‘Legacy and history lost’ when Muhammad Ali Centre razed to ground | UK News

Mobbed by a sea of fans, Muhammad Ali gifted his legacy to the people of Handsworth in the shape of a new community sports centre.

Today, there is no visible sign of the facility in Birmingham which was opened by the legendary boxer to such fanfare almost four decades ago.

Swaddled in hoardings, the patch of ground lies barren after the final remnants of the long-derelict building were demolished earlier this year.

Speaking in Black History Month, a local community worker said people in the area had been ‘robbed’ of an asset bearing the sporting icon’s name.

Dolores Pinkney has been left heartbroken by the loss of the once thriving centre, intended as a hub for community sport, and with it a tangible link with Ali.

The site is earmarked for redevelopment by Kajans Women’s Enterprise, which said yesterday that it welcomes dialogue with local people about the project.

Ms Pinkney, of Handsworth’s Dojo Community Project, told Metro.co.uk: ‘The building was demolished while the Coronation was being held and I’m still grieved by it.

‘There’s no history, no legacy and the Muhammad name cannot be used any longer.

‘The building had been damaged but it could have been renovated and for reasons best known to the council, it was allowed to become derelict. I’m just disheartened and I find it upsetting to even talk about after trying so hard to get it up and running for the community.

‘Muhammed Ali left it as a legacy to the city of Birmingham, it was the only building outside of the United States to which he assigned his name and yet we, as the council, as Birmingham residents, seem to have let go of it without a darn good fight. The community, and I mean all people, but in particular African-Caribbean people, have been left with nothing, we’ve been robbed of an asset.’

Surrounded by a 1,000-strong crowd, Ali opened the centre in August 1983 at the culmination of a 10-year drive to improve facilities for local children. Wearing a suit and tie, he stood on top of a mobile ladder above a sign welcoming him to Handsworth which read: ‘We love you.’

The late Ahmet Yusuf, a Birmingham tailor, met ‘The Greatest’ at the ceremony and once recalled how the community activist had wanted the centre ‘to help young people succeed in sport and business’.

Ali said at the time: ‘This is a great honour. This centre means my name will live on in Britain for as long as the centre lasts. It means a lot to me.’

As well as providing a hub for sporting activities, the meeting place hosted sound system parties and gigs featuring the likes of reggae stars the Mighty Diamonds, John Holt and the Skatalites.

But it is thought to have closed its doors in 1996 before being targeted by thieves and vandals.

Disaster struck in 2002 when the centre was severely damaged by a fire which destroyed hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of sports equipment.

Birmingham City Council confirmed seven years later that the vandalised and dilapidated shell was to be demolished in the interests of public safety.

However in 2012 the council granted a 999-year lease to Kajans, the community enterprise group which is now developing the site in Icknield Street. Ali died four years later, aged 74.

Ms Pinkney traced a line between the loss of what the world champion intended as a longstanding asset and community cohesion at a time when young people’s lives are being lost to knife crime.

‘It’s not just the Muhammad Ali centre, all of the facilities which could bring some stability within communities, which the Windrush generation fought so hard for, have gone,’ she said.

‘Now you have kids out on the streets with no focus for their frustration who cannot be educated to do better than inflicting violence on themselves and others. The kids need these facilities.’

Harriet Macintosh, a charity worker from Birmingham, was dismayed to find out the fate of the Muhammed Ali Community Centre on a guided walk for Black History Month in October 2022.

‘The hidden histories walk was a real eye-opener, because it showed a lot of places that had suffered from neglect and a lack of investment,’ she said. ‘They included the Muhammad Ali Community Centre, which he gave as a gift to the Black community in Handsworth and opened in 1983.

‘I was shocked to find out the building and other places with such rich Black histories, which could generate tourism for the city. have been allowed to fall into disrepair and were not even marked.

‘I took the issue up with Birmingham City Council and pointed out the money they had invested in other areas, such as the Commonwealth Games and the anniversary.

‘It’s relevant to say now that the council has no money, but this has been an ongoing issue over many years.

‘Muhammad Ali took time out to invest in the Black community and open the centre in what was a significant event at the time, so it’s sad to see that the building has been razed to the ground.’

Kajans, which has planning approval for the site, has previously said that a new, multi-million pound community hub will replace the former centre.

The charity and limited company intends for the replacement facility, which was handed over under a community asset transfer agreement, to be used for education, training and arts and culture.

The Aston-based organisation has described the development as ‘environmentally responsible’ and said that it has attracted financial support from Nationwide, DCMS, Locality, Homes England and the council.

In May, Kajans was reported by BirminghamLive as saying that it was seeking to raise ‘millions of pounds’ of further funds to make the vision a reality.

Director Hermin McIntosh told Metro.co.uk that she encouraged local people to engage in dialogue with the organisation about the site’s future and that further information about the plans to revitalise and redevelop the site will be released in due course.

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

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