Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2025
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A Close Encounters With The Greatest
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When I started working full time in 1980 for Smithkline, the giant pharmaceutical company based in Philadelphia, I had no idea what kind of photographic opportunities would come my way. About 6 months into the job, I’ll never forget walking into my bosses office located at 1500 Spring Garden Street to receive my assignment for June of that year. I was nearly floored when I was assigned to take documentary photographs of Muhammad Ali during his visit to Philadelphia.
Ali was in town to promote the last fight of his career which was with Larry Holmes. The fight took place four months later in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace on October 2, 1980. Unfortunately, Ali lost the bout by a technical knockout in the 10th round. This fight marked the end of Ali’s legendary boxing career, as he retired shortly thereafter. Holmes (another legend in the annals of boxing history) like many people around the world loved Muhammad Ali as he was a former sparring partner. Realizing his skills as a fighter were greatly diminished he waved and pleaded with the referee to stop the fight knowing Ali had nothing left in the tank after the 9th round.
These photographs were taken at the Philadelphia Zoo. I captured him as he was leaving a press conference while he was on his way out to a waiting limousine with his entourage. He noticed a piano on his way and paused to play his rendition of Chopsticks. It was a humorous moment sealed within these photographic memories. When I turned the photographs in at the public relations department the next day, a senior PR official liked the pictures so much that Ali was contacted at his hotel room and asked him to sign them for me. And so he did on June 30th 1980.