CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before the bell rang and punches were thrown at Revolution Park Sports Academy Saturday, a moment of silence was held. Local boxers paid their respects to Muhammad Ali, who made it possible for them to participate.
"Hopefully his memory will last a long time," Coach Al Simpson said. "Waking up and seeing he had passed away took me back some."
Like many boxers, Muhammad Ali inspired Simpson to start in the sport. Simpson later became a successful coach and was inducted into the Women's Boxing Hall of Fame with Ali's daughter Laila.
Even though Ali stopped fighting decades ago, aspiring boxers still try to be like the man who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee
"I've had two or three of the kids come in and be like well Muhammad Ali didn't have his hands up and I'm like well that was Muhammad Ali you're going to learn it this way," Simpson said.
Ali's natural talent inside the ring was only matched by his passion for civil rights and social justice outside the ropes.
“At a point in my life I was misguided and I found boxing and fell in love with it," Jaime Latu, a local boxer said. "I looked up to Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali and they were kind of in the same situation of me and they kind of inspired me."
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