Happy 83rd birthday Muhammad Ali!

Gone but not forgotten is Muhammad ‘The Greatest’ Ali, who would have been celebrating his 83rd birthday today if he were still alive.

Ali was more than just the greatest heavyweight champion – he won the world title a record three times! He was a great humanitarian.

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

After coming off the canvas in his previous fourth-round match against British and Commonwealth champion Henry Cooper, 27-8-1, Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, was told he cut Ali’s glove to give him time. to recover. 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 and 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, as he appeared from another room, I foolishly asked him, “When are you going to give Doug Jones a rematch?” Then he invited me to come back to where I was.

It would be another four years when I sat next to Ali at his camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, and I didn’t learn my lesson, saying, “Why are you fighting all these bums?” Even as an Army veteran, I had all the respect in the world for him.

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

He finished his career in December 1981 with a record of 56-5 and 37 knockouts. He was only stopped by Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes in his penultimate fight. By then, his cut man, Ferdie Pacheco, had abandoned the corner, claiming he was medically unfit to continue. Dr. Nardiello of the New York Commission said: “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 me the most. I didn’t train properly. He did it in the rematch, regaining the title before more than 60,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. That would be his last victory.

A week ago 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 the legend “People’s Choice” on the back. Ali said: “It should have said People’s Champion on the back.” Two years before Elvis’ death, he contacted Ali, wanting to visit him at the Deer Lake camp, not wanting anyone to know of his arrival to spend time together. Upon leaving, Ali said: “Elvis Presley was the most humble person I have ever met. What a good guy.”

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

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

It was January 22, 1988, at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the front row was future president Donald J. Trump with Ali. Upon being introduced into the ring, Ali hit Holmes with his gloves and approached Tyson, whispering in his ear, to which Tyson then told him: “Kick his ass for me!” At 2:55 of the fourth round, down for the third time, Holmes was on his back and was knocked out!

Ali passed away in June 2016 at the age of 74.