During visits to Fighter’s Heaven, the camp near Deer Lake where Muhammad Ali trained for several of his famous bouts in the 1970s, George Veneroso was struck by the boxer’s candor and friendliness during meetings with the public.
As an 18-year-old heavyweight boxer just beginning his career, Veneroso was invited to train at the camp in 1974, where he would meet Ali and other iconic boxing figures, including Jimmy Ellis and Larry Holmes.
Among his many talents, Veneroso recalled, Ali was very sociable and skilled at engaging people in conversation.
“He was very nice,” said Veneroso, 67, of White Haven.
Veneroso shared memories of the camp Saturday at a public event, called “Memories of Ali at Deer Lake,” aimed at collecting insights and information for a new book to be authored by historian Todd M. Mealy.
When Ali trained for “The Rumble In The Jungle” against George Foreman in Zaire and for “The Thrilla in Manila” in the Philippines against his greatest rival, Joe Frazier, the young Veneroso trained alongside him about twice a week in the ring at Fighter’s Heaven.
Veneroso, a native of Hazleton, had been invited to the camp by Ali’s business manager, Gene Kilroy.
While at the facility, Ali did not assume a mentor role to the young boxer but let him train as he pleased. Veneroso also got a chance to spar with Ellis and Holmes, who trained with Ali during this period.
Still in the nascent stages of his career at the time, Veneroso said he had lacked the confidence and other mental traits that he believes make a successful boxer. As a raw and unproven talent, he was simply grateful to have received the opportunity to train alongside “The Greatest.”
“I think they saw a (heavyweight) kid who had potential,” said Veneroso, who boxed competitively from 1973 to 1996.
Veneroso recalled being overwhelmed at times by the bustling Fighter’s Heaven site, which was often swarmed with photographers and Ali’s associates.
Other visitors at Saturday’s event echoed Veneroso’s sentiments about the boxer.
Neal Novak and Rick Heimbach, both of Allentown, recalled a visit they had made to the camp in the summer of 1978.
In contrast to the loud and boisterous figure often portrayed by the media, Ali surprised the two friends by his quiet and soft-spoken demeanor.
“He was very nice and stayed as long as everybody wanted,” Heimbach said, “and signed everything anybody wanted. But he wasn’t walking around, saying ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.’ … He was very gracious and welcoming.”
Source: Berkshire mont