THE Muhammad Ali centre that was opened by the legend himself now stands derelict and smashed up while covered in bird poo.
Nicknamed “The Greatest”, the former heavyweight world champion is one of the most significant sporting figures of all-time.
GettyThe Muhammad Ali Centre now stands derelict in Handsworth[/caption]
BPMThe former bar area has been left to rot with pool tables overturned[/caption]
GettyThe boxing icon was mobbed by fans in Birmingham in August 1983[/caption]
BPMThe former heavyweight champion opened the centre back in 1983[/caption]
But despite his worldwide fame, the American was determined to keep his word and head to the Handsworth district of Birmingham back in August 1983.
According to the Daily Mail, Ali received no money for his trip to open the centre.
The man, who just a year later would be diagnosed with Parkinson’s, was “picked up from Heathrow in a Birmingham businessman’s Rolls Royce and serenaded by the TV-AM chef Rustie Lee, a television celebrity at that time, in her Handsworth restaurant.”
The Muhammad Ali Centre was built so that local youngsters would be able to use it for the likes of karate classes, music nights and its pool tables.
As he officially unveiled it, Ali told the packed audience: “I’m not just boasting by saying I’m the greatest. We’re the greatest.”
Now, as these pictures show, the Muhammad Ali Centre is in a state of complete dereliction.
The stage upon which the boxing icon once stood is covered in bird poo with the bar area completely smashed up.
A number of pool tables have been turned upside down among the scorched remains of chairs with rubbish piling up outside.
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A fire forced the centre to close in 2002 and it has been owned by local organisation, Kajans Women’s Enterprise, for the past seven years.
Gary Newbon was a reporter for ATV at the time of Ali’s visit and covered the grand opening.
He told the Mail: “He was so keen on community and those he called his ‘brothers’ in Handsworth clearly meant so much.
“Opening that place was a big thing for him. It’s a scandal how it’s gone to rack and ruin.”
BPMOld chairs have been set on fire while the walls have graffiti on them[/caption]
GettyAli playfully shadow boxes with John Conteh while visiting the Bull Ring Shopping Centre[/caption]
GettyMuhammad Ali was moved by the huge support he received as thousands lined the streets[/caption]
GettyThe former world champion poses with a copper during his visit[/caption]
GettyAli received no money for his visit to Birmingham to open the centre[/caption]
GettyThe centre has ‘gone to rack and ruin’[/caption] Read More