Ali’s Birthday & Seven Heavyweight Champions Who Are Capricorns!
By: Ken Hissner
Cus D’Amato at his home in the Catskills of New York once told this writer back in 1982 that “if a new kid came into the gym and is a Capricorn(12/22-1/20) I will work with him”. Well, he trained and managed heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson who was born January 4th with a 55-8-1 (40) record who passed away on May 11th, 2011 at the age of 71. He was the 1952 Olympic middleweight champion.
On the 17th of January we celebrate the 75th birthday of Muhammad Ali, 56-5 (37), who passed away on June 3rd, 2016. Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award from President George W. Bush in November of 2005. In 1998 Ali received the “GQ Man of the Year Award” presented to him by Whitney Houston. Ali received the “Personality of the Century Award. In 1974 Ali received the Sports Illustrated “Sports Person of the Year Award. In 1999 Ali received the “Sports Personality of the Year Award” by the BBC. Ali was the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight champion. In November of 1990 Ali met with Iraq President Sadam Hussein and brought back 15 American hostages to the US. It was something no President of this country ever did without paying ransom for them or firing a shot.
There are six other heavyweight champions who were born under the sign of Capricorn. Philadelphia’s formerWBC & WBA champion “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon, 55-13-1 (38), is 59 having been born on December 27th. South Africa’s Corrie “The Sniper” Sanders, 42-4 (31), was the WBO heavyweight champion was born on January 7th, 1966 and at 46 he passed away on 9/23/12.
New Zealand’s Joe Parker, 22-0 (18), won the WBO heavyweight title December 10th, 2016, and is 25 born January 9th, 1992, and currently living in Las Vegas, NV. Former WBC & WBA heavyweight champion “Big” George Foreman, 76-5 (68), was born January 10th, 1949 and is 68, living in Houston, TX. He was the 1968 Olympic heavyweight champion. “Smokin” Joe Frazier, 32-4-1 (27), was born January 12th, 1944 and passed on November 7th, 2011 at age 67. He was the 1964 Olympic heavyweight champion.