Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield remembered the late Muhammad Ali, telling a great story involving the two men and the 1996 Olympics.
Throughout the world of sports, and well quite frankly the world as a whole, condolences and remembrances are pouring in after the passing of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The 74 year old passed away following a brief hospitalization near his home in Arizona, where he was surrounded by his family and close friends when he died.
From his native Kentucky all the way to the White House, people are sharing stories of either meeting Ali, competing against him or how Ali had an influence on their lives. One of the best may be from another former boxing legend, Evander Holyfield.
During an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Holyfield shared the story of one legendary moment, when Ali lit the flame at the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
It’s one of the many things people think about when Muhammad Ali’s name is mentioned, but Holyfield said that no one knew it was taking place…not even the man who was originally supposed to light the flame inside the stadium that night:
Muhammad Ali, then going by his birth name of Cassius Clay, won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games held in Rome, Italy in the light heavyweight division. Ali famously threw his medal into a river near his Louisville home after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant when returning to his hometown. He received a replacement medal during those 1996 Games.
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