AS Muhammad Aliโs business manager, Gene Kilroy was one of โThe Greatestโsโ closest confidants. One year on from Aliโs passing, the man known as โThe Facilitatorโ looks back on some of his memories of Muhammad.
โDeath in the airโ
I went into the dressing room when they were wrapping George Foremanโs hands [before the Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974]. [Foremanโs trainer and light-heavyweight legend] Archie Moore was walking around in there, saying โI smell death in the air.โ I went back to Aliโs dressing room and told him what Moore had said. Ali responded by saying, โI canโt wait to get Foreman.โ But the one who told Ali how to beat Foreman was [legendary trainer] Cus DโAmato [whom he spoke to on the telephone before travelling to Zaire for the fight]. He was a brilliant, brilliant boxing man. Ali had a lot of respect for him.
A member of the family
I was very close to Ali and his family. Iโve never told this story before, but when my mother died, I came home and was sitting on my bed with tears in my eyes. The phone rang, and it was Aliโs mother. Miraculously sheโd just called โ she didnโt know about my motherโs passing. So I said to her, โMy mother just died.โ And she said, โOK. Youโll be my son now, and Iโll be your mom. If you need anything Iโm there for you.โ Thatโs the type of person she was. I was part of the family. I was respected by Aliโs family, his children, the Nation of Islam. Thatโs what itโs about โ being respected.
In conversation with the greats
One time, someone asked me if I had any fears in my life. I said the only fear I have is that one day Iโm afraid my motherโs going to wake me up for school, and Iโll realise that everythingโs been a dream. Itโs something special to be able to say that I was able to sit down with Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Billy Conn, Rocky Marciano and Mike Tyson.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH GENE KILROY, PICK UP A COPY OF NEXT WEEKโS BOXING NEWS โ AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD ON JUNE 6, AND IN THE SHOPS ON JUNE 8.