He didn't come, he didn't see it but, as ever, he conquered all.
Muhammad
Ali's presence surrounded and pervaded us at the preview of 'I Am The
Greatest,' the new exhibition about his life which opens on Friday at
London's O2 Arena.
For
English gentlemen of uncertain age, such as myself, the most
eye-catching exhibit was not the largest, an above life-size bronze
statue, nor the most extravagant, the gold-embossed gown he gave to
Elvis Presley.
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| A curator at the 'I Am The Greatest' exhibition handles the Muhammad Ali 'split glove' from his fight with Henry Cooper in 1963 |
A curator at the 'I Am The Greatest' exhibition handles the Muhammad Ali 'split glove' from his fight with Henry Cooper in 1963
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| This is the glove allegedly slit open
by Ali's also-iconic trainer, Angelo Dundee, to buy more recovery time
for the-then Cassius Clay |
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| Cooper's
renowned left hook – our 'Enry's 'Ammer – sent Clay crashing onto his
backside (left) before he went on to win at Wembley |
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A curator checks the pair of gloves
which are a star attraction at the 'I Am The Greatest' exhibition ahead
of its opening on Friday
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| The legendary American boxer has penned his own profoundly eloquent and typically mischievous epilogue, which is pictured above |
Cooper's
renowned left hook – our 'Enry's 'Ammer – sent Clay crashing onto his
backside and into the ropes near the end of the fourth round.
The
bell saved The Greatest and Dundee, seeing that he was still groggy at
the end of the one-minute interval, called the referee to inspect the
fresh slit in that glove.
Almost
another minute passed while they thought about replacing the glove and a
revived Clay went on to cut and defeat Britain's best-loved boxer.
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A general view of the iconic battered
pair of old boxing gloves which were allegedly slit open when Clay was
on the brink of losing
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| British heavyweight boxer David Haye,
who has recently returned to the ring, poses for a picture with the
gloves worn by Clay in 1963 |
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| Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, fighting Britain's Henry Cooper at Wembley Stadium in 1963 |
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| Headgear worn by Ali in 1980 signed to Sylvester Stallone, who played the role of boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky film series |
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| A general view of the 'I Am The Greatest' exhibition at London's O2 Arena which opens its doors to the public on Friday |
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| A statue of the legendary boxer is
displayed - and there is plenty of memorabilia on show
including artefacts which trace his journey |
He said of Cooper: 'He hit me so hard that my ancestors in Africa felt it.'
Clay
was saved to fight another day, against Sonny Liston when he shocked
the world by winning the heavyweight title, he promptly announced his
conversion to Islam and changed his name.
Those
events and pretty much everything else from the cradle to his grave
affliction by Parkinson's has a place in this lovingly compiled and
beautifully presented exhibition.
There
are big-screen films of almost all the great fights, the first against
Cooper, the Liston sensation, the Joe Frazier epics The Fight of the
Century and the The Thrilla in Manilla, the immortal Rumble in the
Jungle with George Foreman included.
Videos
and artefacts trace his journey from a shanty in Louisville to Olympic
gold and three glorious world championships, through his civil rights
activism and his banishment from the ring for refusing to fight in the
Vietnam war.
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| A curator polishes a replica of the Cassius Clay 1964 Championship belt, which he claimed after he defeated Sonny Liston |
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| A pair of signed boots worn by Ali in
fight with Jimmy Young in 1976, where Ali was awarded controversial
one-sided unanimous decision |
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| A signed 'Float like a butterfly sting
like a bee' robe worn by Ali's corner man Drew Bundini Brown at the
Rumble in the Jungle fight |
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| The words 'Float like a butterfly
sting like a bee' and 'Ali' are displayed on the back of the robe which
was worn by corner man Brown |
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| Referee Zack Clayton counts out George Foreman as Ali looks on during the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974 |
The haul of memorabilia bears not unfavourable comparison with the treasures on display at the Ali Center in his home town.
The
cruel affliction which has silenced the Louisville Lip and limits his
movement makes long-haul travel especially difficult and he could not
attend the opening.
There is a little hope that he may make the flight to London before the exhibition closes at the end of August.
But, just in case, he has penned his own profoundly eloquent and typically mischievous epilogue, which we display here.
My
favourite lines are: 'I'd settle for being remembered as a great boxer
and a champion of the people…..I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how
pretty I was….be cool and look out for the ladies.'
Miraculously,
at 74 and more than a quarter of a century after he was first diagnosed
with Parkinson's, Muhammad Ali's God is still looking out for him.
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| A case containing a 'People's Choice'
robe presented to Ali by the late music legend Elvis Presley is polished
ahead of exhibition opening |
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The Ali 'Two Time World Champion'
(left) from 1974 and 'Three Time World Champion' (right) from 1978 rings
displayed by a curator
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Ali (centre), pictured alongside Larry
Holmes (left) and George Foreman, was not well enough to travel for the
opening of the exhibition
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The legendary boxer stands over fallen challenger Liston after knocking him down in Maine during their second fight in May 1965
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