Forty-five (45) years ago, or on October 1, 1975, boxing fans all over the world, most especially the Filipinos, were thrilled by what was dubbed as the “fight of the century”, the “Thrilla in Manila” held at the Araneta Coliseum where Muhammad Ali won over Joe Frazier for the heavyweight championship of the world title.
I had my own share of thrill in that historic event. Two (2) weeks before the fight or on September 22, 1975, I was inside the suite of Ali at the Hilton Hotel in Manila. I was 28 years old then and a working student of law.
In the ‘60s when Ali was still known as Cassius Clay, I was what you would consider today as a “superfan” as I found him fascinating with the way he would predict the round he would knockout his opponents in rhythmic poems. “Archie Moore will fall in four,” “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” were some of them.
I collected newspaper articles about him and kept them in a scrapbook. And when he came to Manila for the thrilla, this was when I had the most memorable one-on-one encounter with him that I had never imagined would happen.
For many days, I thought and thought about it. I wanted him to see the scrapbook which I have kept for many years. If possible, sign it. But I thought that was impossible.
On September 22, 1975, I remember that after wrestling with much doubt, I found myself at the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in Manila, where Ali was staying.
As luck would have it, I got the chance to talk to a lawyer who was part of his entourage. Atty. Albert Griffin.
I approached him and asked him if it was possible to get Ali’s autograph on my book. At first, he was apprehensive, saying it was impossible for me to see the champ.
I insisted and said: “I just want him to see my scrapbook.”
Griffin eventually caved and took my scrapbook to the 21st floor where Ali was but said there was no guarantee that he would sign it.
And after about five minutes, he came rushing back. He was panting as if he was running when he advised me, “Hurry, the champ wants to see you.”
And to cut a long story short, I was ushered in to Ali’s suite.
“Your album is authentic. Some prepare albums like this when they know I’m comin’ but yours is authentic and I see the efforts you did to collect these news clips for 15 years”, Ali said as he flipped through it.
He even autographed seven (7) news clips with his photos. In one page he wrote: “To Romy and Muhammad Ali, Peace. Sept. 22, ‘75”.
And more. He even asked me to hang out for awhile because he said “I’m bored and have nothing to do, as it’s my rest day.” Then he set up a projector with an 8mm film of the detective series “The Lawbreaker” At that time, Betamax, VHS, and Netflix were still unknown.
For two (2) hours, I was with the most popular man in the world. Just the two of us inside his suite. With food and drinks he personally served me to boot. You can’t blame me if I thought I was only dreamin’.
It was only two hours that I got to spend with Ali. But to this day, I carry lessons that my encounter with him has taught me – you’ll never win if you don’t try.
I met Ali before I was about to take the bar exams to become a full-fledged lawyer. Before I decided to go to Hilton, I was arguing with myself whether or not I was going to go because I had a very slim shot of actually getting an autograph, or catching a glimpse of him.
At the end of the day, I did go to Hilton. And because I took the chance, I was able to have one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
This was the same mentality I channeled when I took the bar. As a working student, I was doubting if I had enough time to review for it or if I was going to pass. But I sucked it up and went for it.
As a result, I passed the BAR exam with a rating of 83.1% or 6 percent shy of the Top 10 score. Not bad, right? But if I had given in to my doubts and didn’t show up, I would never have passed on the first try. Just like what I did when I took courage and determination to see Ali.
I never get tired of repeating this one-on-one encounter with Ali. And every October 1 is an opportune time to recall it. Many boxing fans remember Ali as a boastful and feared warrior in the ring. But I know that deep inside his armor, this “warrior is a child”. Ali’s wife, Lonnie, perfectly described him as “gentle and caring with a heart purer than any I’ve ever known.”
It really saddened me when Ali died on June 3, 2016. But the memory of that one-on-encounter with him will never end. It was one of The Greatest.