Today is Muhammad Ali’s birthday, but the people’s champ had his first of five birthday celebrations this past Saturday.
The 70-year-old boxing champ reveled in heavily-rotated chants of “Ali! Ali” as a select group of 350 invitees cheered him on while belting out “Happy Birthday”. Saturday was Ali’s first private birthday bash of the remaining five planned out in the next few months in hopes of raising funds for the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The familiar chanting and usual birthday song by the party-goers took place in a lobby of the Muhammad Ali Center while awaiting the three-time world heavyweight champion who now wrestles with Parkinson’s disease. As Ali and wife Lonnie reached the second floor and overlooked his supporters, the chanting and singing grew louder.
”He’s glad he’s here to turn 70, but he wants to be reassured he doesn’t look 70,” Lonnie later said.
Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis stated his childhood idol is “still the greatest.”
”I feel so proud and honored that we’re able to show our feelings and show our support for him,” Lewis said.
Lewis was among the supporters of the private event which doubled as a grand per person fundraiser for the Ali Center.
The Ali Center is a six-year-old cultural and education complex designed to be a legacy to Ali’s social activism. The six-story center also retraces the Ali’s career, including his epic sagas against other boxing legends Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Sonny Liston.
The entertainment was provided by rocker John Mellencamp and guest not only included friends and family members, but Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee and three American hikers were also in attendance.
”We’re like family,” Dundee said who speaks to the former heavyweight about once a month. ”We’ve always been family and we’re always going to be family”. Dundee goes onto say Ali still asks him about training and tells him how much he misses it.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942, Ali took up boxing at age 12, when his bike was stolen and he wanted to fight the thief. He was introduced to Joe Martin, a police officer who coached boxing at a local gym. Ali flourished in the ring, becoming a top amateur and Olympic gold medalist. He made his professional debut in Louisville and arranged for a local children’s hospital to receive proceeds from the fight.
And as the saying goes—the rest is history.
Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali!
