Happy 83rd Birthday to Muhammad Ali!

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

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

But he did more for boxing than anyone could have imagined. From winning the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight gold medal 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 in Sonny Liston, 35-1 with 26 knockouts after six round with Liston who is claimed he hurt his shoulder and refused to get off the chair. The fight was tied then: 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 Ali’s glove to give him time to recover. Ali finished Cooper at 2:15 of the next round at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.

It was previously 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 in New York. When I met Ali at his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1973, when he appeared from the other room, I foolishly asked, “When are you giving Doug Jones his rematch?” Then he invited me back to where he was.

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

Refusing to be drafted into the military in the 1960s, he made up for it by returning 15 American hostages from Iraq years later.

He finished his career in December 1981 at 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 left the corner, claiming he was medically unfit to continue. Dr. Nardiello of the New York panel stated, “Ali’s kidneys were falling apart.” This was after his fight with the hard-hitting Ernie Shavers, 54-5-1, 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’ve lost in boxing, losing to (Leon) Spinks hurt the most. I didn’t train properly. He managed a rematch, regaining the title in front of over 60,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. It 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 presented Ali with a long silk white dress with the words “People’s Choice” written on the back. Ali said: “It should have said People’s Champ on the back.” Two years before Elvis’ death, he contacted Ali, wanting to visit him at the Deer Lake Campground, not wanting anyone to know about his arrival to spend time together. After leaving, Ali said: “Elvis Presley was the most humble person I have ever met. What a nice guy.”

“I beat him six rounds; in the seventh, when I hit him in 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 ‘The Great’ George Foreman 40-0 in Zaire, Africa. Foreman added, “He was bigger than boxing!”

“Ironically,” Mike Tyson once said, “Kuss (D’Amato, his trainer) and Ali had the same birthday. He first met Ali when he was at the reform school with Ali visiting. After Ali’s loss to Holmes, he said “I’ll get him for you!”

It was January 22, 1988 at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Future President Donald J. Trump was in the ring next to Ali. After being led into the ring, Ali tapped Holmes’ gloves and walked over to Tyson, whispering in his ear, to which Tyson later said, “Break him for me!” At 2:55 of the fourth round, falling for the third time, Holmes on he was knocked out with his back!

Ali died in June 2016 at the age of 74.