Rahaman Ali, the youthful brother of heavyweight icon Muhammad Ali, has handed away on the age of 82, the Muhammad Ali Center confirmed on Monday. He died on Friday, August 1.
Reflecting on his affect, DeVone Holt, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center, stated:
“You can’t tell Muhammad’s story without mentioning Rahaman. He was one of the most constant sources of support for Muhammad during his career and their relationship was a true example of what it means to be ‘my brother’s keeper’.”
Ring Magazine additionally paid tribute:
“The Ring is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Rahaman Ali. Our sympathies are with the Ali family at this time.”
Born in July 1943—18 months after his brother—Rahaman was initially named Rudolph Arnett Clay earlier than altering his identify, following in Muhammad’s footsteps.
He stood by his brother by means of each main second, typically seen at Muhammad’s coaching camps and ringside at lots of his historic bouts. He even made his skilled debut on the undercard of Muhammad’s first title-winning struggle in opposition to Sonny Liston in February 1964.
Over the course of his personal profession, Rahaman fought in 18 skilled bouts, attaining 14 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw. He retired in 1972 following a knockout loss to Jack O’Halloran, a heavyweight fighter who additionally appeared within the Superman movie sequence. It was the one stoppage defeat of Rahaman’s profession.
Rahaman later chronicled his life in two books: That’s Muhammad Ali’s Brother! My Life on the Undercard (2014) and My Brother, Muhammad Ali: The Definitive Biography (2019).
