by Orin Davidson
Stabroek News
May 25, 2001

He once was the undisputed number one ranked welterweight boxer in the world but in retirement Terrence Ali has plunged from stardom to depravation.

Eversince he hung up his gloves in 1997 and re-migrated to Guyana from the United States, Ali has endured an existence of abject poverty.

The once famous son of the soil who cheerfully paraded the boxing arenas of the world, wearing the Guyana flag on his shorts, is out of a job, not earning anything and barely eking out an existence in Mahaicony at his late father's house which looks likely to crumble under the slightest hint of a heavy wind.

"Ah still on the lookout for a job ah was hoping to get when ah retired and come back home to Guyana," the former World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) number one ranked contender.

Ill luck combined with disloyalty, Ali says, is responsible for his present state of destitution.

A number of investments in the United States and Guyana all came to nought because of dishonest individuals he trusted.

"When you is boxer you have no time to concentrate on anything much except what you do in the ring. You have to depend on other others to do business for you," the former North American champion explained.

He tried starting a taxi service in New York and when that failed he turned his attention to home and launched a trucking service and got involved in the stereo music service here.

But by the time he packed up and left the United States and got home, Ali said he discovered he had been ripped off by those left in charge, and in financial difficulties he is yet to recover from.

Ali says he never made as much money in the ring as people would want to believe. In his era at the professional level in the 1980's to 1990's, Ali said the welterweight division never generated the million dollar purses the stars earn today.

He fought 62 bouts including three challenges for the world title and disclosed only one purse matched the amount which current world champion Andrew `Sixhead' Lewis earned for his title win. "I got US$200,000 for the Chavez fight, $60,000 for (Harry) Arroyo and $45,000 for (Jose Luis) Ramirez.

Ali notched a record 35 wins in fights staged by the ESPN channel but none of the purses topped $7,500.

He lamented making the mistake of allowing an accountant in American to manage his affairs but his money was misused and his taxes left unpaid.

After the Chavez fight, Ali said he bought a house in Miami where he left his wife and children and decided to return home because he did not want to work for anyone in America during his retirement.

His intention was to be a coach on his return home and support his family from his business interests here, but nothing worked out.

He was given the royal run around to find the job as coach and after his health deteriorated, he retreated to Mahaicony and forget about everyone.

The man who dazzled fans with his quick hands and trademark flip in the ring, jovially recounts his woeful existence. "The house has a semi roof and when the rain fall I have to stand up and sleep under the part with cover because the bed is in the open," he disclosed.

But there was someone who cared and his old pal from Ali's amateur career days, Leslie Black, went looking for him in the midst of the attention focussed on Lewis in his current home coming visit.

Black brought Ali to town to be involved in some of the activities for Lewis. And despite his heavily slurred speech, a result of the fighter's battles, Ali has attended and revelled in some of Lewis's functions.

He has even met President Bharrat Jagdeo and given a pair of spectacles by optician Dr Phillip Da Silva.

But the fighter once labelled the `Spoiler' is still looking for a job.