UAE | Media

Knocked out by the presence of The Greatest

I was fast asleep on that night in the third week of February 1978, when my telephone rang. Rubbing my sleepy eyes I picked up the receiver to discover that it was my Sports Editor on the line.

  • By Sayed Ali, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:35 October 25, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • November 29, 1982: Mohammad Ali talking to journalists during his visit to Abu Dhabi as part of a fundraising tour.
  • Image Credit: Gulf News Archive

Dubai: I was fast asleep on that night in the third week of February 1978, when my telephone rang. Rubbing my sleepy eyes I picked up the receiver to discover that it was my Sports Editor on the line.

He told me to rush to Dubai International Airport to meet Mohammad Ali, the former world heavyweight boxing champion. I asked him if he was joking. "Why would Ali come to Dubai just a few days after being defeated by Leon Spinks?" I wondered.

My Sports Editor told me not to waste any time as Ali's plane was expected to touch down at 3am. He wanted me to get an interview.

I thought I was dreaming, but in fact it was a dream come true - any journalist in the world would have given his right arm to interview Ali. He eventually lost only five times in 61 professional fights from 1960 to 1981, with 37 wins coming via knockouts.

Ali called himself The Greatest and it was one of the greatest interviews of my career.

Realising what was in store I dressed up, called my photographer, who was not too happy to be awakened at that hour till I told him who we were going to meet. Ali, who was on his way to Bangladesh to attend a charity drive, walked into the VIP lounge at the airport accompanied by his brother and some bodyguards.

Just as I was beginning the interview, Ali yelled at me: "I know you journalists only want to ask me why I lost to Spinks."

I said no, but do want to ask when you will regain the title. Ali was surprised and responded quickly: "It is a matter of time and before the end of the year I will beat Spinks and regain my title. All the world knows that I am the World Champion and it's not a problem for me to recapture the crown. I will beat him as I beat George Foreman and Joe Fazier."

Suddenly he gazed at me with a strange look, and then threw a mock punch at me, saying with a laugh: "Hey, you look like Joe Frazier, I'm gonna beat you up."

Seven months after that day, Ali fulfilled his promise and regained his heavyweight title beating Leon Spinks on September 15, 1978 in New Orleans.

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