The hits, the bad hits, keep on coming. In a year where we have lost ring greats George Foreman, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Nino Benvenuti, and others, it has been reported that Rahman Ali, brother of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, has died at age 82. Numerous news outlets reported the news of Rahman’s passing on Friday, yet the cause of Ali’s death has not been disclosed.
Muhammad Ali’s Brother Dies Aged 82
Rahman was a pro fighter himself, and he shared a ring with some notable names, including Danny McAlinden, Roy Wallace and Jack O’Halloran. Rahman boxed his pro debut the night Muhammad Ali, then of course still known as Cassius Clay, shocked the world by beating Sonny Liston to become world heavyweight champion. Rahman ended up at 14-3-1(7), and of course, he was not blessed with anything like the skill and talent his icon of a brother was blessed with.
Rahman, though, was there at all of Muhammad Ali’s fights, with him working the corner for some of Ali’s epic ring encounters. Rahman also penned a couple of well-received books on his brother, while he often sparred with Ali as the former three-time heavyweight ruler got ready for his big fights. Ali had a strange, unique way of summoning his brother whenever he needed him for anything whilst he was in training camp, this by clucking his tongue in a special way.
Rahman cooked for Ali, and he was also a chauffeur. And, like his globally celebrated brother, Rahman – born Rudolph, or Rudy, Arnett Clay – adopted the Muslin faith and changed his name. It’s been famously written, numerous times in many of the various Ali books, how a young Rudy would throw rocks at young Cassius, this out in the street in front of their Louisville home, this to sharpen the future heavyweight champ’s reflexes. Rahman never once managed to hit his brother with a rock.
Rahman Ali: More Than a Brother
The two Alis were “almost inseparable,” Ali biographer Jonathan Eig wrote in his fine book. Hannah Ali, Muhammad’s daughter, wrote a touching tribute to her uncle on social media:
“My uncle Rahman, lovingly known as Rock, was a sweet, gentle soul with a heart as big as the world,” Hana wrote. “He had that same sparkle in his eye that my father had…that same light, that same mischief, that same love. They were close their entire lives, brothers by blood, but friends by choice.”