Seen on:
as known from New York Timesas known from USA Todayas known from yahoo!
VA
The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / Latest Boxing News & Rumors Today / Dad, Muhammad Ali, and the month of January

Dad, Muhammad Ali, and the month of January

Publish Date: 01/17/2025
Fact checked by: Mike Goodpaster
M5022.MUHAMMAD ALI VS. GEORGE FOREMAN. 1970 LETTER A TONE PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY - ZUMAg49

Smokin Joe, Big George, and The Greatest.

I was fortunate to see a lot of their ring exploits.

All were born in January.

The month is also a personal one for me. My dad passed away on January 17, the same day Muhammad Ali was born in 1942.

The connection is undeniable. Dad, who introduced me to The Sweet Science, discussed Ali a lot, even though his favorite fighter was Joe Louis.

Dad was born in Chicago. The Brown Bomber made his professional debut in the Windy City in 1934. Louis fought nine times at a couple of venues in downtown Chicago. One was only a few miles from where Dad and his family of five brothers and sisters lived in a tiny apartment.

Seven-year-old dad reads the sports page every day. He noticed Louis and started following his career – something not very popular in his Italian neighborhood. Dad wasn’t shy about his affection for Louis.

Louis dominated – winning his first 24 bouts until he ran into former champ Max Schmeling in 1936. Schmeling knocked out Louis in round 12. Dad hadn’t even bothered to listen to the fight on the radio – he was that confident. Louis had already dispatched former titleholders Primo Carnera and Max Baer. The loss stunned him.

A year later, Dad, with the help of a kind Chicago cop, witnessed Louis winning the heavyweight crown at Comisky Park in Chicago.

The Brown Bomber was the heavyweight champion of the world.

Some 30 years later, Dad, Mom, and my sister live in Oklahoma. Dad brought the Ring Magazine home one day for me. I’m six years old. I already knew who Cassius Clay was. His mouth did the trick. I heard Clay  on TV. He bellowed and bragged. Who was this young guy – loaded with charisma? I loved him immediately.

 

Why?

I didn’t take him seriously. I sensed he was joking around.

Many didn’t agree with me.

Especially in Oklahoma in 1964.

Like my dad in Chicago and Louis, I wasn’t shy about supporting Clay. He (Clay) had recently captured the heavyweight title by stopping the unbeatable Sonny Liston.

A year later, he changed his name to Muhammad Ai. Now he was scary.  He was already loud and brash. He’d predict the rounds his fights would end.

The hate grew.

Dad and I went fishing in Broken Arrow, Ok, most Saturdays. On the drive there one morning, I remember seeing a sign that said “White Only” above a public water fountain.

Ali was controversial in many ways. So-called boxing experts said he didn’t box correctly. Ali, they said, “Never threw a body shot.”

They were right about that. Ali’s style was his own. He didn’t care what the experts said – a rebel in the boxing ring. Ali was all about speed. His legs and hands were his strengths. He’d move to music only he heard.

Ali would dance, while Joe Louis would destroy.

Dad and I talked about this a lot. Most boxing fans discussed and argued about Ali. A block party brought out the ugliness. (described in more detail in A Few More Rounds by Jerry Fitch and myself)

It was the first time I heard the word lynch.

Dad’s timely interruption saved the day.

 

I thought about that day recently.

Dad passed his love of boxing to me. Even more impressive was his sense of fairness. It wasn’t easy to stand up to something unpopular in the neighborhood in the 1930s.

Or the South in the 1960s.

But Dad did it, and so did I.

Rest easy Dad and Muhammad Ali. Hopefully, you’re up there discussing the big fights. Say hi to Joe Frazier.

Has Joe Louis joined you?

 

Read Also
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
Some Assembly Required: The Story Behind Mego’s Muhammad Ali Action Figure
“Pretend you’re having a championship fight. Squeeze the trigger to make them ...
Bet365 Promo
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali: How the Heavyweight Champ and the Man of Steel Saved the World in 1978
Training The Mego toy corporation, arguably best known for its line of ...
Tommy Morrison and AIDS: The Truth about what happened, and how he Died.
Tommy Morrison burst onto the professional boxing scene in 1988. Following a ...
Muhammad Ali or Joe Louis: Who truly was the Greatest?
To me, when ranking the greatest heavyweights of all time, two men ...
The Sunshine Showdown (aka/ “Down Goes Frazier”), Jamaica, 1973
“The Sunshine Showdown”, 1973, has lost some of its luster due to ...
Looking Back: George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali
Forty-seven years ago, many said the fight between undisputed heavyweight champion of ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isn’t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Lady Tyger’s Tale: How Marian Trimiar Mauled the Boxing Establishment of the 1970s and 80s
To Feed the Ambition in Your Heart is Like Carrying a Tiger ...
Where Did You Go, Smokin’ Joe? To Starrcade and WrestleMania By Way of Puerto Rico
Starrcade ’84: The Million Dollar Challenge ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, that “stylin’ ...
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.
Virginia Town HallCloudflareSSL
Close
Our Sports Pros recommend these awesome sports betting sites this week:
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
T&Cs apply, 21+
Promo Code:
Go to BetMGM
Get Bonus
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets If Your Bet Wins!
T&Cs apply, 21+
Promo Code:
Go to FanDuel
Get Bonus
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose when you bet $5!
T&Cs apply, 21+
Subject to meeting qualifying criteria. Minimum wager $5. Minimum odds -500 or greater. $10 minimum deposit. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. Available in app only. Max. prize, game restrictions, time limits and T&Cs apply. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
Promo Code:
Go to Bet365
Go to Bet365
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Play now