KOLKATA: It’s been a day already, but the boxing fraternity is yet to come to terms with their ‘Greatest’ loss.
As the world mourns the death of Muhammad Ali, sitting far away in Dhaka, a 50-year-old is busy reminiscing his good old days when he’d ‘defeated’ the boxing legend in an exhibition bout thirty eight years ago.
Way back in 1978, Ali had come to the Bangladesh capital for the bout, where the then 12-year-old Mohammad Gious Uddin had defeated the boxing legend, creating history.
Years later, as Gious Uddin starts talking from his Dhaka residence, he appears to be soaked in nostalgia.
“I still remember each and every moment from that bout. As a 12-year-old, I didn’t have much of an idea about who my opponent was. Once I took to the ring, I discovered it was Muhammad Ali. It was an amazing experience,” Gious Uddin, who now works as a building constructor, tells Express.
In their three-round bout, Gious Uddin had actually floored Ali in the second round, which made him a superstar. But the former boxer feels that Ali had purposely lost the bout to boost the confidence of a youngster.
“Thousands of people had gathered to watch the bout. Initially, Ali tried to scare me, but I kept on punching his stomach. After a few minutes, he smiled at me, and then in the next round, he was floored. He had actually done this to give people of Bangladesh a chance to rejoice,” Gious Uddin says, adding that it was these gestures that made Ali special.
“He could have easily knocked me out in seconds, but he didn’t do that. Instead, he made a hero out of a 12-year-old. That was special.” After that bout, Ali even went up to the young Gious Uddin and motivated him to continue with boxing. “He taught me how to improve my jabs and reflexes. There were lessons on how to tame the opponents as well. I still cherish those memories.”
After taming Ali, the youngster shot to fame instantly as people started recognising him. “Those days were very, very special. People started treating me as the wonder boy. Sadly, my boxing career never really took the leap,” rues Gious Uddin.
After initial success, he entered the construction business, and boxing slowly took a backseat.
“Coming from a lower middle-class family, it was important to earn a living, and that’s why I had to settle down in this business,” he says, throwing light on the challenges faced by the boxers in the sub-continent. “It is tough to survive for long.”But then, he owes it to Ali for his early success. “He was a legend with a big heart. I can’t even think of a superstar losing to a youngster just to encourage him.”
After all, it’s once in a lifetime that one gets a chance to tame the ‘Greatest’!
Public funeral set for Friday in hometown
LOUISVILLE: The life of Muhammad Ali will be celebrated with a public funeral procession and memorial service next Friday in his home town of Louisville (Kentucky). After a private family funeral on Thursday, Ali’s coffin will be transported through Louisville on Friday, before a public memorial service at an arena, with Bill Clinton among celebrities expected to offer eulogies.
‘His heart beat on even as body shut down’
Washington: Muhammad Ali’s heart kept beating for 30 minutes even after the rest of his body shut down, his daughter said. The details of Ali’s final moments were made public by his daughter Hana in an emotional post on Twitter. “Our hearts are literally hurting. But we are so happy daddy is free. We all tried to stay strong and whispered in his ear, you can go now. We will be OK. We love you.”
Former British champ remembers the GOAT
LONDON: A fifth-round stoppage by Muhammad Ali in a world-title fight remains former top British boxer Richard Dunn’s favourite sporting moment. Dunn, 71, proved to be the late Ali’s last British opponent in his final bout in Europe when he pummelled Dunn, sending him to the canvas five times including twice in the fifth round before the referee stopped the bout in May 1976.
shayanacharya@newindianexpress.com