Obama to Ali: ‘You shocked the world’
By OSKAR GARCIA Associated Press February 19, 2012 2:58PM
Members of the Ali family arrive at the Keep Memory Alive 16th Annual "Power of Love Gala" honoring Muhammad Ali with his 70th birthday celebration on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jeff Bottari)
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Updated: February 19, 2012 5:50PM
LAS VEGAS — President Barack Obama lauded Muhammad Ali Saturday as he joined some of the world’s most famous people in a birthday celebration for the boxer known simply as “The Greatest.”
“Happy birthday, champ,” President Barack Obama told Ali through a video message, saying he wished he could have attended a swanky dinner gala in Las Vegas featuring some of the biggest names in sports, film, television and music.
“As a fighter, you were something spectacular,” Obama told Ali, who turned 70 last month. “You shocked the world, and you inspired it, too. And even after all the titles and legendary bouts, you’re still doing it.”
The gala’s 2,000 attendees were there to celebrate Ali’s life and generate millions of dollars for brain research, a mission Ali’s family says is important to him in part because of his nearly 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Football great Jim Brown said Ali represents the greatest of America, because at one time people only recognized his athletic ability and didn’t like what he had to say. That changed over time, he said.
“America started with slavery and ended up with a black president,” Brown said. “Muhammad Ali was a part of that ... a big part.”
Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, told the star-studded crowd that her husband’s greatest wish has always been to inspire and help others. She said he feels that his life really began when he retired from the ring.
“Muhammad’s gift of inspiration is timeless, and now more relevant than ever,” she said after being introduced by music icon Quincy Jones.
Lonnie Ali introduced a video montage of her husband’s life, including clips from his work with children.
“People look for miracles, people look for wonders, people expect surprises of all kinds,” Ali said in the video. “Yet the greatest wonder, the greatest miracle, the greatest surprise is to be found in one’s heart.”
Guests arriving on the red carpet included football great Franco Harris, supermodel Cindy Crawford, acting star Samuel L. Jackson, Ali’s children and grandchildren and Chuck Wepner, who fought Ali in 1975 for the heavyweight title and lost.
“I would go anywhere in the world for Muhammad Ali’s birthday,” Wepner said.
One of Ali’s daughters, Rasheda Ali, said the gala is a chance for friends, family and A-listers who look up to her father to show their respect for his life and legacy as a humanitarian. In return, she says he’ll be honored to see them there.
“He has not left that need to help others,” Rasheda Ali said. “That’s one of his core values — his charity and his giving.”
The gala — with tickets starting at $1,500 per plate — was held at the MGM Grand, the site of most of boxing’s major fights the past two decades. Famous faces converged on the 160 tables adjacent to two rings and a stage — Terrence Howard, Anthony Hopkins, Manny Pacquiao, and Lenny Kravitz, among others. They planned performances and tributes to a fighter who went 56-5 in the ring with 37 knockouts and became perhaps the most famous athlete ever because of his personality and willingness to publicly stand up for his beliefs.
The gala raised funds for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., a cultural attraction that celebrates Ali’s life and pushes educational goals on a wide range of topics for adults and children.
ABC and ESPN plan to air the gala on Feb. 25.
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