Last April, when I profiled Khalilah, who divorced Ali in 1977, I got to interview Dundee about the combustible relationship between the champ and his second wife. In the last days of September 1975, Dundee was in the hotel room in Manila when Khalilah stormed in to confront Ali about introducing his then-mistress as his wife to then-Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos.
The legendary cornerman told me that he was smart enough to stay clear of Ali's marital affairs. "Naturally, I would see her around and we'd talk," Dundee recalled. "But one thing I have always done is never get involved in a fighter's personal life."
Nevertheless, Khalilah asserts she had a great relationship with Dundee. They were both in Ali's corner for his biggest fights against Joe Frazier and George Foreman in the early 1970s. "Angelo was never interested in just making money off Ali," Khalilah says. "He could have easily sold out Ali, but he truly cared and had compassion for all of his boxers. He went far and beyond for Ali. He was like family."
Many years later, long after Khalilah and Muhammad broke up and the Champ hung up his gloves, she and Dundee became mainstays at South Florida Boxing Gym on Miami Beach, where he watched Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins train. Dundee, who was
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