When Muhammad Ali came to SMU
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 3:38 pmI apologize, this is not a football story.
I will always remember the day I met Muhammad Ali.
It was the spring of 1973 and I was a journalism major at SMU. And Muhammad Ali was scheduled to fight an exhibition bout at Moody Coliseum for a charitable cause. Jimmy Dent and I were both invited to the press conference the day beforehand, as we were both sportswriters with the Daily Campus. it was well read on campus, primarily because most of the students didn't want to pony up the 10 cents for the Dallas Morning News.
When we arrived at the Adolphus Hotel the promoter introduced us to Ali. I was struck by how big he was, which sounds dumb because he was once the heavyweight champion. Although I am 6-1, he seemed to tower over me and, when we shook hands, I was impressed by how large his fists were. Small wonder he knocked out so many of his opponents.
He was soft spoken before the press conference began but once the tv lights came on, he came alive. It was only weeks after George Foreman had won the heavyweight title by knocking out Smokin' Joe Frazier in two rounds in Jamaica, a feat that I didn't think was possible.
Ali mentioned the fight, then said: "I just beat a guy named Joe Bugner in Las Vegas and everyone knows that Joe Bugner (an Englishman) is a better fighter than George Foreman." I instantly recalled how my father, a former amateur boxer, used to say that the last good British heavyweight was Henry the Eighth.
So I interrupted Ali and asked: "Excuse me. Are you trying to tell us that Joe Bugner is a better fighter than George Foreman?" He scowled at me and asked:"Have you ever seen George Foreman fight:" I nodded, then he stood up and barked: "George Foreman FIGHTS LIKE A GIRL!!!!"
He whipped off his sports jacket and began throwing mock punches like a drunk who has been kicked out of a bar at 1 a.m.
This was long before ESPN and 24-hour sports networks. But I am proud to say that verbal exchange was shown on all the Dallas tv stations on the 11 o'clock news.
I will always remember the day I met Muhammad Ali.
It was the spring of 1973 and I was a journalism major at SMU. And Muhammad Ali was scheduled to fight an exhibition bout at Moody Coliseum for a charitable cause. Jimmy Dent and I were both invited to the press conference the day beforehand, as we were both sportswriters with the Daily Campus. it was well read on campus, primarily because most of the students didn't want to pony up the 10 cents for the Dallas Morning News.
When we arrived at the Adolphus Hotel the promoter introduced us to Ali. I was struck by how big he was, which sounds dumb because he was once the heavyweight champion. Although I am 6-1, he seemed to tower over me and, when we shook hands, I was impressed by how large his fists were. Small wonder he knocked out so many of his opponents.
He was soft spoken before the press conference began but once the tv lights came on, he came alive. It was only weeks after George Foreman had won the heavyweight title by knocking out Smokin' Joe Frazier in two rounds in Jamaica, a feat that I didn't think was possible.
Ali mentioned the fight, then said: "I just beat a guy named Joe Bugner in Las Vegas and everyone knows that Joe Bugner (an Englishman) is a better fighter than George Foreman." I instantly recalled how my father, a former amateur boxer, used to say that the last good British heavyweight was Henry the Eighth.
So I interrupted Ali and asked: "Excuse me. Are you trying to tell us that Joe Bugner is a better fighter than George Foreman?" He scowled at me and asked:"Have you ever seen George Foreman fight:" I nodded, then he stood up and barked: "George Foreman FIGHTS LIKE A GIRL!!!!"
He whipped off his sports jacket and began throwing mock punches like a drunk who has been kicked out of a bar at 1 a.m.
This was long before ESPN and 24-hour sports networks. But I am proud to say that verbal exchange was shown on all the Dallas tv stations on the 11 o'clock news.