The Champ is here!

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali returned to Toronto, Canada for the first time in almost a decade on November 19th. The Champ was making the single night visit to the city for an appearance at an annual David Foster Foundation benefit Gala.

It was a much quieter return to Toronto for Ali considering the fanfare that accompanied his last visit during 2002, when Ali appeared at Toronto’s Skydome for an Argos football game and press conference (with fellow boxing champions Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, & George Chuvalo!)

From the first time meeting Ali during an appearance in Detroit during 1996, HoundsTV has had the pleasure of seeing The Greatest a few times over the years and witness him autograph some very beautiful pieces of memorabilia for the autograph Hounds.

RELATED: Muhummad Ali autographed boxing glove. Signed “aka Cassius Clay” from Cleveland National.

But on Muhammad’s latest visit to Toronto towards the end of 2010, it’s evident the Parkinson’s disease Ali was diagnosed with many years ago has now slowed his body considerably. On arrival to his downtown Toronto hotel a few hours before his scheduled appearance at the David Foster hosted benefit – Muhammad had to be helped from the car into the hotel by wife Yolanda and another person supporting him on each side.

When Ali last visited Toronto in late 2002 – it was very public and many cameras captured that special scene. But Muhammad Ali’s 2010 visit was private and low-key. And unlike last time, very few photographers even managed to capture a shot of Ali in the city. The Champ didn’t appear before photographers assembled for the red carpet arrivals at the David Foster fundrasier and it was asked repeatedly by representatives accompanying Ali at the event that people who approach Ali – please don’t ask for autographs.

YouTube: It was a much more public appearance for Muhammad Ali on his last visit to Toronto during late 2002. Ali arrived to great fanfare, and signed autographs for the collectors.

RELATED: Muhummad Ali autographed boxing glove. Signed “aka Cassius Clay” from Cleveland National.

One special time is certainly in Cleveland during 1997. When we heard that Ali was going to be the featured autograph guest at The National, we got the HoundsTVmobile going and made the journey to Cleveland for America’s biggest memorabilia show of the year.

One of the nicer pieces I had Muhammad Ali autograph was this official Everlast leather boxing glove [ $1,995 ] signed “Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Clay.” In these early autograph days for HoundsTV there was limited opportunties to ask the Champ to add his original name inscription.

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ITEM: MUHAMMAD ALI signed Everlast boxing glove with “aka Cassius Clay” inscription – (Signed in medium black sharpie. HoundsTV watermark graphic does not appear on actual item.)
PRICE: $1,995.00 CAN + $50.00 (S&H in North America.)
SIGNED: March, 1997 – The National, Cleveland, Ohio

Contact us for any questions about this item and/or shipping charges outside North America. Includes Guarantee of Authenticity. Additional Terms & Policies. Satisfaction GUARANTEED.

(HoundsTV) Talk about blowing it in Vancouver.

That is, the final Olympic torch lighting.

We know our Canadian athletes will hold up far better under the pressure of Olympic competition then these Opening Gala organizers did in Vancouver.

I was sitting with friends watching the 2010 Opening Ceremonies when like the rest of Canada’s largest ever television audience – a sense of horror overcame me as it became clear something was malfunctioning with lighting the final flame. What if they couldn’t get the thing lit? The final torchbearers – Rick Hansen, Catriona Le May Doan, Steve Nash, Nancy Greene, and The Great One just seemed to stand around rather dumbstruck.

And who designed these huge arms of this Olympic cauldron? Did nobody step back and suspect the big picture just might become ripe for ridicule?

Amid this train wreck of a final torch lighting in Vancouver – my friends and I began to think back to some of the more memorable torch lightings from Olympics past.

And one immediately came to mind. Muhammad Ali in 1996 from Atlanta. No big fancy designed sculptures and hydraulic arm thingees. Just a final Olympic flame which Ali ignited.

Simple. Intimate.

It’s what they should have done with Gretzky in Vancouver. It would have made a far more memorable final flame lighting.

And if they have kept it more simple there wouldn’t have been the chance for the mechanical screw-up there was – witnessed by about a billion people. Nice, eh?

What’s that good, old mantra… KISS? The end of the Olympic torch relay and lighting of the final flame in Canada would have been a much more special moment if the Games organizers just would have considered it.