Boxing: Meeting Muhammad Ali in the summer of 1967

Dubai - Noorjehan, a Kenyan married to an Emirati, came to the UAE in 1975 and later on served as an English teacher for 25 years in the UAE

By Sunita Menon

Published: Sun 5 Jun 2016, 4:48 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Jun 2016, 10:29 AM

The summer of 1967, remains as an unforgettable year in the life of 77-year-old Noorjehan Hassan Zaidi. "It was the year I met the boxing legend, late Muhammad Ali," she said.

Noorjehan, a Kenyan married to an Emirati, came to the UAE in 1975 and later on served as an English teacher for 25 years in the UAE Ministry of Education. Picking up a black-and-white photograph from her family album, she said: "The lady in the centre is me and standing on either side is Ali and his wife Khalilah Camacho-Ali, nee Belinda Boyd.

I also have a colour-copy made of the same photograph. This is one of my prized possessions and this was taken to make my father believe that I have indeed met the greatest boxer in the world."

Memories of that particular summer evening came flooding back when she learnt that Ali had passed away.

"I was 28 then. I was travelling from University of California, Los Angeles Summer School to Sarah Lawrence College in New York and I stopped by in Chicago. Being a Muslim, I wanted to know more about Muslims in America and I met a family who invited me to stay with them for a few days. One day, they asked me to come down for dinner without telling me who were the others who were invited.

"At the dinner, I looked around and saw a face that I recognised immediately. It was Muhammad Ali and, there I was, sitting just a few feet away from him. He looked very handsome. I did not get a chance to speak to him. I just smiled at him and he smiled back. Also present at the dinner was Belinda, his second wife. They were newly married."

After dinner when Ali and his wife left, Noorjehan enquired with her hostess as to why she was not informed that Ali was going to be one of the guests.

"If I had known, I would have brought my small camera with me. I wanted to take a photograph with him, just to show my father and my family back home in Kenya. My father would not have believed me if I had told him that I had met the greatest boxer the world has ever seen," she said

Her hostess asked her whether she was indeed serious of having a photograph taken alongside Ali.

"When she saw that I was serious about it, she took out her small address book and telephoned the man himself. And I overheard her saying: "Brother Muhammad, what time are you going to the airport tomorrow? Can you please make sometime to come to our house? This sister (pointing to me) you met today would like to have a photograph taken with you to show it to her father."

Both Ali and his wife came to the house on their way to the airport. The couple were on their honeymoon to Boston. This shows that he was a very kind man. He came especially for me and to please my father," said Noorjehan, looking at the photograph.

sunita@khaleejtimes.com