Post by efg72 on Jan 17, 2023 20:25:28 GMT -5
'The first time I ever talked to Cassius was in 1957 in Louisville. I was in town with Willie Pastrano, who was fighting John Holman there, and we were in Willie's room watching television.
The telephone rang and this kid was on the other end. He said he knew all about me and my fighters from watching us on TV. He said, 'My name is Cassius Marcellus Clay, the Golden Gloves Champion of the city of Louisville.'
He went on to give me a long list of all the things he had won, and he wound up by saying he was going to win the 1960 Olympics and he wanted to come up to the room and talk with me and Willie.
I covered the mouthpiece and said to Willie, 'Some kind of nut is on the phone telling me how great he is and he wants to come up. Okay?' Willie said he was tired of TV, so send the nut up.
So in a few minutes he came up. He was a long, rangy kid. He weighed about 184, 185 but I could tell right away by the way he was built he was going to get bigger and wind up as a good-sized Heavyweight.
He was really hungry for information. He asked Willie how many miles he ran a day, when he ate, if he was nervous before a fight, when he went to bed, what he did the day of a fight and what he did when the fight was over, whether he drank or smoked - things like that. They hit it off right away.
One afternoon, Willie and Clay sparred for a round in the gym. When we got there Clay had already been punching the heavy bag for an hour getting ready. They got into the ring and went this one round, and Clay did everything right and Willie did everything wrong.
I said to Willie he looked terrible. I asked him, 'What's the matter with you?' And he said, 'This cat is good, Angie.' Then Clay came over and told Willie that he was a shoo-in to beat the guy he was going to fight. Clay had already boxed the other guy, so he said he ought to know.
It made Willie feel better, but I found out later that Clay had told the other guy the same thing. He was always that way, he liked to con you even when he was young.
In those days Cassius walked everywhere, bounding along with a carefree air and saying hello to everybody. He liked to kid a lot, but he was always a gentleman. He never missed a fight if he could help it. I don't think he ever saw a fighter he didn't think he could whip.'
- Angelo Dundee
The telephone rang and this kid was on the other end. He said he knew all about me and my fighters from watching us on TV. He said, 'My name is Cassius Marcellus Clay, the Golden Gloves Champion of the city of Louisville.'
He went on to give me a long list of all the things he had won, and he wound up by saying he was going to win the 1960 Olympics and he wanted to come up to the room and talk with me and Willie.
I covered the mouthpiece and said to Willie, 'Some kind of nut is on the phone telling me how great he is and he wants to come up. Okay?' Willie said he was tired of TV, so send the nut up.
So in a few minutes he came up. He was a long, rangy kid. He weighed about 184, 185 but I could tell right away by the way he was built he was going to get bigger and wind up as a good-sized Heavyweight.
He was really hungry for information. He asked Willie how many miles he ran a day, when he ate, if he was nervous before a fight, when he went to bed, what he did the day of a fight and what he did when the fight was over, whether he drank or smoked - things like that. They hit it off right away.
One afternoon, Willie and Clay sparred for a round in the gym. When we got there Clay had already been punching the heavy bag for an hour getting ready. They got into the ring and went this one round, and Clay did everything right and Willie did everything wrong.
I said to Willie he looked terrible. I asked him, 'What's the matter with you?' And he said, 'This cat is good, Angie.' Then Clay came over and told Willie that he was a shoo-in to beat the guy he was going to fight. Clay had already boxed the other guy, so he said he ought to know.
It made Willie feel better, but I found out later that Clay had told the other guy the same thing. He was always that way, he liked to con you even when he was young.
In those days Cassius walked everywhere, bounding along with a carefree air and saying hello to everybody. He liked to kid a lot, but he was always a gentleman. He never missed a fight if he could help it. I don't think he ever saw a fighter he didn't think he could whip.'
- Angelo Dundee