Gene Kilroy has stories galore about his good friend Muhammad Ali. Some highlight his unwillingness to abide by the status quo, others the genius behind his quick wit. But others still remind us of how special Ali was away from the ring.
Kilroy was Ali's business manager for decades, a close personal friend of 'The Greatest' right up until Ali's death in June 2016.
An Irish-American who was an ever-present for many defining moments of Ali's life, Kilroy spoke with Off The Ball's Shane Hannon recently from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada.
One story about Ali's encounter with a terminally ill child called Jimmy evokes emotion from Kilroy to this day, and shows the empathy Ali had with those who weren't as fortunate as him in life.
"The little boy came up to the training camp. It was a hot summer day, he had a skull cap on. Ali worked out and the father came up to me and said 'My son would like to meet Ali, he's got cancer, it's pretty bad.'
"I said okay and brought him back to meet Ali and Ali sat there with the little boy. Ali said 'Why do you have the hat on?' The little boy said 'I've got cancer, I've gotta wear this, I've lost all my hair and all.'
"Ali hugged the boy and I took a picture of them. Ali told the boy 'Don't worry, you're gonna beat cancer and I'm gonna beat George Foreman.'
"The little boy said 'I hope you're right, I hope you're right.' I took the picture and sent it to the father and about two weeks later the father called me back and said 'My boy's at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, he's not gonna make it. I just want to thank you for everything.'
"Ali did his road-running, I was in the car and he ran. He said 'Let's go down to the hospital.' So we drove down from Deer Lake to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, a two-hour ride.
"We're talking and he's saying 'You'll never know how lucky you are, [when] your kids are healthy, you thank god, the little boy is trying to make it, I hope he makes it.'
"When we pull up to the hospital, I had the room number marked down. Everybody mobbed us, we went up on the elevator to the little boy's room.
"There was the little boy, Jimmy, as white as a sheet, and he said 'I knew you'd come Ali, I knew you'd come!' Muhammad said 'Remember I told you, you're gonna beat cancer, and I'm gonna beat George Foreman.'
"The little boy said 'No, champ - I'm gonna meet god and I'm gonna tell him you're my friend.' It was so touching, I had tears in my eyes, Ali had tears in his eyes.
Jul 30,1966; Louisville, KY; USA: FILE PHOTO; Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali holds a young girl while he visits a school in 1966. Mandatory Credit: The Courier-Journal-USA TODAY Sports"On the way back there wasn't much said in the car. Imagine - you go to god and say you're a friend of Muhammad Ali's, what a compliment that is.
"About a week later, I got a call from the father to say the little boy died. I told Ali, I said I was going to go over to [the wake]. Ali said 'I'd be too sad.'
"I went over, and in the casket they had that picture. 'You're gonna beat cancer, and I'm gonna beat George Foreman.'
"But that's the kind of guy Ali was."
Over the coming week we'll be publishing various articles around Gene Kilroy's stories of life with Muhammad Ali - from the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in Zaire, introducing Ali to Elvis, his rivalry with 'Smokin' Joe Frazier and fight in Dublin in 1972. You can watch the full interview on YouTube above.
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