Muhammad Ali and Ghana’s President Kwame Nkrumah at the state house.
Ghana, 1964 (May 18)
Ali spent two straight weeks in Ghana, when he visited in 1964. He was welcomed on his arrival at the national airport in Accra by an unbelievably large crowd of admirers who were all too eager to meet the reigning king of boxing. Ali was accompanied on his trip/pilgrimage by Herbert Muhammad, the son of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad.
Later, Ali was received by President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and he also met with the Asantehene Prempeh II of the Ashanti kingdom.
Ali meets the Asantehene, paramount chief of the Ashanti kingdom in Ghana. Photo credit: Myjoyonline.com
During his stay, Ali also found the time to treat some 40,000 Ghanaian spectators to an exhibition bout against his younger brother, Rahman. By the end of his visit to Ghana, Ali had endeared himself to many and even acquired a taste for tropical coconuts.
