The story goes that at 12 years old boy growing up in Louisville , Kentucky
Muhammad was born into a loving, working class family with parents that
gave him space to let his personality grow. In interviews his mother and father
talk about him and his brother Rudolph with true pride. At school
Muhammad leaned towards Art. From an academic side his teachers described him
as ‘mostly average’ – as if a child can be labelled such a thing. His father
was a sign-painter and later in life he was able to pursue art in his own
creative and unrestricted way. He enjoyed painting murals for every church in the
county. If things had been different perhaps Muhammad would have joined his
father in the family business.
As a young boxer Ali did not really stand out. He showed
great commitment and worked hard, but it was a few years before his potential
could actually be seen. At first it was simply the pursuit of athleticism and
all he really wanted was the chance to compete in local competitions and
television shows. As a young teen he was in the gym six days a week. His goal was to make a little money, enough to buy his parents a good home and for
himself – a Cool car.
The young Ali was in some ways very different to the one we
see spouting out ‘put downs’ and poems before a big fight. He was very shy
around girls and so maybe he thought the Cool car would help. By 18 years old
he had won six Kentucky Golden Glove tournaments, two National Golden Gloves
and two National AAU competitions. The local university was able to sponsor him
to compete at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome ;
however a fear of flying nearly stopped him from going. Frantically he kept
talking about going on a boat but with his brother Rudolph and coach Joe, he
braved the trip and came away with a Gold medal.
It would take money and notoriety for him to progress to the next level. I
recently read a great story about Ali’s quick thinking. He was working with Flip Schulke a photographer for Sports Illustrated at the time. Ali found out the
freelancer also did work for Life Magazine – the biggest publication in the U.S
at the time. So he asked the photographer how he could get into Life but even
with the Gold medal and a lot of great exposure Schulke did not feel the
magazine would go for it. Changing tack Muhammad asked what kind of pictures he
took for Life and was told that he speacialised in underwater photography.
Thinking on his feet, Ali said ‘did you know I am the only boxer who trains
underwater’. This was a complete lie, he never went in the pool because he could
not swim. But he spun the yarn saying where as other fighters wore weighted
shoes (or ’big old shoes’ as he put it) to increase speed and strength, he did
something different. He told the photographer every morning he got into the
pool up to his neck and threw his punches under water. The directors at Life
magazine bought into this completely made up story. He got four pages of photos
and the world read exclusively about this innovative new form of training
There was still a lot of work needed if Ali was to turn Pro
and have a shot at a title. He put his time to good use, watching
professionals, training with them and tapping them up for advice whenever or
wherever he could. Here was an enigmatic young man growing in confidence by the day. He
made time to talk to everyone he met and there was always a buzz around him.
Muhammad was deeply respectful and appreciative of anyone who believed in him.
No doubt he rubbed a lot of fans up the wrong way by mouthing off about every
fighter he came across. But I suppose he realised he could throw a few punches
before he got in the ring. Psychology was everything, he knew he would be going
toe to toe with big sluggers with years of experience. Boxers who not only believed they would knock the
petulant Muhammad Ali down, but had people on their pay role constantly telling
them it was inevitable. Ali won his first fifteen professional fights which amazingly featured a string of nine wins by knock downs. He was always moving around the ring, showing immense energy and hardly ever having
a glove laid on his face. He signed a contract worth $4k per year salary with 50% of
all purses. He even bought himself a Cadillac.
Muhammad Ali went on to be World Heavyweight Champion and described
as the most charismatic person in the world by everyone that ever met him! In
interviews we saw such self belief; an incredibly funny guy who always showed
respect to fighters who made him think and gave him a tough time in the ring.
He made it ok to be cocky and showed huge enthusiasm for the sport. Ali remains
a big influence in my life because of the simple yet powerful things he said. As
a kid I saw an interview where he said he was always going to be ‘The Greatest’
whatever profession he had found. He said if he was a Trash man he would have dunked
more trash cans in an hour then anyone else. I have always believed that whatever our function is in
society, we all have the opportunity to achieve great things with the hand we
are dealt. That everyone can lead a meaningful life,
it’s down to how we treat each other and the respect we have for ourselves.
At 16 years old I started at college and also flipping
burgers at McDonalds, a job we heard about through a friend of my Dads. I did
not want to disappoint anyone so I worked dead hard. Cooking, cleaning and
lugging round stacks of boxes far heavier then I thought I could ever lift.
Every pay check bought me a new music CD. In the kitchen we all spent busy
lunchtimes singing songs together, from Buddy Holly, to early Beatles and classic
Rock. Our manager went mad at us when we ran out of food but a ‘no singing ban’
never lasted very long! The job paid for my bus fares to college, my books and my
beer money. After that I went to work in a bank and later in large offices;
always having the chance to meet and work with some fantastic people!! The job
could be stressful, boring, infuriating… but every time I know I have tried to hit
it with all the energy and enthusiasm I can muster.
When I first went to work in a large office my team leader
Tamzin, took me to one side and said. ’You’re a great guy, but you are working
in an office with 40 people, what are you going to do to stand out?’ There was
so many characters around me…all I had was a daft sense of humour and I liked
to be helpful and ask people what they were up to. Sometimes little things can
change you in a big way and even when work gets stressful I try to enjoy the
fact I am around people I truly care about and we spend most days laughing all
we can. I think I stand out - I have a habit of saying the first and often most
stupid thing that comes into my head. Sometimes I get hacked off and erupt into
a constant flow of drivel and opinion without thinking any of it through. But
no one seems to mind and well, I never said I was ‘The Greatest’.
