Ali admits Rabbie is the greatest poet
On a 30-minute visit to Robert Burns’ birthplace 51 years ago, Muhammad Ali, who used to taunt opponents in verse, conceded he wasn’t as good a poet as the Scottish Bard.
Hundreds of people waited for hours to see Ali when he visited Burns’ Cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire, during a trip to Scotland in August 1965.
When Ali arrived, he said: “Is this the place? I heard he could write poetry as good as me.”
After planting a playful punch on a bust of Burns, Ali concluded: “I am not The Greatest. I believe that man Burns is better than me at poetry. But I am the second greatest.”
Journalist Jack Webster met Ali on his two visits to Scotland – in 1965 and 1993.
The champ came to Scotland for an exhibition fight at Paisley Ice Rink in 1965. Jack, now 84, chaperoned him during his five-day stint and Ali stayed at the former MacDonald Hotel in Giffnock, Glasgow.
Jack said: “He was an incredible man – hypnotic and charismatic.
“We’d paid him £100, put him up at the MacDonald Hotel and provided a limousine.”
During the trip to Scotland, Ali met Celtic players at Parkhead and Rangers star Willie Henderson visited his hotel.
But it all ended on a sour note as only 1000 turned up to watch him at Paisley Ice Rink and Ali was booed by some fight fans during the exhibition bout with fellow US heavyweight Jimmy Ellis.
Ali then cancelled his hotel booking and headed straight for Glasgow Airport. He got the first flight to London and returned to the US.
Jack met Ali again at a book-signing session at Waterstones in Glasgow in 1993. The boxing legend had come to Scotland to publicise his autobiography. But, by then, the effects of his Parkinson’s disease were visible.
Jack had kept a book of cuttings from Ali’s previous visit to Scotland 28 years earlier and showed it to the ailing giant.
He said: “This meeting is my most treasured memory of Ali.
“He was suffering from Parkinson’s syndrome – not the disease but the illness caused by the punches he took. His eyes were dead and there was no life there.
“I showed him the scrapbook and there was suddenly a flicker of recognition and his eyes came alive. I think I had reminded him of the good days.
“He started crying and hugging me. It was very moving and unsettling at the same time.”