Ali, who was born on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, fought 7 of his early fights in Miami, including winning his first world title with a 7th round technical knockout of the fearsome champion Sonny Liston, at the Miami Beach Convention Hall.
Many years before the Dolphins’ “Killer B” defense patrolled the Orange Bowl, the man who stung like a bee trained at the 5th Street Gym, which was located on Miami Beach at 5th and Washington, less than 7 miles from the Stadium. Ali had been training there under the tutelage of trainer Angelo Dundee, having arrived in Miami in 1960.