Muhammad Ali stepped into the boxing ring 61 times in his pro career. Ten of those bouts were held in New York City,where he fought more than any other plot. (Las Vegas comes in moment with eight.) But perhaps no neighborhood in this city held Ali closer to its heart than Harlem.
Walking down 125th Street on Saturday, the day after Muhammad Ali died at age 74, and residents one after another opened up with emotion about the former heavyweight champion.
Just saying his name evoked spontaneous encomiums,evaluations of how Ali stacked up "pound for pound" against other legendary fighters, and stories about how the self-proclaimed "greatest of all time" could draw huge crowds simply by strolling the local streets.
One of those stories involves a dice game. Another is told by a man who grew up "disenfranchised" in Alabama, and moved to Harlem and,inspired by Ali, made the business decision that remade his life.
Source: wnyc.org