When he wasn't verbally sparring with the likes of Mike Ditka, Michael Jordan or Walter Payton during his 41-year career as a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune, Fred Mitchell was not shy about accepting a challenge from legendary heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
Mitchell, a 1969 Wittenberg alumnus and an eight-year member of the Board of Directors, accepted Ali's challenge to step into the boxing ring with him for a friendly sparring match in 1998. Ali, who passed away June 3 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's Disease, is remembered for his larger-than-life personality, over-the-top confidence and engaging personality that made him perhaps the most recognized celebrity in the world.
Mitchell first met Ali in 1978 and encountered him a few times after that in Chicago while following his amazing boxing career. But it was 20 years later when Mitchell was able to spend a couple of hours with Ali in his home.
"On Nov. 12, 1998, I was invited to join a group of seven people associated with a Chicago charity to visit Muhammad Ali at his former estate in Berrien Springs, Mich.," Mitchell said. "I was the only media member in the group, so I got an exclusive interview with the Champ. Ali had a new boxing ring installed on his property weeks earlier and he was eager to show it off. When he invited me to step in the ring with him for a fun sparring match, I at first demurred. When he insisted, who was I to say no? It was an experience of a lifetime."
Mitchell was interviewed about Ali by the hosts of Sports Feed on WGN-TV in Chicago on June 7. His more extensive interview with The Champ can be read .
