Retired professional boxer and Halifax native Ricky Anderson says Muhammad Ali’s spirit of determination will live on.
“You can do much better if you continue to love life and live on and have friends, and all that kind of stuff. Your life will go on. ‘Never give up’, I think is Ali’s message. Never give up. And he never ever gave up,” he said.
Ali died on Friday at age 74.
Anderson, a Canadian welterweight champion, once met Ali at Province House and said Ali had an intimidating presence but was, overall, a nice man.
“I think, for the black community, it was just amazing to have such a figure like Muhammad Ali,” he said.
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Growing up, Anderson said Ali was an inspiration.
“He just comes out of you. You feel like, ‘Hey, I want to be Muhammad Ali,'” he said, noting he was a fan of the Ali Shuffle style of movement.
WATCH: One boxing great remembers another – former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who surpassed Ali’s record for most heavyweight title fights in 2000, reflects on the legacy and impact of “The Greatest”.
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