We grew up boxing fans. My first fight I saw live was a great card in the Boston garden that boasted Irish Micky Ward as an opening bout on his way to history and Dangerous Dana Rosenblat (at the time the only professional Jewish boxer). There was a few weeks where my father went out regularly in Boston with Don King (who though he wore a jean jacket with his own likeness apparently when asked if he was BB King would say yes and sign BB King's name) We were raised to revere great fighters. Ali seemed to be the best of them all. The very first project my father ever got on his own outside of the New Orleans tie company he was working in house for and the project that he llc'd for, an LLC that would eventually become @tothco he met Ali's apparently wall eyed manager in a bar in New Orleans and though having ZERO experience he talked his way into designing the t shirt for the fight. But my personal favorite Ali story was at the Tyson vs Spinks fight in 88. My mother and father were there and lucky enough to see all 91 seconds of it. My mother was and still is a very beautiful woman. And it was her parents that were the die hard boxing fans. She has it in her blood. On the way in to the fight in Vegas with the star studded red carpet she noticed Ali was coming up behind them. Security was man handling people out of the way to give him space. So, she timed it. As security tried to move her, she fell. An act of drama that would have made a professional soccer player blush. But she made sure she fell in front of Ali. He was, as always, the gentleman, the definition of man that many of us strive for. And he personally helped the lady to her feet, apologized for the security and asked if he could escort her into the fight. Momma Toth accepted and she walked into Tyson v Spinks on the arm of the champ. #ripali #ripthechamp #hokahey #staygold
