THE famous Deer Lake training camp, where Muhammad Ali prepared for the likes of Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton, is up for sale and can be your for $495,000.
The five-acre site, in Owigsburg, Pennsylvania, is now a boxing fan’s dream bed-and-breakfast destination. Sylvester Stallone, Howard Cosell, Sammy Davis Jnr and Frank Sinatra have all stayed there.
Bough from Ali himself in 1997 – 16 years after the fighter last used it as a training camp for his final bout against Trevor Berbick – George Dillman refurbished the worn-out site, but key reminders of the fighter’s time there remain: the house Ali lived in; his gym; kitchen hall; chalet and horse stable; and 10 cabins – which homed Ali’s team and sparring partners – are all there atop a secluded mountain.
Dotted among the 18 buildings are 18 giant boulders on which names of great boxers, like Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano, are painted. Further investigation will investigation will uncover hooks that supported his punching bags, and hand-written notes he compiled while training like: “Up at 4.45am (GOOD), weight before running 228, ran four miles, weight after 226…”
All memorabilia, including pictures of Ali, are incorporated in the price.
