Muhammad Ali came to Macau as a boxer to promote the sport in 1994, but it was his magic tricks that captured the imagination of locals, in the only visit he made to the territory.
At that time "The Greatest," who died recently on June 3, was already battling Parkinson's disease. He came to Macau to attend a boxing event, organized by the American Boxing Association, which took place in the ring at the Pavilion of Colégio D. Bosco.
Former President of the Sports Institute, Manuel Silverio, was one of the people who closely followed the visit of Muhammad Ali, a memorable experience for all those who had the opportunity to meet the 1960 Olympic champion: "When he came his speech was already limited due to Parkinson's disease. But he always ha a handkerchief in his pocket to do magic and entertain people. They were simple tricks, just using his hands and the handkerchief," Manuel Silverio recalls.
“The impression [he left] was a very good one. He was a very affable person, you could see that he was prepared not only to fight in the ring but also in terms of diplomacy and kindness. Above all he was very human and likeable," he adds of the American boxer’s personality.
In 1994, it was Muhammad Ali who showed interest in visiting the territory after the opportunity to visit the People's Republic of China in 1993: "They contacted me and told me of the matter. Of course I immediately said that Macau would receive him with the greatest of pleasure. At the time he was the best springboard or platform for launching the sport," Silverio explains. "He came on his own initiative and covered his expenses. He wanted to study the boxing market potential in the region," says Silverio.
The American’s knowledge of Macau was very limited, however the image he took away from the territory, according to Silverio, was positive: "He was surprised by Macau because didn’t know anything about the territoy. But his objective was to help the development of boxing and he was the best ambassador possible. Here in Macau, wherever he went he was soon followed by crowds," he recalls.
– Compassionate side –
The former President of the Sports Institute recalls that during his visit to Macau, Ali’s itinerary included visits to several locations including: the current residence of the Portuguese Consul-General, which at the time was the Bela Vista Hotel; the office of Jorge Rangel, Secretary for Public Administration, Education and Youth and the person in charge of Sports activities in Macau at the time; and even the old Mandarin Oriental Hotel, currently the Grand Lapa.
Ali also visited several charities to help the less fortunate. One of the visits was reported by one of his bodyguards, Pedro Fernandez, in an article published in 2012 on the RingTalk portal.
Currently a commentator for HBO, Fernandez recounts that, at the time, the boxer asked to be driven to an orphanage, having had enough of the protocol visits. The boxer met a Catholic nun and a "small team" who took care of 30 children aged between 3 months and 10 years.
Moved by the scene he encountered, he asked those present to contribute the money they had on them and collected US$1,400 at the time, which he donated to the orphanage. At the end, the nun explained that that amount was enough to pay all the expenses of the institution for more than a year. The compassionae side of Muhammad Ali's visit is also confirmed by Manuel Silverio: "He helped some institutions here, but I can’t say which ones or how much he donated."
– From Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali –
Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky. As a boxer he was a three-time world heavyweight champion and won an Olympic gold in 1960, in Rome. Throughout his career, he participated in 61 fights, winning 56, including 37 by knockout, and lost 5.
In terms of style, Ali was a very fast boxer, who could reconcile speed with a strong punch. In his famous words, he "flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee."
After being crowned world champion in 1964, Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali, an event linked to his religious conversion to Islam: "Cassius Clay is a slave name. I did not choose that name and do not want to live with it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and my name means loved by God," he said of the change.
Despite his enviable record, Ali was prevented from fighting between March 1967 and October 1970. At the time he refused to be conscripted into the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War. Ali publicly stated that he would rather be arrested than fight. He was sentenced to five years in prison – which he never served as the ruling was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court – and a fine of US$100,000.
When he returned to the ring in March 1971, he met with one of his main rivals, Joe Frazier, in what became known as the "Fight of the Century". Fifteen rounds were fought, and ultimately the winner by unanimous decision of the jury, was Frazier. It was the only victory Frazier achieved in his three fights against Muhammad Ali.
Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1984 – a disease that may have been caused by blows to the head suffered while boxing – Ali died on June 3 in Arizona, due to a septic shock after being hospitalized with respiratory difficulties.
He will be remembered as much more than just a boxer. Outside the ring he was a political activist and a cultural icon, and to a small group of orphans in Macau he was a generous man with some magic tricks.
