As the world continues to mourn the passing of arguably its greatest ever sportsman, Confidential recalls the bizarre moment the three time world heavyweight champion boxer was backed into a corner by the people of Manchester.

IT’S OCTOBER 12 1971, and seven months after he collected a cool $2.5 million for his part in ‘The Fight of the Century’ versus Smokin’ Joe Frazier (his first defeat in 32 professional fights), ‘The Greatest That Ever Lived’, Muhammad Ali, is stood in a Tesco in Stretford Mall, promoting malt-based bedtime drink Ovaltine.

I was scared of that crowd - Muhammad Ali

“I am the greatest…” declares Ali, in his usual bombastic manner, “and so is Ovaltine.

“Of course,” says Ali, catching himself, “I’m being paid to say that. But it’s true.”

Ali is on a whistle-stop tour of the UK, visiting cities such as Manchester, Norwich and Birmingham to promote the health benefits of the drink and to sell tins bearing his autograph.

“Do you need the money?” asks Granada reporter Bob Greaves.

“I always need the money, I’m not gonna lie,” replies Ali, “but I’ve just signed a fight for four hundred thousand dollars next month, and I just came off two and a half million with Joe Frazier, and just made three hundred thousand with James Ellis, and have another five million coming up with Joe Frazier.

“I'm not here just because I got to have the money,” continues Ali, “I’m getting out to meet the people of this city, I never would have been here if it wasn’t for Ovaltine."

 
.Press clipping show Ali backed into a corner by the crowd

However, what Ali hadn’t banked on was just how many people would want to meet him.

Following an hour of hysteria and a few injuries in which the 1000-strong crowd shattered an '£80 doorway' to the store, Ali told the crowd that if they didn’t retreat he’d be forced to cut short his visit.

“I was scared of that crowd,” he’d later say. “I had no idea it would be as big as that.”

Boxing writer Steve Bunce recalls that it took two local policemen to save Ali from the ‘good-natured melee.’

Attempting to explain the frenzy at the time, a police spokesman said: “Some of the crowd thought Ali was there to give away tins of Ovaltine.”

That explains it.

This story first appeared on Confidential in 2012 in an article exploring the history of Stretford Mall by Hayley Flynn. You can watch the full Granada interview with Muhammad Ali here.

.'The Greatest' visited Stretford Mall on 12 October 1971

 

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