UNITED KINGDOM: BOXING - Movie star Sylvester Stallone and boxer Amir Khan pay tribute to Muhammad Ali as he reaches his 65th birthday
- 00:00:15
- ITN Source
UNITED KINGDOM: BOXING - Movie star Sylvester Stallone and boxer Amir Khan pay tribute to Muhammad Ali as he reaches his 65th birthday
"Everything an athlete should be, and a man should be" says Sylvester Stallone, and "He means a lot to me, he's a legend," says Amir Khan, wishing Ali "Happy Birthday". Sylvester Stallone paid tribute to Muhammad Ali on Tuesday (January 16), marking the former boxing champion's 65th birthday on Wednesday (January 17). Speaking at the United Kingdom premiere of his "Rocky Balbao" film, Stallone said: "He's everything an athlete should be, and a man should be, and we will never see the likes of him again". Stallone referred to Ali's influence in the creation of Apollo Creed, the fictious boxer in the Rocky movies. "I based Apollo Creed on him, and thank God such a character existed because I would never have thought one up," he said. Amir Khan, who won a boxing silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games, was pleased to wish Ali a happy birthday. The young boxer, who became IBF inter-continental light welterweight champion in December 2006, said: "He means a lot to me, the guy's a legend. I'm telling you Muhammad Ali means a lot to me, I met him a couple of months back and all I can say is Happy Birthday, Muhammad Ali, and if it gets to him it will be wicked because he's a legend".
ITN Source | January 18, 2007
