The Champ's Camp: A Closer Look at Fighter's Heaven

Muhammad Ali trained for some of the most prolific fights of his career at Fighter's Heaven, including the Thrilla in Manila, the Rumble in the Jungle, and his second fight against Leon Spinks--the fight that made him the first heavyweight boxer in history to win the Championship Title three times. All of his training was free and open to the public, which lured in spectators from all over the country. Ali could be found in the gym, running along the road next to the camp, or chopping trees.

In preperation for upcoming fights, Muhammad often had multiple sparring partners present at camp chosen for specific skillsets based on his opponents' strengths. However, many of his sparmates were frequently at Fighter's Heaven regardless of whether or not they matched his next opponent's skills. These included his brother Rahman Ali, Jimmy Ellis, and Alonzo Johnson, who trained with Ali for many years. Other sparmates at Fighter's Heaven included future World Champions Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Holmes was introduced to Muhammad Ali by Gene Kilroy when the training camp first opened in 1972, and would eventually be Ali's second to last opponent before he retired from boxing for good.