‘A REAL JEWEL’
Muhammad Ali biography author visits former training camp of professional boxer and heavyweight champ
Fighter’s Heaven in West Brunswick Township recently welcomed the author of “Ali: A Life” to tour the former training camp of professional boxer and heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.
Author Jonathan Eig’s biography on the boxing champion won the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing and was named Best Book of the Year by Sports Illustrated as well as one of the ten best non-fiction books of the year by The Wall Street Journal.
Eig also served as a consulting producer on the Ken Burns documentary “Muhammad Ali” which aired on PBS in 2021.
This was Eig’s first visit to Ali’s former training camp. He spent several hours exploring the historic site.
“This place is the greatest, a real jewel,” said Eig in a release. “Anyone who has an interest in Ali or American history needs to visit this amazing site.”
Fighter’s Heaven offers free tours by appointment Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
“There is never a charge to visit Fighter’s Heaven. It is a free museum,” said Sam Matta, media relations for Fighter’s Heaven. “The goal is to maintain the legacy of Muhammad Ali who trained there through his illustrious career. The camp was built in late 1971 and 1972, and it started to come together. Actually, it became the capital of the world for avid boxing fans to come and visit.”
Ali built his Fighter’s Heaven training camp while seeking a secluded place to train after attracting significant media attention when he returned to boxing in 1970. The camp included eight log cabins for his support personnel, a mosque, kitchen and a gym where he trained for numerous fights, such as the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974 and the Thrilla in Manila in 1975.
After his retirement from the ring, Ali sold the camp in 1997 to George Dillman of Cumru Township who then operated the Butterfly & Bee Bed & Breakfast.
Following Ali’s death on June 3, 2016, Fighter’s Heaven reopened to the public, including the gym, kitchen and cabins. Since July 2016, the site has been owned by Mike Madden, son of legendary Hall of
Fame football coach, the late John Madden.
When Madden learned that Ali’s former training camp was for sale, buying Fighter’s Heaven was a calling for him to educate the public about Ali’s life. Madden
continues to open the camp to the public for free tours.
“The story of Muhammad Ali is too important to American history and sports history,” Madden said. “The lessons we can
learn from the life of Muhammad Ali are as relevant now as ever.”
In October, Fighter’s Heaven will erect a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker.