MIAMI (WSVN) - The owner of Muhammad Ali’s former Miami home is telling his story of his encounters with the late, famed boxer.
If you take a drive down the 4600 block of Northwest 15th Court, in Miami, you’ll pass by a home that holds a one-of-a-kind story inside. “I was born here, but I wasn’t born when they bought the house,” said Kevin Ross.
Ross’ parents purchased the home in 1965 from Muhammad Ali himself. “I was born in ’74, after they bought the house in ’65, after he won the fight on Miami Beach,” Ross said.
Ali lived at the residence in the early days of his career. “This area right here, he had the speed bag put up, and he used to stand in front of the window and train with the speed bag,” Ross said while on a tour of the house.
Ross said he grew up hearing stories of Ali. “I keep a little memorabilia around, little things here and there that I collected as I grew up,” Ross said.
When Ali was a resident of the Miami home, he won the Heavyweight Championship in Miami, he also converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali.
Films about the boxing legend were shot at the house. The first film was “The Greatest” in 1977. “I was probably 5 or 6 years old, and I could still remember all the camera crews,” Ross said. “People setting up in our backyard, and he was walking all around and just a normal day.”
The second film to be recorded at the residence was “Ali” in 2001. “They actually re-did the whole thing to look like the ’60s,” Ross said. “Will Smith, Jamie Foxx — all them, they were all here sitting in this room.”
In between takes, Ali would connect with people in the neighborhood he once called home. “Basically, he was just reliving the old days, always doing his boxing moves and everybody from the community would gather around and watch him,” Ross said.
Ross said he plans to pass down the stories to his own children. “I try to instill in them some of those values that he told us back in the days, about how to always strive to be the best … and you can be whatever you want to be, so they are going to grow up knowing those same values,” he said.
Neighbors said Ali used to set up a film projector in his front yard where he would play movies and video from his fight for the neighborhood kids.
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