Muhammad Ali in India
Muhammad Ali visited India on multiple occasions to participate in exhibition boxing matches, to visit schools and orphanages supported by his foundation, and for other private visits.
Exhibition boxing
In January 1980 Muhammad Ali visited India, reportedly at the behest of Rajiv Gandhi, to participate in exhibition boxing matches in Delhi, Bombay, and Chennai.[1][2]
Delhi
In Delhi, on January 27, 1980, Ali sparred with Kaur Singh, the Indian national heavyweight champion, for a four-round exhibition match. More than 50,000 people attended the match. According to Kaur Singh:
Us de mukke bahut hi dumdar si (His punches had great power).I clearly remember that jab, his famous jab. It seemed to come out of nowhere. He used his right hand to block my punches, and his counter punch to hit me. His speed was amazing; not once during those four rounds did the speed drop...He was shorter than me but his ring craft and movement took him out of my reach.[2][3]
A veteran journalist who witnessed the fight claimed that Ali hardly threw any punches at Kaur Singh during the match, spending the time chit-chatting with youngsters who had collected around the ring.[2]
Madras
Ali came to Madras and held hands with MGR. Crowds thronged Chennai's Nehru stadium to witness the legend in action in 1980. Organised by Tamil Nadu State Amateur Boxing Association and Apeejay, the exhibition bout that saw Ali taking on former heavy weight champion Jimmy Ellis.[4][5]
Social interactions in India
- According to a February 1980 report published in The Telegraph:
Muhammad Ali boxer spectacular, set yet another record on his first visit to India - he became the first boxer to kiss the Indian Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi. As soon as he met Mrs Gandhi, Ali jumped up, enveloped her in a bear hug and gave a loud smack on her left cheek. Blushing, an extremely flustered Mrs Gandhi yet managed to keep her cool and smiled back in acknowledgment.[6]
- In a press conference organized in Bombay in January 1980, Ali stated: "I am happy to be in Bombay; I was driving here from the airport and came via Muhammad Ali Road—you have already named a road after me."[4]
References
- ^ "From the archives How HT covered Muhammad Ali's India visit". Hindustan Times. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ a b c "When Punjab's Kaur Singh traded punches with the legend". The Tribune. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "Indian boxer recalls fight with 'shahenshah'". Indian Express. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ a b "When Muhammad Ali Came to Bombay and Floored the City". The Wire. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "When Madras had Muhammad Ali in its corner". The Hindu. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "When Ali told Indira 'You're the Greatest'". The Telegraph. 12 June 2016. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
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- Boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Clay vs. Hunsaker
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- Clay vs. Moore
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- 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)