Nov. 27, 1964 - World champion Muhammad Ali, his 207 pounds swathed in a brown suit and a tan polo coat, received his discharge from Boston City Hospital at 11:30 this morning.
The champion — his voice stronger and his eyes clearer than at his post-operational press conference one week ago — had resigned himself, he said, to “sitting around for a sad six months.”
Muhammad, as humble as ever following his hernia operation on the eve of the scheduled Nov. 16 bout with Sonny Liston, still had some predictions to make.
“I think after three more fights I would like to retire,” remarked the 22-year-old champion.
“I predict that my next three fights will be the biggest in history. I should come out of them with $1 million, enough to retire on. After that, I could enjoy life.”
Someone asked him if, in retirement, he would take steps to get himself more formal education.
Ali replied, “It’s a thought. If you have $1 million, you can afford to hire a teacher. You don’t have to go to school.”
The champion was accompanied at his morning press conference by his wife and a 14-year-old Allston youth named Mike Manley.
Ali identified the youngster as president of Boston’s Muhammad Ali Fan Club. Ali said the boy had been writing to him for three years, “and man, I was glad to meet him.”
The champion and his wife planned to fly to Chicago, her home, late this afternoon.
The fighter, in revealing his plans to defend his championship against Liston “just as soon as the doctors permit it,” said he felt he would retire from the sport “leaving a record that will never be matched.”
Inasmuch as he has fought relatively few professional bouts and Rocky Marciano retired with a 49-0 record, it was presumed that Muhammad referred to his potential financial rewards.
The champion had spent a great deal of Thanksgiving Day visiting the ward patients at City Hospital, the most exercise he had taken since his operation Nov. 14.
He left town repeating his praises for the hospital and the medical team there.
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