DEER LAKE, Pa. — The sound of the bell.
That's what boxing champion Muhammad Ali heard after every winning match. But to earn his nickname 'The Greatest' in professional heavyweight boxing, he trained for years here in Schuylkill County. Calling his training camp Fighter’s Heaven.
Now, the training facility in deer lake near Orwigsburg features a Pennsylvania historical marker.
Newswatch 16 spoke with the current owner of the property, Mike Madden, who says this commemorates Ali's accomplishments as an athlete and activist for racial justice.
“I think our site should be celebrated by sports historians to world historians to civil rights historians and African American historians,”
Muhammad Ali built the Deer Lake training camp in 1972. And now 51 years later, it's being recognized as a part of history not only in Schuylkill County but in the state of Pennsylvania.
“Muhammad Ali actually trained in this building, lived on these grounds and was here for a lot of his biggest fights. But what he did after boxing was probably one of the greatest achievements by anyone alive,” explained Mick Stefanek, Fighter's Heaven General Manager.
Since Ali passed away in 2016, the training camp has been fully restored to its former glory.
Including photographs from Reading photographer, Jeff Julian.
He says capturing Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring was the catalyst of his photography career.
“It was incredible just to be around him. He just had such a spirit and vitality about him, it was hard to take a bad photo,” Julian mentioned.
Julian says the best way to learn about Muhammad Ali's life is by visiting Fighter's Heaven.
“People got to come see it. I mean I try to help out here as much as I can. But people say you can still feel the spirit of Muhammad Ali here,” he added.
Fighter's Heaven is open to visitors every weekend throughout the summer.