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Photo by Brad Elterman/BuzzFoto.com
Photo by Brad Elterman/BuzzFoto.com
50 years ago today marks the time when Boxing champ Muhammad Ali, who was then 18, won Olympic gold in the light heavyweight division in Rome.
Today from noon until 5:00pm, the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville will mark the historic anniversary with a series of special events.
Brad Elterman took this photo of Ali in 1979. He says this of the photo: “Muhammad Ali was and is still today the most famous and recognizable person on the planet. I vividly remember when he walked to his seat at the Forum because the entire 18,400 guests and VIPs at this event stood up and applauded him. It was truly a moving experience. I stood nearby for as long as I could to get this shot. It was not easy with all the security guards around. Seated next to Ali is his wife Veronica, Dr. Jerry Buss and his lovely date and the former Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley and his wife. Many years later I was invited to a boxing match at the Forum by Jerry Buss. Seated near me at ringside was Ali, much older and now ill. I shook his hand and for the first time in my life, asked for an autograph. I still have it to this day.”
