Anyone here met Ali?

What a wondeful memory to cherish :smooch Sorry to hear about your Dad.

 

Thanks Stevie - yeah it's one of those days I can remember crystal clear - there were stacks of people in Nottingham - probably 7 or 8000 queuing for Dillons bookstore haha - I remember about 5 years after (by which time I had left school) I worked briefly with a local former amateur heavyweight boxer named Tony James (who was an absolutely bear!!) and he was saying to me "oh yeah I acted as an escort/minder for Ali during that tour" and I was like "yeah right sure you were!" And he said "have you got a book called 'Muhammad Ali - a 30 year journey' (a book of photos) and I said "yeah I've got that book and he said well look in that book for a photo of Ali in Birmingham on that tour wear he's flanked by two police officers and Ali's got one of their hats on his head (haha) an sure enough next two Ali was My work mate Tony!! Haha. Tony was a beast he once sparred with Frank Bruno aswell apparently - saw him not so long back playing crazy golf with his little son - it was funny the golf club looked like a matchstick compared to him haha

 

Met him and spent about 10 minutes just me, my friend and Ali. We were up at Deer Lake training camp in Pa. He was training for one of the Patterson fights and Floyd flew in with his piper cub. Floyd flew his own piper cub plane. Anyway, we got to talking to Ali about his Rolls Royce and he took us out to take a look at it. I tell you, you couldn't ask for a nicer guy. Very pleasant and strikingly humble. He seemed as interested in us and we did him. Real down to earth, comfortable to be around.

 

Worked out at Angie Dundee's 5th St. Gym with Ali when he was still just a motor mouth Cassius Clay.

 

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Did you get to talk to him much,John ?

 

I met him with my Dad in Vegas at a book-signing in a Casino. We were there for the Hagler/Hearns fight. Damn, almost fainted at seeing him. He signed a Muslim religous book. Then as my Dad took pics of me with him, the guy who was with Ali took our camera and told my Dad to get in as well. In one pic, I stood face to face with Ali,(me grinning like an idiot) he leans in close and says `don`t smile look serious` and then he starts biting his bottom lip like he used to do with his opponents. What a thrill, he was great with us. But, even back in 85, you could see the affects of Parkinsons... And his face was unmarked and still pretty !!

 

Everybody was lucky to get a word in edgewise, SG, but spoke to Cassius and his partner in crime, who drove Angie nuts, Willie Pastrano, many times.