Have you ever met Muhammad Ali in person?

[montrealsuper]

I met Ali twice. Once we went to Deer Lake, my bother and father to see him train, it was in 1980 he was in camp for the Holmes fight. We were just barely teens. Ali had the stache going, he came in a suit and signed my World Boxing magazine and KO magazine, only after paging through them for about 30 seconds. Also I ran to the car and grabbed a Nike shoe box top and he signed that too. Years later I met him at a memorabilia show, this was about 14 years ago. While we were standing around and he was in between taking pictures with many people, he motioned to me to take my hat off. I didn't understand at first, then did it again, a lil gesture to tip my hat. So I did. Guess he wanted to see if I was bald or something LOL. That's the best I can do, would like to read other stories about the one and only Muhammad Ali if anyone else ever met 'The Greatest.'

...

[Crease]

I've never met him. And to be honest I would rather not meet him with the way he is now in his bad health. It would be a saddening experience.

I'd rather emember him from the videos of youtube where he was a funny guy and a great boxer.

[raylawpc]

Very briefly in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1972.

[montrealsuper]

Ray, what happened with your meeting of Ali in Oklahoma City and why, out of curiosity were you and Ali there? (Guess you live there)

[tennessee]

i met tex cobb and michael moorer, but i guess thats not the same

[Goodnight, Irene]

Biggest name I've ever met in person has to be Evander Holyfield, hands down.

Also crossed paths with Kostya Tszyu, & Anthony Mundine (ugh).

My lone question to Mundine (this was sometime in 2008) --- "You going to go after a fight with Kelly Pavlik?"

Mundine: "Hopefully."

He & I both knew what that meant

[bennie]

I met Jersey Joe Walcott in 1986 in Atlantic City.

[raylawpc]

Ray, what happened with your meeting of Ali in Oklahoma City and why, out of curiosity were you and Ali there? (Guess you live there)

Yes, I lived there at the time, and he boxed an exhibition at the Fairgrounds Arena. As he came out of his dressing room I happened to be standing there. I said, "Hi" and he said "hi."

[enrique]

About a hundred times.

[Ezzard]

About a hundred times.

Come on, Enrique, you can't say that and not share a little something with us...

[enrique]

Met him in my days as an amateur at Johnny Coulon's Gym in Chicago during his days of exile and since then I have seen him often, the last time at Angelo Dundee's birthday party a few years ago.

Most people are surprised when I tell them that Ali is not an intelligent man but his asset is that he is a reactive man with a tremendous knack for picking the right road to follow even though what he does might seem suicidal at the time.

In his talkative days before his present troubles he had great timing for jokes. He did an impersonation of a swishy queen that was really funny but I am sure he was extra careful not to be filmed, because he was always careful of his public image and had an intuitive sense of what would work for him PR wise and what would not.

When I met him in his days of exile he was not a racist. Johnny Sarduy -a very good fighter- told me that Ali discriminated him at the Fifth St. Gym in the early sixties. Others have told me the same. But when he faced jail and the Black Muslims kind of abandoned him, it was whites -Angelo and Chris, Pacheco etc- who supported him and that opened up his eyes.

[raylawpc]

Met him in my days as an amateur at Johnny Coulon's Gym in Chicago during his days of exile and since then I have seen him often, the last time at Angelo Dundee's birthday party a few years ago.

Most people are surprised when I tell them that Ali is not an intelligent man but his asset is that he is a reactive man with a tremendous knack for picking the right road to follow even though what he does might seem suicidal at the time.

In his talkative days before his present troubles he had great timing for jokes. He did an impersonation of a swishy queen that was really funny but I am sure he was extra careful not to be filmed, because he was always careful of his public image and had an intuitive sense of what would work for him PR wise and what would not.

When I met him in his days of exile he was not a racist. Johnny Sarduy -a very good fighter- told me that Ali discriminated him at the Fifth St. Gym in the early sixties. Others have told me the same. But when he faced jail and the Black Muslims kind of abandoned him, it was whites -Angelo and Chris, Pacheco etc- who supported him and that opened up his eyes.

I have heard the same things from others who knew him back in the day. People forget that Cassius Clay was originally 4F in the draft because he supposedly scored poorly on some kind of intelligence test. That said, there are different kinds of intelligence. Gerry Spence is rightfully regarded in the legal profession as one of the best trial lawyers in America. (He's the Rocky Marciano of trial lawyers - he's never lost a case that went to a jury.) Yet he was reportedly an indifferent law student and flunked the Wyoming bar the first time he took it.

[Rocky Balboa]

Never had the pleasure of meeting Ali.

However, the biggest name I have met is Mike Tyson! I met him twice, January 2000, June 2000, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane! Mike was a very softly spoken, polite man. I will never forget the vision of thousands of fans tying to get in the Hotel, just to get a glimpse of him!

I had three boxing mags signed by him. On the first occasion, he signed a picture of him (when he was 14) & Cus. Mike asked me if he could have the magazine, & maybe I should have given it to him, but I told him it was a prized possession & would be even more so now he had signed it!

I remember him deciding to walk down Park Lane to the McLaren showroom to look over the F1, 7 the whole of Park Lane, people, traffic, etc, came to a halt because Mike Tyson was walking on street!

[Crease]

I met Jersey Joe Walcott in 1986 in Atlantic City.

That is one man who I would have loved to meet.

[Crease]

I met Jersey Joe Walcott in 1986 in Atlantic City.

That is one man who I would have loved to meet.

And of the most underrated Heavyweights of all time!

[elmersalsa]

I would have love to meet him when he was in his heyday. Not now.

[boxerbob]

yes got my book signed when he came to glasgow scotland in the early 90s

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

Met Ali 3 times in all...one time I even got to shadowbox with him for a while!!!

http://icemanjohnscully.com/images/ali_ ... boxing.jpg << shadowboxing the champ...

[MikeSchreckwins]

Yes, I met him once when he was on a promotion tour for his own brand of cologne (seriously), at Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester,Connecticut in the early 90's. Muhammad was signing memorabilia at a table and when the line got to me I said to him "God Bless you champ" and at that, he stood up and motioned for me to come around the table to him, then he went into a boxing stance, as did I, and my wife snapped a picture of us! It was a true highlight of my life. Muhammad Ali is a very gracious man.

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

Mike that was 1990...I know this becaue the photo I took with him was taken the NIGHT BEFORE he went to Buckland Mall...

[Flump]

I was lucky enough to meet Ali in November 93 when he was helping promote Howard Bingham's book "A thirty year journey" who was also in attendance. And incredibly he was in my home town of Kingston, just outside London.

I even managed to get a laugh when I asked him if he ever found the kid who stole his bike. He stayed at the venue until everybody had been seen, even though he was even then not in the best of health, unlike so many lesser celebrities who seem to treat the public and their fans like they're an inconvenience.

[MikeSchreckwins]

Mike that was 1990...I know this becaue the photo I took with him was taken the NIGHT BEFORE he went to Buckland Mall...

How about that!
John, I saw a few of your early fights live and even once said to you something like "Be another Harry Greb" You said "I've heard of him" in reply.

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

Mike, we met in person? At my fights? The civic center I assume? Where are u from???

[MikeSchreckwins]

Mike, we met in person? At my fights? The civic center I assume? Where are u from???

I'm from Simsbury, Connecticut. Born in Hartford. John

I think it was in the assembly hall and you were sitting with some of your entourage, greeting the fans.

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

oh, wow, The Assembly Hall, so you're going back to 1988 and 1989....did u ever attend one of the pro fights (on ESPN) at the San Juan Center in the 90's?????