged his two defeats by beating Norton and then Frazier in Madison Square Garden. It was all set for the rumble in the jungle.

Funny enough it was one of Don King’s first ventures as a boxing promoter and he was joined by music businessman Jerry Masucci to arrange the fight. A three-night-long music festival dedicated to the fight took place as scheduled on September 22–24 1974. It included performances from James Brown, Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, The Spinners, Bill Withers, The Crusaders, and Manu Dibango.

With 60,000 fans packed inside of the 20th May Stadium, surprisingly, Ali started the fight in aggressive fashion – something that seemed to favour Foreman’s style. In the build up to the fight Ali wasn’t shy of admitting he had a secret plan for Foreman and in the second round he administered it. He began to frequently lean on the ropes and cover up as his opponent began to unload, the majority of the punches landing on the arms and body. Foreman was throwing regularly but his punches were not scoring and all the while he was exerting valuable energy.

Ali later dubbed this tactic as the ‘rope-a-dope’. Ali ensured he wasn’t wasteful and every opportunity he got he landed shots to the head as ‘Big George’ Foreman’s face visibly began to puff. He began to taunt his opponent as he out-wrestled and maneuvered him in clinches. Foreman’s frustration was an agent of his own demise as he began to throw more
powerful punches but to little effect.

Fast hard jabs and crosses from Ali began to pay dividends as he wobbled his opponent in the fourth. Foreman remained on the front foot and kept coming forward but started to look weary after the end of the fifth round. As the fight progressed it was the former world champion and underdog who was in control and in the eight he landed a solid 5-punch combination sent Foreman crashing to the canvas. He got up at the nine count but referee Zach Clayton waved it off and at 32-years-old Muhammad Ali had regained the world heavyweight titles.

The fight was awarded the 1974 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. The against all the odds story of Ali conquering a young and stronger champion, the diverse cultural influence and the major hype of this fight are some of the reasons why this fight will always be remembered. Both Foreman and Ali achieved so much in their careers but this victory in this fight meant ‘The Greatest’ could shout out to the world with full conviction he is the greatest and that’s what he’s remembered as.

Posted on 08/10/2016

2016 Olympics Underway As Americans Look to Seek Gold!
By: Ken Hissner

The Olympic Games are in Rio, Brazil, with boxing opening up on Saturday but no Americans have fought yet through first 3 rounds.

There are 3 CA boxers and 2 from KS on the 10 man team of the USA. At Super heavyweight is Marlo Moore, of Hayward, CA, light heavyweight is Jonathan Esquivel, of Anaheim, CA, and at lightweight is Carlos Balderas, of Santa Maria, CA. At heavyweight is Cam Awesome, of Lenexa, KS, and at light flyweight Nico Hernandez, of Wichita, KS. At middleweight is Charles Conwell, of Cleveland Heights, OH. At welterweight is Philadelphia’s Paul Kroll. He is the lone Philadelphia boxer.

There were 3 others Philadelphia boxers who have turned professional after not winning a spot. The most talented is now welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis who has won by knockout in all 5 of his fights in 5 months. Moving up a weight class is Christian Carto who has won both of his bouts by stoppage. He will be making his Philadelphia debut August 26th at the Sugar House Casino. At super heavyweight Darmani Rock has won all of his 4 bouts, 3 by knockout in 4 months. 11-0 for the Philadelphia threesome who were Olympic Alternates in 2016.

At light welterweight is Gary Antuanne Russell, of Capitol Heights, MD. One of the boxers favored to get the Gold is Bantamweight Shakur Stevenson, of Newark, NJ. Rounding out the 10 team member is Antonio Vargas of Kissimmee, FL.
In some of the past history of the Olympics there have been 3 boxers who have won 3 Gold Medals. First was Hungary’s Laszlo Papp winning in 1948 in London, 1952 in Helsinki and 1956 in Melbourne. Promoter Lou Lucchese once told me he tried contacting Papp’s people hoping he would come to the US to fight then middleweight champion Joey Giardello out of Philadelphia. Next thing he knew the FBI was at his door. Seems Papp was not allowed to leave Europe per the Communist country of Hungary. After a bout in October of 1964 he was told he wasn’t allowed to fight again by the government and that he could not fight for a world title in 1965. He was 27-0-2 and European champion.

Then came the well-known Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson winning Gold in 1972 in Munich, 1976 in Montreal and 1980 in Moscow. Most recently Cuba’s heavyweight Felix Savon won Gold in 1992 in Barcelona, 1996 in Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney. Many rumors had Stevenson coming to the US to fight World Champion Muhammad Ali but they were only rumors. There was no way the Castro brothers were allowing Stevenson to come to the US and be exploited by Ali.

In 1904 in St. Louis American Oliver Kirk won Gold medals at 125 and dropped 10 pounds in a week to win at 115. Eddie Eagan (1920) won a pair of Gold Medals in boxing and part of the 4-man Bobsleigh. Cincinnati’s Rau’shee Warren competed in 3 Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012 without medaling. The USA team hasn’t won a Gold Medal since 2004 when Andre Ward took Gold at 178. 2000 was Gold empty. 1992 and 1996 brought in a Gold Medal apiece. The 1996 Gold medal went to Philadelphia’s David Reid. Oscar “Golden Boy” De la Hoya of East L.A. won Gold in 1992.

In 1988 there were 3 Gold medal winners. At Heavyweight Ray “Mercilless” Mercer. Kennedy McKinney took the Bantamweight Gold medal. Andrew Maynard won the Gold medal in the Light Heavyweight Division.
In 1984 without Russian, East Germany and Cuba competing the USA team took 9 Gold Medals. They were won by Paul Gonzales, Steve McCrory, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, Jerry Page, Mark Breland, Frank Tate, Henry Tillman and Tyrell Biggs.
The USA 1976 team in this writer’s opinion was the greatest Olympic team ever. They won 4 Gold Medals and all winners went onto win world titles in the professional ranks. They were John Tate, Michael and Leon Spinks along with “Sugar” Ray Leonard. This writer did a story about 1976 vs 1984 with Manny Steward of the Kronk Gym and Joe Clough of the Tacoma Boy’s Club who trained 5 Gold medalists along with this writer as judges. The 1976 team won 8-3.
1956 Heavyweight Gold Medalist Pete Rademacher made his professional debut losing to 1952 Gold Medal Olympian and then World Heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. Current WBO Super featherweight champion Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko was a two-time Gold Medalist in 2008 and in 2012. He challenged for a world title in his second pro fight losing. Then winning the WBO featherweight title in his third fight. He took his current title in his seventh fight.

There have been numerous Gold Medal winners who would go onto becoming world champions in the professional ranks. Starting with Ray Leonard (1976), and his teammates were Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks and Leo Randolph. Leon would win the world heavyweight title in his 8th fight defeating Muhammad Ali. From the 1984 team were Mark Breland, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, Evander Holyfield, Virgil Hill and Frank Tate.
Others were Italy’s Maurizio Stecca (1984), Cuba’s Joel Casamayor (1992), Ray Mercer (1988), Jackie Fields (1924), David Reid (1996), Hungary’s Istvan Kovacs (1996), Andre Ward (2004), Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux (2000 and 2004) won the interim WBA World Super Bantamweight title in his 7th fight and in his 9th fight the WBA World Super Bantamweight tite, George Foreman (1968), Oscar De la Hoya (1992), Fidel La Barba (1924) UK’s Anthony Joshua (2012), Cuba’s Yuriorkis Gamboa (2004), Canada’s Lennox Lewis (1992), KAZ Vassiliy Jirov (1996), Italy’s Nino Benvenuti (1960), Muhammad Ali then Cassius Clay (1960), Argentina’s Pascual Perez (1948) and Joe Frazier (1964) to name a few.

There have been anywhere from 47 to 49 Gold Medals won by USA boxers since 1904. This writer counted 47 in 22 Olympics over a 112 year period. On the women’s team there is Claressa Shields who won a Gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. The other woman is Mikaela Mayer. The 3 men are Gary Antuanne Russell, Shakur Stevenson and Antonio Vargas. All 5 may be long shots but you never know in boxing especially this Olympics there will be no headgear. Let’s root them on!

Posted on 06/10/2016

Muhammad Ali and the Courage that Defined Him
By: Kirk Jackson

The self-proclaimed “The Greatest” shocked the world many times over throughout the course of his life.

Muhammad Ali stunned us all with his passing last week and the world mourned his loss ever since.

Since his passing, there is an outpouring of sadness and tributes from various media outlets, networks, publications, celebrities, family, friends, admirers and so on.

Words cannot accurately describe Ali’s impact or the pain of losing him. Despite his ailments and continual physical deterioration, I was at a loss for words when it set in he was actually gone.

I, along with many others selfishly mourn the loss of Muhammad Ali, as he is easily recognized as one of the world’s most popular icons.

It is difficult to find the superlatives to describe his impact on the world and on me personally.

Those of us impacted by his courage, passion, brilliance, can attempt to carry on his legacy; as that may be the best way to pay tribute and honor him.

The best way I know to honor his memory is to adhere to that and do my best to carry on his legacy and to disclose his impact on me.

Ali’s professional career ended long before I was born or even thought of, but he was someone my mom fondly talked about constantly.

My mother would always speak of Ali like an older relative and we would watch his fights on ESPN’s Classic Fights; marveling at his performances against Joe Frazier and George Foreman as she would tell me he was the greatest of all time.

I would always ask why? Why is Muhammad Ali the greatest of all time?

I always wondered why he was so confident and talked so much trash. I pondered was he really that great?

As a young kid, I thought his confidence derived from his fighting skills. The way he would dance around the ring, flicker his beautiful left jab, dodge incoming attacks and sting his opponents with combinations. I thought that was pretty cool and I was a fan of the “Ali Shuffle.”

Of course I was too young to truly comprehend the wide array of skills from Ali; the intricate foot work and dexterity, his cat like reflexes and ability to predict the moves of his opponent, his head movement, his ability to execute complex moves such as a pull-counter, his ring savvy and overall intelligence, his various movements others would emulate years to come.

My mother never provided a definitive explanation as to why he was so great or simply the greatest, but she informed me he stood up for us.

As in “Us” she meant black people. As I grew up and gained more worldly experience and learned more about the Civil Rights Movement, I discovered some of things that made Ali so great.

Ali instilled a sense in pride for black people. He made me proud of what I am, without apology for it. Many instances we’re taught and told to act a certain way and with Ali, he carried himself in such a way, it was truly polarizing.

My mother made me read about The Black Panther Party and Malcolm X. She felt it was important for me to gain perspective and understanding about some of the significant people playing a huge part during the Civil Rights Movement.

There is a huge misconception about the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X, as they are inaccurately portrayed as hateful individuals, when in reality, they just wanted equality.

What is cool though is as I’m reading about Malcolm X and watching documentaries and such, I see Muhammad Ali.

Ali, the Heavyweight Champion of the world is hanging out with Malcolm X and speaking about the injustices black people are facing in America. How cool is that?

We have one of the world’s most popular athletes taking a socially conscious, political stand; firmly planting his seeds in the subconscious of American matters.

Taking a stand like Bill Russell, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jesse Owens, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Jackie Robinson and countless others.

That’s unheard of in today’s era. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, because there isn’t a need to tear down another person to prop up another, but that is the climate of our current era of social consciousness among athletes and celebrities in general.

Ali is different. Urban legend has it; this is the man who tossed his Olympic Gold Medal in the Ohio River out of frustration due to a racist encounter.

He stood up to the United States Government and resisted entering the military draft for the Vietnam War. In the midst of his physical prime, he was stripped of his World Heavyweight Title and essentially his occupation and means of earning money to provide for his family.

He was condemned by the media and his named dragged through the mud.

He faced scrutiny for being a prideful, outspoken Black American. He endured criticism for openly embracing and representing The Nation of Islam and Muslim faith.

And yet, he remained diligent and persevered.

It’s not just a black pride thing, because Ali embraced people of all color and nationalities as his impact was felt by everyone.

Ali is and was such a polarizing figure; his charm, charisma and energy transcended various platforms. It’s hard not to be drawn in and captivated by his way of words. It’s difficult not to respect and admire his convictions.

As I learned more and more about Ali, I discovered his courage did not derive from his fighting abilities.

His courage comes from his faith in God and he had self-belief:

“Allah’s the Arabic term for God. Stand up for God, fight for God, work for God and do the right thing, and go the right way, things will end up in your corner.”- Muhammad Ali.

He also was confident from within and that confidence allowed him to overcome any and every obstacle.

“I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself, and I believe in the goodness of others.” – Muhammad Ali.

Out of all of the remarkable traits about Ali, the most telling trait to me is his courage.

He is known and regarded as one of the best boxers of all time. In my opinion, his most significant fights did not take place inside the ring.

Yes Ali is celebrated for his trilogy with the legendary Joe Frazier, capped off with their epic third bout, “The Thrilla in Manila.”

There was the amazing fight where Ali showcased the “Rope-a-dope” strategy against George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle.”

And of course he had transcending fights against Sonny Liston, a grand trilogy with Ken Norton Sr., fights against Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell and others.

These were prime examples of Ali’s courageous exploits inside the ring. Battles that require physical and mental fortitude, battles that take a huge toll from a physical standpoint.

There were also intense, comical and entertaining verbal battles with the legendary Howard Cosell as well.

But one of Ali’s biggest battles was against the United States Government on behalf of his civil rights and on behalf of his religious beliefs.

Another big battle for Ali was against Parkinson’s disease. Ali battled this disease for more than 30 years.

Although we mourn the loss of Ali and his death may be related to the issues dealt from Parkinson’s disease, his life is an example of how strong the human spirit is and that we can fight this illness.

Ali was stripped of his speech but was not stripped of the ability to communicate and was not stripped of the ability to connect and touch people in a positive manner.

Carrying and lighting the torch at the Olympic Games, making appearances at different charities and fundraisers, still interacting with people despite his debilitating status; that is the epitome of courage and a prime example of fighting on despite strenuous circumstances.

The courage to continue on is what best describes Muhammad Ali and what he stood for.

Of course Ali was known for the gift of gab and referred to as one of the greatest trash talkers of all-time; as he was equipped with a razor sharp tongue. He was the “Louisville Lip” for good reason.

One of my personal favorite quotes from Ali in that regard is:

“If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.”- Muhammad Ali.

Of course we couldn’t talk about famous Ali quotes without mentioning his quintessential quote about butterflies and bees:

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.”- Muhammad Ali.

Ali truly exemplifies both the butterfly and the bee inside and outside the ring. The parallel for his inside-the-ring mastery in relation to bees and butterflies is easy to identify.

He was nimble on his feet as he floated around the ring, dancing around punches, graceful and majestic like a butterfly. He also packed a punch and had enough stings in his shots to wear opponents down and knock them out. George Foreman can attest to that.

Outside the ring, his harsh words used to insult opponents, left a stinging and agonizing imprint.

He entered the world as Cassius Clay and left as Muhammad Ali.

His transformation from brash and bold Olympic Champion, to eventual World Heavy Champion, to consensus People’s Champion, displays not only his physical growth, but also his spiritual metamorphosis.

Clearly signifying the metamorphosis, dignity and grace associated with the butterfly.

But I believe his most famous sayings and quotes are centered on the themes of courage and self-belief.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
And
“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”- Muhammad Ali.

These words of wisdom are what I carry as they aid me along my journey of life. These words guided me through awkward teenage years, turbulent times throughout high school, post high school and beyond.

There is a poster of Ali that hangs on bedroom wall, along with a series of his quotes. I wore socks of his image, as I participated in and won the Collegiate National Boxing Championship tournament earlier this year.

If you’re reading so far I’m certain you can tell, this is a man I idolized. My younger brother would even joke that I would check on Ali’s status as part of my daily routine.

So when he was admitted to the hospital as it would turn out for a final time, accepting his loss was not easy to digest.

Part of the recovery process is writing this tribute; an assortment of thoughts about Muhammad Ali. Here’s how I will remember him, granted this is how he would like the world to remember him.

In a statement released from Ali, from his 2013 autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life’s Journey:

“I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love. And if all that’s too much, then I guess I’d settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.”- Muhammad Ali.

I will abide by that going forward. I would also like to send prayers out to his family, close friends and everyone mourning his loss.

Thank you for all your contributions champ. As it turns out, you said it and it turned out to be true. My mother, among countless others echoed the same sentiments.

He was the Heavyweight Champion the World, Olympic Gold Medalist, activist, poet, humanitarian, bringer of peace, comedian, actor, self-promoter, but before that, he was a kid from the inner city of Louisville, Kentucky.

This brash young kid, developed into a magnificent man. A gentle, warm soul who touched billions of lives. His exploits inside the ring, battles and victories over racial divide, prejudice and injustice is not what makes Ali the greatest.

It’s everything that encompasses Muhammad Ali, which makes him the greatest. His triumphs, his failures, his moments of strength, his moments of vulnerability, his beauty, his uniqueness and again his courage.
You truly are the Greatest of All-time.

In the true essence of Muhammad Ali, Rumble young man rumble!!! Your spirit shall live on, God Bless.

Posted on 06/10/2016

Ali-The Story They Dare Not Tell You
By: Ben Underwood

On March 8, 1971, as 300 million people gathered to watch Ali’s first major fight since he was convicted in 1967 for bravely refusing to fight in the unjust Vietnam war, a group of heroic antiwar activists plotted their burglary of the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania.

As the mainstream media praises Muhammad Ali for his boxing career and Parkinson’s while only glossing over his antiwar bravery, there are untold stories of how this amazing man changed the world.

One of these such contributions manifested through a terrible loss during Ali’s fight against the darling of the military industrial complex — Joe Frazier. Although Ali would take a knockdown and the first loss of his career, his fight provided cover for a heist that would expose the FBI’s secret spying, murder plots, and COINTELPRO that would change the world forever.

The noise from the fight would provide cover to the burglars as they broke into the office to expose the FBI’s heinous crimes. The group of eight activists would successfully expose the illegal spying operations of J. Edgar Hoover and how citizens across America were subject to the FBI’s black ops — including Martin Luther King, Jr.The group took every file in the office, and this cache would eventually lead to major congressional investigations and reform within the United States intelligence apparatus.

According to the Intercept:

‘The distraction of the fight helped the burglars, who called themselves the Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI, walk away with more than 1,000 documents, including one that revealed the FBI’s secret COINTELPRO operations. These operations involved a panoply of dirty tricks that ranged from planting disinformation about antiwar activists, to planning the murder of a member of the Black Panthers, and sending innocent people to prison on the basis of false testimony by agents and informers.’

Also contained within those files was the entire life history of Muhammad Ali. The FBI had data on Ali dating back to elementary school.

‘There was some poetic justice in Ali providing cover for the burglary. As more and more secret FBI files became public as a result of the break-in, it was revealed that the FBI had kept tabs on Ali, beginning with its investigation of his Selective Service case. Some of his phone conversations were tapped, and FBI informers gained access to, of all things, his elementary school records in Louisville (teachers said little Cassius Clay, his original name, loved art). Informers also had diligently monitored and typed, word for word, what Ali said on his appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.’

The eight activists who carried out the burglary of the century were never caught and they never broke their silence until over 40 years later in a book written by Betty L. Medsger, titled, The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI and for a and for a documentary titled, 1971, by Johanna Hamilton.

As the world mourns the loss of this great man, it is important we don’t let the media whitewash his antiwar efforts. The fights he endured in the ring were nothing compared to the ridicule and hate he faced from the pro-war establishment class. For taking a stand against killing innocent people, Ali suffered death threats and had his business shut down by the government.

The day after the fight, Ali, being the great man that he was, made the following statement playing down the loss of fight and highlighting the importance of everything else.

“All kinds of things set us back, but life goes on. You don’t shoot yourself. Soon this will be old news. People got lives to live, bills to pay, mouths to feed. Maybe a plane will go down with ninety people on it. Or a great man will be assassinated. That will be more important than Ali losing. I never wanted to lose, never thought I would, but the thing that matters is how you lose. I’m not crying. My friends should not cry.”

Posted on 06/08/2016

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World

By: Peter A. Coclanis

Jurek Martin, who writes for the Financial Times, started off a very nice tribute to Muhammad Ali in that paper on June 6 by pointing out that Ali “was the first truly global athlete,” a man whose life and career “reached indelibly into the corners of all five continents.” Martin’s point can be demonstrated in many ways, most notably, of course, by the way in which the entire world has been galvanized by Ali’s death last week. Here, though, I’d like to make the point in another way: The global nature of his career in the ring. Simply put, Ali was truly the world champion. The fact that just under 25 percent of his professional fights took place outside of the U.S. (with another in Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated U.S. territory) testifies amply to this point. So, too, does the additional fact that the group of “international” bouts included his two most memorable fights: The “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1974 and the “Thrilla in Manila” against Joe Frazier in 1975 in the Philippines.

That said, Ali liked to fight on the international stage throughout his long professional career, which began with a unanimous decision in a six-rounder against Tunney Hunsaker in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky on October 29, 1960 and ended with a loss by unanimous decision in twelve rounds to Jamaican-Canadian boxer Trever Berbick in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981. Over the course of his twenty-one year career, Ali fought 61 bouts, winning 56 and losing 5. Of the total, 15 were fought outside of the U.S., beginning with his 1963 bout in London against Henry Cooper, and, as stated above, another was fought in Puerto Rico. The percentage of “international” fights fought by Ali was exceptionally high, particularly for a heavyweight boxer of his era. Ali’s “international” bouts are listed below.

Date Opponent Site Result
June 18, 1963 Henry Cooper London, U.K. Win, TKO/5
March 29, 1966 George Chuvalo Toronto, Canada Win, Decision
May 21, 1966 Henry Cooper London, U.K. Win, TKO/6
August 6, 1966 Brian London London, U.K. Win, TKO/3
September 10, 1966 Karl Mildenberger Frankfort, W. Germany Win, TKO/12
December 26, 1971 Jürgen Blin Zurich, Swit. Win, KO/7
April 1, 1972 Mac Foster Tokyo, Japan Win, Decision
May 1, 1972 George Chuvalo Vancouver, Canada Win, Decision
July 19, 1972 Alvin “Blue” Lewis Dublin, Ireland Win, TKO/11
October 20, 1973 Rudi Lubbers Jakarta, Indonesia Win, Decision
October 30, 1974 George Foreman Kinshasa, Zaire Win, KO/8
June 30, 1975 Joe Bugner Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Win, Decision
October 1, 1975 Joe Frazier Manila, Philippines Win, TKO/14
February 20, 1976 Jean- Pierre Coopman San Juan, Puerto Rico Win, KO/5
May 24, 1976 Richard Dunn Munich, West Germany Win, TKO/5
December 11, 1981 Trevor Berbick Nassau, Bahamas Loss, Decision

Because the U.S. is generally viewed as the center of the professional boxing world—at least the media center—many non-U.S. boxers fight a lot in the United States. But Ali, most unusually, took the opposite tack, fighting frequently outside of the U.S. And not just in Europe either, but in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean as well. In so doing, he really came to embody the title “champion of the world.”

Peter A. Coclanis is Albert R. Newsome Distinguished Professor of History and Director of the Global Research Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (U.S.A.). He writes frequently on sports.

Posted on 06/07/2016

How Parkinson’s Could Take Ali – But Never Break Him
By: Sean Crose

Muhammad Ali was a controversial figure, make no mistake about. Indeed, there is probably something he did or said over the course of his public lifetime that most people would find good reason to be offended by. In other words, he was just like the rest of us in a lot of ways. Some people end up being admired for their better natures, however, and Ali was certainly one of those individuals.

Here was a true warrior – as great a ring tactician and general as the world has seen. Yet it was the man’s battle with Parkinson’s disease which really made this author, and no doubt countless others, nod in true appreciation of his inner fight. Like many – far, far too many – I’m close to someone who suffers from the disease which plagued Ali. Indeed, I’m close to several people afflicted with Parkinson’s. It’s a bitch of an illness, one that can really break a person emotionally before it does physically.

Ali, though, was not a man to be emotionally broken. He proved it against Frazier, he proved it against Foreman, and he most certainly proved it against the illness he couldn’t defeat. Here was a man who simply would – not -quit…not even in the end, when a report emerged that, sick and frail, he was trying his hand at learning the piano.

Most victims of Parkinson’s are diagnosed after the age of 50. Ali was diagnosed at 42, after a career spent fighting a murderer’s row of legends that are still talked about on their own merits to this day. The diagnosis had to have been devastating news – or at least it would have been to most people, and understandably so. Ali was a fighter both in and out of the ring, though. His own daughter made it clear in public that he simply didn’t feel sorry for himself.

And so, even after Parkinson’s symptoms began to truly take their toll – the tremors, the loss of mobility, the loss of speech, the loss of facial expressions – Ali was still, well, Ali. He even kidded around with Bryant Gumbel during an interview back in the early 90s, when his speech had already become severely impacted.

Ali made it clear in that interview that he wasn’t crazy about appearing with Gumbel and answering his questions. Why? Because of his pride. But, as with so many other opponents, pride couldn’t stop the man, who went on to credit his faith with giving him strength. Indeed, Ali saw his disease as a trial from God – who he chose to call “Allah.” Gumbel inquired what it was Ali could do to pass the trial.

“I’m doing it right now,” Ali responded, “coming on your show, facing you.”

“It scares me,” Ali added, “to think I’m too proud to do your show because of my condition.”

The man had many great battles, but to me, Ali fought an even greater battle in retirement. Here’s to his showing people how to fight against formidable opposition outside of the ring, where there’s no referee to pull off your foe, and no bell to end the action.