Ali statue to recall visit to city
A LIFE-size statue of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali is to be created on the site of his former community centre.
The Muhammad Ali Centre in Hockley, opened by the boxer during his visit to the city in 1983, is to be demolished and replaced with a new community centre.
But the plans caused anger in the community, with several residents voicing their concern that the history of Ali’s visit to the city could be forgotten.
Now the group responsible for the centre, Kajans Women’s Enterprise, has announced it will be commemorating the former heavyweight champion of the world with his own life-size statue. Delores Pinkney, a community leader whose mother helped set up the Muhammad Ali Centre, said it was a ‘‘brilliant’’ idea to commemorate the boxer in such a way.
The statue will sit in the complex’s exhibition space, though details including who has been commissioned to design it and how much it will cost have not yet been finalised by Kajans.
However, they were able to give some more details on the future community centre set for the site, which will feature a new Community Vocational College, an Enterprise Employment Hub for local entrepreneurs, Enterprise Units for Start-Up businesses and residential accommodation.
“It is important that we look holistically at the needs of the community, in particular young people who are often the most disadvantaged and disproportionately represented in indices of social deprivation,” a spokesperson for the group said.