Khalil Rountree has given a fascinating insight into the life of his father, who was a bodyguard for Muhammad Ali and managed Boyz II Men.
The dad of the light heavyweight contender was tragically murdered when his son was just two-years-old.
Khalil Rountree reveals that his dad was a bodyguard for Muhammad Ali
On October 5, at UFC 307 inside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Khalil Rountree will put it all on the line when he faces Alex Pereira for light heavyweight gold.
Blessed with lethal hands, honed through years of Muay Thai training, the American has the perfect style on paper, to gel with the Brazilian’s Glory kickboxing, to give the fans an exhilarating contest.
The Los Angeles fighter’s road to the title has been even more difficult than most, with Rountree having to overcome the devastating loss of his father.
Khalil Rountree Sr lived an interesting life, keeping Muhammad Ali safe as his personal bodyguard, as well as managing Boyz II Men and New Edition.
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During the UFC 307 Countdown Show, his son said: “When I was two-years-old, my father was murdered. He was a manager for Boyz II Men, New Edition; there was a time in his career where he was a personal bodyguard for Muhammad Ali.”
The documentary then showed the MMA star talking about a plaque Boyz II Men had given him of a record, featuring an interlude with the name he shares with his father.
Rountree then bravely discussed his memories of his dad’s send-off.
He said: “At his funeral, I remember hundreds if not thousands of people. When I think about that, you’ve got to be a certain type of person to have complete strangers, and a mass amount of people coming to your funeral to honor your life.”
Of course, losing his dad at such a young age was incredibly difficult for the athlete.
‘The War Horse’ explained: “I think the biggest thing was that I didn’t have the courage to really face certain challenges, because I didn’t have anyone that stood there to let me know that everything would be ok, that I’d come out ok in the end. So, that kind of held me back a bit.”
But regardless of the adversity, Rountree has excelled in life, with just one fight separating him from achieving his lifelong dream.
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 29, 2024😢😔Khalil Rountree's father was murdered when Khalil was just 2 years old. He had a remarkable career, once serving as Muhammad Ali's personal bodyguard, and his funeral drew a large crowd of strangers, showing the deep impact he left behind
🎥 @ufc ▫️ pic.twitter.com/zilytaXic1
Chael Sonnen believes Khalil Rountree will beat Alex Pereira at UFC 307
While many are expecting Pereira to detonate his left hook on his rival’s jaw and retain his belt, Chael Sonnen is adamant that we’re going to see an upset.
Having analyzed the styles of both men, he’s confident that Rountree has the skill set to pull off the victory.
He went into great depth, explaining that the Californian won’t just win, but will do so via knockout.
