Because he was my son Duion’s friend and classmate at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky and spent many hours in our Illinois Avenue home, I considered Frank Sadlo to be my fourth son.
Frank’s father was a Louisville lawyer and one in the group of investors who sponsored Muhammad Ali’s career. Muhammad was a frequent visitor to the Piper Court address where the Sadlo family resided.
Frank was proud to be Muhammad’s fan and in later years found himself planning special events to honor the celebrated athlete.
Since Frank had seen some of my miniature sculpture works, he suggested in 1994, that I create a tribute for the Boxer’s Thirtieth Anniversary of winning the World’s Heavyweight in Boxing.
Thinking of Muhammad’s life, it was difficult to capture one moment to address.
He had won the “Golden Gloves” as a teen, the Championship as an adult and then became a businessman and philanthropist
I decided to include three phases of his life in a ten inch tall work with three figures standing against a flat background. The smallest figure wore Golden Gloves. Standing behind him was the adult Boxer with his boxing glove resting on the young boy’s shoulder. Beside the adult Boxer stood a gentleman with a briefcase beside his foot.