European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 7, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse February the stars and stripes Page 21 former Champion yawns during news conferences once bombastic Ali now subdued by will Grimsley a sports writer what snuffed out the fuse that fed the spark that exploded Muhammad Ali into a burst of celestial fireworks the once electrically charged fist fighter who dominated heavy weight ranks and captivated the peasants As Well As pontiffs of the world for most of two decades has suddenly become sub when he it is in a whisper that can hardly be heard in the front the commentary wide eyed Boyish enthusiasm is the sparkle has been the familiar Braggadocio is at news which once re sounded with his wild boasts and Hist Ion he evinces Little he he picks his his eyes any min Ute you expect him to fall fast sit Ting up there in front of All those Micro phones and camera lights with reporters shooting questions at machine gun this is not the old this is the kind of situation he always he could take a roomful of news men and play them As he might a Stradi varius or a himself dictating the Tempo and those Brown eyes would grow As wide As those of a kid who just caught Santa Glaus emerging from the then he would launch into his act changeless through the years but always exciting and laced with quips and Home spun soon he would have the room in his no it was a More More detached Ali who flew into new York this week to Trade Friendly barbs with 85year old Jack Dempsey at a Benefit for retarded children and to try to explain away his association with a promotional Organiza Tion called maps Muhammad Ali professional maps is currently ensnared in a million lawsuit filed by the Wells Fargo National Bank charging that the promotions company and some of its officers had embezzled the Money from the Ali Lent his name for a fee and insists he has no other official connection with the group headed by a los Angeles pro Moter named Harold do you feel that your image has been Hurt by being linked with this Organiza Tion Ali was asked tuesday at a mad Ison Square Garden news my image aint Ali almost cause Nixon went bad it dont mean the government went the White House stayed rankled at being stripped of his title because he refused to fight in the Vietnam Ali still carries racial he likes to chide his White Brethren Over what he considers Subtle Why the president live in a Black House he Why should All the villains in movies Wear Black and heroes White hats Why should purity always be associated with like Ivory 99 and 44100ths percent pure Ali was asked How much Money he got for allowing maps to use his Twenty seven million he he didst even then he amended it ten per How much was that somebody per continued on Page 22 a photo Muhammad Ali Waits at los Angeles Home for news from missing maps chairman Smith 2 maps officers in scandal still missing los Angeles Apas Fri agents continued to go Over files from Muhammad Ali professional the whereabouts of two officers of the firm named in a million Bank embezzlement suit remained a mystery one of them was maps chairman Harold who surfaced via Telephone tuesday to make bizarre claims on a radio talk show and to a new York times reporter that he and his family were chased through an undisclosed wooded area near Canada under All because he Learned too much about Money siphoning at Wells Fargo which filed the suit the second missing Man was Benle and until 23 an operations officer at the Wells Fargo Branch in Beverly a Jack of All trades Job that draws an average salary of they maintain the general they Monitor the Branch Cash they approve Check cashing they direct internal audits and insure the Branch is conforming with Bank policy and proce Wells Fargo spokeswoman Ann Perry Wells Fargo officials admit that an 11 year was probably the in Side Man needed to keep the embezzle ment of such huge sums of Money under wraps for so Wells Fargo Bank chair Man Richard Cooley reluctantly admits the alleged scheme goes Back into last year and maybe we just dont know a longtime associate of said thursday that he met Lewis through Smith during a visit to open an account at the Beverly Hills Branch of the Wells Fargo Harold Smith bizarre claims Smith suggested to Ali that he should open an account at the Atkins he suggested we All open an account Atkins said of because the Bank would do us a lot of Atkins said Smith didst specify what those favors might Lewis was a bearded Man in a three piece suit whom Atkins recalled As a Nice the Bank suit alleges the Money was taken out of two accounts in Beverly Hills and Santa possibly by checks written to individuals or in some other unspecified association with an outside group or organization which also has an account with the Bank must be cleared through said Wells Fargo Ann we have very Clear internal policies and procedures dealing with conflict of inter she but we dont have any information at this Point on whether Lewis let his superiors know he was a maps while details of How the alleged embezzlement might have been carried out were it was Clear that a lot of Money was going through maps accounts at the i dont know of any promoter who Ever threw around Money like they forum boxing promoter Don Fraser said ear Lier this they would have Limos to pick up most of the time when they promoted out of they sent Jimmy Lennon from to do the ring and several girls to Parade around the ring holding up the round they had their own private he along with Smith and Wells far gos suit also named As defendants Muhammed Ali professional sports Smiths Barbara Gladys Lewis Bodak pro and maps president Sam mar while the Case was being investigated by the no criminal charges had been filed and none of the defendants in the Banks civil suit were being sought by All maps assets had been fro zen and the organization will not be promoting a four fight card with million in purses scheduled for 23 at Madison Square former heavyweight Champ Muhammad alis Only connection with maps was the loan of his name to the and last Friday Ali ordered his attorneys to take action to have his name removed from the secretaries answering the phone for the firm thursday Only used the name professional Ali said he had become suspicious of How maps could stay afloat despite its reputation for paying huge purses to fighters and taking massive which added up to million Over one 19month Irish army 83 game set for giants stadium new York a the fighting Irish and the cadets Are moving to new notre Dame and army have agreed to play their 1983 game in giants the new Jersey sports and exposition authority the decision by the traditional football whose Only appearance together at the stadium came in was gratify ing to the sports said Robert Mulcahy the Agency chief executive the which operates the Sta has also invited Navy and notre which have scheduled a meeting for to play additional games in new
