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ALI, Muhammad (1942-2016). American professional boxer, considered by many the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Olympic Gold medalist (1960). His greatest win might have been traveling to Iraq after it invaded Kuwait. Saddam Hussein took thousands of foreign hostages including 15 Americans. He used them as human shields. Some of them had worked for the GM plant in Baghdad. Ali was supposed to meet Saddam but Saddam stalled for a week. Ali was in rough shape as he ran out of his Parkinson’s medication. Ali was able to find some of the medication at a Baghdad hospital and met with Saddam Hussein on Nov. 29, 1990. Ali convinced Hussein to release all the American hostages and they went to Ali’s modest hotel room. On Dec. 2, 1990, Ali and the hostages flew out of Baghdad to JFK airport in new York. Just a few weeks later on Jan. 16, 1991, the U.S. began bombing Iraq known as “Operation Desert Storm.”
MARTIN, Joe (1916-1996). In 1994 a twelve year old Cassius Clay approached Joe Martin, a policeman, to report his bicycle was stolen. Martin offered to teach Clay how to box and became Clay’s first coach. Martin was also an Olympic coach in 1960 and accompanied Clay to the Olympic Games in Rome. Martin was inducted into the Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame in 1977.
On a brown piece of heavy card stock, Ali has written: “Muhammad Ali Service for God is the rent we pay for our room in the Hereafter. 5-22-89.” Just above Ali has drawn a boxing ring with a stick figure of himself and mike Tyson. Tyson is lying on the canvas. Many fans heads are drawn outside the ring watching the knockdown. In addition along the bottom Joe martin, Ali’s first coach has written: “From Joe Martin Ali 1st coach.” On the verso is a letter from a fan where at the bottom Ali has written “Thank you Love Muhammad Ali 5-22-89” Magnificent ..........$1,250.00
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