Drew Bundini Brown
Drew Bundini Brown | |
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Born | Drew Bundini Brown, Jr. (1928-03-21)March 21, 1928 Midway, Florida, US |
Died | September 24, 1987(1987-09-24) (aged 59) |
Occupation(s) | athletic trainer, boxing cornerman, valet, actor |
Spouse | Rhoda Palestine (divorced) |
Children | 2 |
Drew Bundini Brown (March 21, 1928 – September 24, 1987) was an assistant trainer and cornerman of heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali.[1]
Early life
Brown, who was born in Midway, Florida, and raised in nearby Sanford, dropped out of junior high school after the eighth grade. The strapping young Brown, who had matured rapidly during puberty, was able to lie about his age and join the United States Navy as a Messboy at age 13. Discharged two years later, he found employment in the United States Merchant Marine, and spent 12 years traveling the world on the high seas.
Career
After seven years with Sugar Ray Robinson,[2] widely recognized as one of the best boxers of all time, Brown joined Muhammad Ali's boxing team as a cornerman in 1963.[3] and remained with him throughout his career.[1] (Later he also became a cornerman for James "Quick" Tillis).[4]
Brown was one of Ali's speech writers. He wrote certain poems, including that which coined Ali's famous and oft quoted: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, rumble, young man, rumble.” Ali used the poem to taunt Sonny Liston at the press conference prior to his February 25, 1964, victory over the WBA and WBC champion to claim both titles.[1]
Death
Brown died on 24 September 1987 in Los Angeles County, California, at the age of 59 from medical complications of injuries sustained in a previous car accident. He suffered a pinched nerve in his spine in the crash and subsequently had a serious fall at home, from which he never recovered. He was visited by Ali on his deathbed.[5]
Personal life
Brown had one brother, Elbert James Brown. In the early 1950s, while living in Harlem, New York City, Brown married Rhoda Palestine, whose family was Russian-Jewish. Due to this relationship, Brown later converted to Reform Judaism. They married at a time when interracial relationships and marriages were considered by many as taboo, and had one son, Drew Brown III (born January 20, 1955, in Harlem).
According to the autobiography of singer Ruth Brown (no relation),[6] he was also the true father of her son Ronald David Jackson (“Ronnie”), though he was unaware of this during the boy's childhood.
His son Drew III joined the United States Navy and became a Medium Attack Bomber pilot flying the A-6 Intruder. After retiring from the Navy, he wrote a bestselling book, You Gotta Believe, and became a nationally known speaker.[1][7]
Portrayals in film
He was played by the actor Bernie Mac in the film Don King: Only in America, and by Jamie Foxx in the film Ali and by Lawrence Gilliard Jr. in One Night In Miami.
Filmography
As actor
- Shaft (1971) .... Willy
- Shaft's Big Score! (1972) .... Willy
- Aaron Loves Angela (1975) .... Referee
- The Color Purple (1985) .... Jook Joint Patron
- Penitentiary III (1987) .... Sugg / Inmate #2 (final film role)
As self
- Am laufenden Band (1976, 1 TV episode, dated 22 May 1976) .... Himself
- The Greatest (1977) .... Himself
- Muhammad and Larry (1980) .... Himself
- Doin' Time (1985) .... Himself (special appearance)
- When We Were Kings (1996) .... Himself (uncredited)
Archive footage
- A.K.A. Cassius Clay (1970) .... Himself
- Beat This!: A Hip hop History (1984, TV) .... Himself
- Muhammad Ali (docuseries), Episode 1: "Round One: The Greatest (1942–1964)" (2021, TV) .... Himself
References
- ^ a b c d "Drew (Bundini) Brown". The New York Times. September 26, 1987.
- ^ "Drew "Bundini" Brown: Boxing's Greatest Hype Man". 27 November 2017.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20070408163951/http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Muhammad%20Ali[dead link]
- ^ "Drew Bundini Brown. A Collection of un-published original manuscripts written by Drew Bundini Brown". Antekprizering.com. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (September 29, 1987). "Sports of the Times – Float Like a Bundini". The New York Times.
- ^ Brown, Ruth and Yule, Andrew. (1996). Miss Rhythm.
- ^ "404 page not found - Commander Drew Brown". www.drewbrown.net. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
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External links
- Drew Bundini Brown at IMDb
- Drew Bundini Brown at AllMovie
- v
- t
- e
- Boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Clay vs. Hunsaker
- Clay vs. Siler
- Clay vs. Esperti
- Clay vs. Robinson
- Clay vs. Fleeman
- Clay vs. Clark
- Clay vs. Sabedong
- Clay vs. Johnson
- Clay vs. Miteff
- Clay vs. Besmanoff
- Clay vs. Banks
- Clay vs. Warner
- Clay vs. Logan
- Clay vs. Daniels
- Clay vs. Lavorante
- Clay vs. Moore
- Clay vs. Powell
- Clay vs. Jones
- Clay vs. Cooper
- Liston vs. Clay
- Ali vs. Liston II
- Ali vs. Patterson
- Ali vs. Chuvalo
- Ali vs. Cooper II
- Ali vs. London
- Ali vs. Mildenberger
- Ali vs. Terrell
- Ali vs. Williams
- Ali vs. Folley
- Ali vs. Quarry
- Ali vs. Bonavena
- Fight of the Century (Frazier vs. Ali I)
- Ali vs. Ellis
- Ali vs. Mathis
- Ali vs. Blin
- Ali vs. M. Foster
- Ali vs. Lewis
- Ali vs. Patterson II
- Ali vs. B. Foster
- Ali vs. Bugner
- Ali vs. Norton
- Norton vs. Ali II
- Ali vs. Lubbers
- Ali vs. Frazier II
- The Rumble in the Jungle (Foreman vs. Ali)
- Ali vs. Wepner
- Ali vs. Lyle
- Thrilla in Manila (Ali vs. Frazier III)
- Ali vs. Coopman
- Ali vs. Young
- Ali vs. Dunn
- Ali vs. Norton III
- Ali vs. Evangelista
- Ali vs. Shavers
- Ali vs. Spinks
- Spinks vs. Ali II
- Holmes vs. Ali
- Ali vs. Berbick
Docu films and series |
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- Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962 film)
- I Am the Greatest (1963 album)
- The Super Fight (1970 film)
- "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" (1974 song)
- The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay (1976 album)
- The Greatest (1977 film)
- I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali (1977 animated series)
- Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978 comic book)
- Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing (1992 video game)
- Foes of Ali (1995 video game)
- When We Were Kings (1996 film)
- King of the World (2000 TV film)
- Ali: An American Hero (2000 TV film)
- "Muhammad Ali" (2001 song)
- Ali (2001 film)
- "The World's Greatest" (2002 song)
- One Night in Miami (2013 play)
- Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013 TV film)
- Approaching Ali (2013 opera)
- One Night in Miami... (2020 film)
associates
- Chuck Bodak (trainer, cutman)
- Angelo Dundee (cornerman)
- Drew Bundini Brown (trainer, cornerman)
- Ferdie Pacheco (personal physician, cornerman)
- Joe E. Martin (first trainer)
- Archie Moore (trainer)
- George Dillman (instructor)
- Jabir Herbert Muhammad (manager)
- Luis Sarria (trainer, cutman, masseur)
- Joe Frazier (opponent, friend)
- Richard Durham (autobiography co-writer)
- The Greatest: My Own Story (1975 autobiography)
- The Fight (1975)
- Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times (1991 biography)
- The Tao of Muhammad Ali (1997)
- King of the World (1998 biography)
- Facing Ali (2002)
- Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years (2002 biography)
- The Soul of a Butterfly (2004 autobiography)
- Twelve Rounds to Glory (2007 biography)
- Ali: A Life (2018 biography)