He was revered as the king of the ring after becoming the greatest heavyweight boxing champion the world has seen, oozing courage and wit that made him an inspiration.
But behind closed doors, even Muhammad Ali suffered bouts of insecurity – and would compare his looks unfavourably with those of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. The champ’s ex-wife has told how he secretly envied the singer for being “prettier”.
Despite his own physical prowess, Ali also regarded Brazilian footballing legend Pele as a “true athlete”. And he was in awe of The Beatles, becoming obsessed with their mop-top haircuts. Sharing a rare insight into his mindset, second wife Khalilah recalls: “Muhammad loved Elvis. He said to me, ‘Elvis is real pretty. People love him because all the women love him – he’s so pretty. I’m not as pretty as Elvis and he draws all the women out of nowhere’.”
The icons were close friends in the years ahead of Presley’s death aged 42 in 1977, with Ali calling himself The Elvis of Boxing. And Presley gave the boxer a custom jewelled robe that mistakenly read “People’s Choice” instead of “People’s Champ” ahead of his win over Britain’s Joe Bugner in 1973. Khalilah, 73, adds: “Whenever Muhammad and I were in Elvis’s company he was always down to earth, similar to Muhammad, loving to give and help others.
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“Sometimes when people are that great or popular they have arrogance and an ego, but Elvis and Muhammad did not. “He used to play his records all the time. He was fond of The Beatles and very fascinated by their hair cuts . He would pull their hair up.”
Khalilah, who married the boxer in 1967, when he was 25 and she was 17, also tells of Ali’s admiration for Brazilian striker Pele, real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, as a fellow Black man at the top of his sport. Pele is recognised for winning the World Cup three times with Brazil, while Ali won the heavyweight world title three times, with a professional record of 56 victories, 37 via knockout, and five defeats.
Khalilah, who is the mother of four of Ali’s nine children, recalls: “In 1975, Muhammad and I went to Cairo in Egypt and found out Pele was performing at the Nile Stadium. “He was totally amazing. Muhammad couldn’t believe it and said to me, ‘This man is a true athlete’. When we were there at the stadium the crowd went wild and they totally saw two black men at the top of their sports admiring each other. “It was amazing to see that connection. They both loved each other and smiled with so much joy and love.”
Originally from Chicago and now living in Florida, Khalilah met Ali at her hometown mosque when she was 10. He was still known by his birth name Cassius Clay, which he abandoned after he converted to Islam in 1964, and she was still Belinda Boyd. While married, they lived with their children – Maryum ‘May May’, twins Jamillah and Rasheda, and Muhammad Ali Jr – in a six-bed ranch-style home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with a pool, hot tub, tennis court and basketball court.
Their home was like a revolving door for celebrities – and strangers – during their nine-year marriage, says Khalilah. “I had to get up in the morning and get fully dressed because I knew somebody was always going to be coming to the house,” she recalls. “Muhammad was going to open the door for strangers and walk them through the house. He liked to show off his beautiful home. I had to put up with that but I didn’t mind.
“I remember Michael Parkinson came to our home in the 70s. Muhammed would say, ‘Woman, give me some food’, like he's the master of the house. He played master and I played submissive and [Parkinson] fell for it. He was just so funny. “He wasn’t that much of a cook – he was more of an eater. But we used to do chores, fixing up stuff together. He cut the grass and said to me, ‘This is good exercise. I can do this because it keeps me in shape.’
“He liked chopping trees down and making wood for the fireplace. He liked manual labour. But I will tell you, when we had the twins it was tough struggling with two every time.” Their marriage broke down when Muhammad began an affair with 16-year-old Wanda Bolton. Khalilah later accused her ex-husband of having many illegitimate children.
Ali was married four times – to Sonji Roi before Khalilah and to Veronica Porsche and Lonnie Ali after their split. Reflecting on his betrayal, Khalilah says: “Every man has weaknesses – we all have weaknesses. He admitted that he was weak for women and I understood that. But I said to him, ‘How come you just can’t be strong?’ I was strong in my convictions. I said, ‘Everyone wants to be like you. So I’m curious who would you like to be like?’
“I was expecting him to say somebody heroic, iconic. He told me, ‘I don’t want to pat you on the back or anything but if I was half as strong as you, I would really be more happier’. “I didn’t see that coming. At least he admired me, his wife, for her strength, my durability to succeed and stay focused on my directive being strong to my faith.”
Khalilah stuck by Ali in 1967 when he was stripped of his world championship and threatened with jail for refusing to fight in Vietnam, using her college money to help keep the family afloat. And she was his right-hand woman for much of his career, handling PR, promotions and strategy behind the scenes. After their divorce in 1977, they remained friends for decades until his death in 2016, aged 74, after battling Parkinson’s Disease.
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Despite this, Khalilah says she was not consulted about the 2001 Hollywood film of his life Ali, starring Will Smith. She says: “I lived with Muhammad Ali over 10 years as a family and helped his career. They did not call me. I’m the one that was with him through most of his career guiding him and nobody from the movie asked me anything. They didn’t put me as part of his life, they should have done.
“When they chose Will Smith, it was fine. Will Smith tended to like Ali a lot and he looked like the part but the only thing about it is they guided him in the direction of being angry all the time. Muhammad Ali was never that angry. He was a happy person. He got along with people very well. He was always joking and having fun with people. I miss him very much.”
