211 Talking Muhammad Ali and Las Vegas Sports

It’s as if Las Vegas was made to order for boxing legend, Muhammad Ali .  Or maybe it was the other way around.  Either way, he changed how people look at sports, how sports is marketed and he, more importantly, Muhammad Ali  changed the way people looked at Las Vegas. Legendary sports announcer and photographer Rick Rosen, also a good friend of The Vegas Tourist, joins Mark Anthony as we look at Muhammad Ali  and his connections and his impact to Las Vegas.  (Note: There are some Bad Audio Spots in the Podcast) Muhammad Ali’s first fight in Las Vegas was on June 26, 1961.  Fighting under his real name, Cassius Clay. It was in radio promotion for that fight, that Ali got the inspiration from wrestler “Gorgeous George” to start building the persona that we know today as Muhammad Ali’s “I am the greatest of all time” The thing with Muhammad Ali, is that he never just boxed.  He took his opportunities to be in the media to push for whatever it was he was passionate about.  He spoke out when people of color in the sporting world were not supposed to.  He talked loud and proud of what he thought was right or what was wrong.  As his fame and his wealth grew, he talked about how he was not going to waste the gifts that he was given for the greater good, inside and outside the boxing ring.