‘Looking for a house fit for a champ?’ Then check out Muhammad Ali’s former NJ home
Muhammad Ali is widely considered one of the most polarizing figures in the sports world.
And now, a fan can own a fraction of the legendary boxer’s life – his former house.
The six-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom house has landed on the real estate market in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for $1.8 million.
“Looking for a house fit for a champ? Look no more.” the listing on Realtor.com says. “Ali owned this luxurious home in the 1970s, and subsequent owners have meticulously maintained the property, renovating it while keeping the grand splendor of the original home as well as honoring Ali’s legacy.”
The home was considered a “little mansion” by the icon himself, according to an interview Ali did with Philadelphia Magazine. The home was introduced to him by businessman Major Benjamin Coxson.
“When he was getting ready to fight (Joe) Frazier,” Coxson said to Philadelphia Magazine, “I saw where the City of Philadelphia was going to take 90-some thousand dollars in city wage tax off his purse because he lived in Philadelphia. So I saw a way to move him to New Jersey to beat the City out of their money.”
Ali didn’t originally want to leave Philadelphia, but Coxson had convinced him to do so after showing him the property.
“I went and looked at it and didn’t like it because I figured it was too far from Philly. I like to live around people and everything,” Ali told Philadelphia Magazine. “But I got to start hanging around with the Major a lot over there — he lives down the block — and I got to like the peace and serenity of it, being away from the people.
“The house needed a lot of work done to it, so I put another $150,000 into it. Plus I paid $115,000. And I made a little mansion out of it.”
Decades later, the house still has a particular chicness to it and features including:
Large windows
Two-sided gas fireplace
Multi-level deck
Hot tub
Swimming pool
Gazebo
Tennis court
Basketball court
“Glass atrium breakfast nook”
Wet bar
Gym
Private guest quarter
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Ali, who would tell reporters that he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” in the ring, was also a philanthropist and social activist who became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 before becoming the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964, Biography.com says. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1984 and died in 2016.
Cherry Hill is about 10 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
This story was originally published July 12, 2022 at 3:58 PM with the headline "‘Looking for a house fit for a champ?’ Then check out Muhammad Ali’s former NJ home."