#9 Ali was turned away by his idol Sugar Ray Robinson
To say a young Cassius Clay was a fan of Sugar Ray Robinson would be an understatement. Muhammad Ali called Sugar Ray "the king, the master, my idol." However, he got a rude shock when he was turned away by his idol on their first meeting in 1960.
Later, Ali reminisced “At that moment, I vowed never to turn a fan away.” And he remained the same throughout and later quipped, “I’m the people’s champion. You can walk up to me and say ‘hello’ without paying.”
Edited by Staff Editor