Happy 83rd Birthday Muhammad Ali!

Gone but not forgotten is Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali who would have celebrated his 83rd birthday today if he were still alive.

Ali was more than the greatest heavyweight champion, winning the world title a record three times! He was a great humanitarian.

Ali did more for boxing than anyone could have imagined. From being the 1960 light heavyweight Olympic gold medalist in Rome, Italy, to winning the title on February 25, 1964, going undefeated in his 20th fight, stopping the most feared fighter in the world Sonny Liston, 35- 1 with 26 knockouts later. six rounds with Liston claiming a shoulder injury refusing to come off the stool. The fight was even at that point: 57-57, 59-56 and 56-58.

After going off the canvas in his previous fourth-round bout against British and Commonwealth champion Henry Cooper, 27-8-1, Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee was said to have cut the glove of Ali to give him time to stage another coup. Ali finished Cooper at 2:15 of the next round at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom.

Before that it was one of his closest fights to date, defeating Doug Jones, 21-3-1, 8-1, 5-4 twice in rounds at Madison Square Garden, New York. When, in 1973, I met Ali at his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, when he appeared from another room, I foolishly asked, “When are you going to give Doug Jones a rematch?” Then he invited me back to where he was.

Another four years passed when I sat next to Ali at his camp in Deer Lake, PA and I hadn’t learned my lesson, saying, “Why are you fighting all these bums?” Even as an army vet, he had all the respect in the world.

Refusing to join the military in the 1960s, he made up for it, years later bringing back 15 American hostages from Iraq.

He finished his career in December 1981 with a record of 56-5 with 37 knockouts. He was only stopped by Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes in his penultimate fight. By then, his cut man Ferdie Pacheco had come out of the corner, claiming he was medically unfit to continue. Dr. Nardiello of the New York Commission stated, “Ali’s kidneys were collapsing.” This was after his fight with the hard-hitting Earnie Shavers, 54-5-1, victory in September 1977 at Madison Square Garden.

Ali lost to 1976 Olympic gold medalist Leon Spinks, 6-0-1, by split decision. “Of all the fights I lost in boxing, losing to (Leon) Spinks hurt the most. I didn’t train well. He did it in the rematch, winning the title back in front of over 60,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA This would be his last victory.

A week ago, it was the birthday of the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, who in Las Vegas had given Ali a long white silk robe with “People’s Choice” emblazoned on the back. Ali said, “I should have said People’s Champion on the back.” Two years before Elvis’ death, she contacted Alí, wanting to visit him at the Deer Lake camp, not wanting anyone to know about her coming to spend some time together. As he left, Ali said, “Elvis Presley was the most humble person I’ve ever met. What a nice guy.”

“I beat him for six rounds; in the seventh when I hit him on the side he fell in my ear and said is that all you got George? Ali won the title for the third time, defeating champion ‘Big’ George Foreman, 40-0, in Zaire, Africa. Foreman added, “It was bigger than boxing!”

“Iron,” Mike Tyson once said, “Cus (D’Amato, his trainer) and Ali had the same birthday.” He first met Ali when he was at a reform school with Ali visiting. After Ali’s defeat by Holmes, he said, “I’m going to get him for you!”

It was January 22, 1988 at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At ringside was future President Donald J. Trump alongside Ali. Upon being brought into the ring, Ali touched Holmes’ gloves and turned to Tyson, whispering in his ear, Tyson later told him, “Kick his ass for me!” At 2:55 of the fourth round, going down for the third time, Holmes on his back was knocked out!

Ali died in June 2016 at the age of 74.