The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALL around the world he was known as the greatest boxer of all time. But to Arthur Clarke and Pat ‘the Centreville Assassin’ Strachan, Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest humanitarians they have ever met.

Ali, the most significant and celebrated sports figure of the 20th century, died on June 3 at the age of 74, suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He was known for his famous quote: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” as he conquered his heavyweight opponent.

As one of the greatest Bahamian boxers, Clarke fought as a super lightweight and was listed, along with Strachan, to fight on the famous Drama in Bahama on Friday, December 11, 1981 when Ali fought Trevor Berbick at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.

“I first met Ali in 1978 in the Fifth Street Gym. He was always a gentleman,” Clarke said. “He was a people’s person. I think boxing has lost a great legend.”

Out of all the boxers he met during his time, Clarke said Ali and Roberto Duran were the two of the most humble world champions he encountered.

“I remember when Roberto Duran was a world champion in 1978 when he was in the Fifth Street Gym,” Clarke said. “He was skipping in front of the mirror and although he didn’t speak English that well, he saw when I slipped down and he helped me up and told me to keep going.

“Ali was a humble individual as well. Ali and I used to talk. I spoke to him quite often. I can’t remember the last time I saw him. I think it was in the late 1980s when I fought a fellow called Choo Choo Brown in Houston, Texas. I lost. That was the last time I saw him.”

During the 1970s, Clarke said he and Ali had a number of encounters as they met mostly at the Fifth Street Gym in Miami.

“When he was training for Leon Spinks, that was the first time I really got to talk to him,” Clarke said. “He was a cool brother. That’s all I could say about him. I can’t say anything bad about him because I really don’t know anything bad about him.”

As a result of the Drama in Bahama coming to the Bahamas, Clarke said he and Pat ‘the Centreville Assassin’ Strachan got an invitation to fight on the card.

However, Clarke said he withdrew because the promoters wanted him to be in the walk-out bout, which came after the main event.

Clarke, the first Bahamian to fight in a main event bout on ESPN, said the promoters refused to put him on the fight on the undercard and they didn’t want to put him for the walk-out bout after the fight, so he refused to accept the fight.

“It wasn’t just about the money,” Clarke recalled. “I wanted the position. Pat Strachan and I were invited to fight, but we felt that at least one of us should have gotten to fight before Ali. That’s the reason why I pulled out.”

Clarke, who was born on April 1, 1958, said at the age of 58, he still doesn’t regret the opportunity to appear on the Drama in Bahama. But he said the memories that he holds of Ali will linger in his mind for the rest of his life.

Strachan, who turned 56 on May 19, said because of a miscommunication of the scheduling, he didn’t fight on the card as well.

But he said he was grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to meet Ali.

“He was in my opinion, the greatest boxer of all time,” said Strachan, the Bahamian cruiserweight champion. “But I think his legacy will live on longer for what he stood for outside of the ring than his boxing legacy.

“A TV commentator noted that Ali was bigger than boxing. When you look at the impact that Ali had on the world, he was bigger than boxing. He was a peacemaker and he stood up for what he believed in and you had to respect him for that.”

Strachan said he remembered how Ali stood up against the US government when they wanted him to fight in the war and he refused to go, was sentenced to go to jail, but it was eventually overturned.

“Tiger Woods was probably the greatest golfer in all of history, but you don’t know what he stands for and how he feels about social issues,” Strachan said. “Michael Jordan was also the greatest basketball player, but you don’t know what he stands for.

“But I admired Ali because he stood for something. I think that is a true mark of a man when he stood up for something. Ali was poetry in motion. Could you imagine if Ali was in his prime today, the amount of money he would have made? He was just great for boxing and he will be greatly missed.”

When Ali fought, Strachan said it was an event and everybody knew about it. It was something special.

Although he met Ali briefly when he was training at the La Caberet Theatre, Strachan will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his 12-round unanimous decision over Matthew Saad Muhammad at the Poinciana Arena on January 30, 1987. It was the biggest fight of Strachan’s career.