How 'Ali boxing ring' ended up in Athlone!
A boxing ring which was used by the late, great Muhammad Ali went on to be used for bouts staged in St Kieran’s Community Centre in Athlone, according to a local man.
Tormey Villas resident Tom Colsh told the Westmeath Independent about a connection between the local facility and the three-time heavyweight champion of the world, whose funeral took place last week.
Ali came to Ireland in 1972 to fight Al 'Blue’ Lewis in Croke Park. In the lead-up to the bout he trained in the handball alley at Croke Park but he was reportedly unhappy with the boxing ring in which he was sparring. As a result, a different ring had to be sourced for Ali from St Brigid’s Boxing Club In Edenderry.
Ali went on to win the Dublin bout by eleventh round TKO on July 19, 1972.
Tom, a retired member of the Defence Forces stated that, after Ali’s visit, one of the rings in which he had boxed was being used by the Army. Tom was able to bring it to St Kieran’s for boxing events held there.
“Any of the young lads who boxed in it were able to say that they had boxed in Cassius Clay’s boxing ring,” stated Tom.
He said a number of boxing tournaments were held in St Kieran’s over the years and a young Joe Ward, who is competing in the Olympics this summer, was among those who had taken part in them.
Interestingly, Ward is aiming to win a gold medal in the light heavyweight (81kg) category in Rio. This is the same weight category in which an 18-year-old Cassius Clay took gold at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.
Another local connection to Ali is the fact that his greatest rival, Joe Frazier, stayed in Athlone’s Shamrock Lodge Hotel in June 1971.
'Smokin’ Joe’ came to town as the reigning world champion, just three months after he defeated Ali in the first of their three epic encounters. One of Frazier’s hobbies was singing in an R&B/soul group and he was in Ireland at that time for a musical tour of the country.
Ali famously described himself as The Greatest, but a photo taken at the time of Frazier’s visit to Athlone revealed that a banner was put up at the Shamrock Lodge stating: 'Welcome Joe - You’re The Greatest.’