‘Greatest’ Ali could be very persuasive

In honor of undefeated retired boxer Laila Ali being inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame luncheon Saturday in Los Angeles, Johnny Ortiz, another inductee, told a story about her father.

Ortiz, former co-manager of the Main Street Gym, recalled one day in 1980 when Muhammad Ali was there training for his fight against Larry Holmes.

"We had a doorman, Thomas Roseboro, who had been there forever," Ortiz said. "Everyone called him Rip, and he was about 90 years old. Ali came up to him and asked, 'Rip, who's the greatest fighter of all time?' Rip looked up from his chair, thought for a moment and said, 'Jack Johnson.'

"After Ali finished his workout he went over to Rip again, handed him a $100 bill and asked, 'Who's the greatest fighter of all time?' Rip again looked up from his chair, thought for a moment and said, 'You're the greatest.'

"I said to Rip, 'You sold out,' and Rip said, 'If a man wants to give me $100 to tell him he's the greatest, I'll tell him he's the greatest.' ''

• HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW -- Another inductee was Pat Connolly, former chief of police at UCLA and Huntington Park, and Chino, Calif., who has been a boxing referee since 1978.

He said he got a valuable lesson early in his refereeing career.

"It was after a fight at the Olympic Auditorium," Connolly said. "The crowd booed the two fighters, booed me and I think even booed themselves.

"In the dressing room afterward, two of the biggest name referees at the time, Dick Young and Larry Rozadilla, came in and told me that with some fights it doesn't matter how you do, you're just not going to look good.

"After that is when I started shaving my head."

• INDIAN SOOTHSAYER -- Kareem Adbul-Jabbar announced the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on the Fox telecast Saturday, and Fox host Chris Rose, a Cleveland native, did the same for the Indians lineup.

Rose, after announcing pitcher C.C. Sabathia, predicted he would hit a home run in his first at bat. And he did, which enabled the Indians to send the game into extra innings and win in the 11th, 7-2.

Rose, an Indians fan, said, "Next time they ask me to do this, I will make that prediction for the whole lineup."

• NOT ALL DUCKY -- University of Oregon wrestlers are suing to prevent the school from dropping the sport to make room for a baseball program, prompting Greg Cote of The Miami Herald to write: "Both of the school's wrestling fans are said to be outraged."

• WHAT'S IN A NAME? -- More than 4,000 Chinese children have been given the name Aoyun -- meaning Olympic Games -- in honor of Beijing's hosting this summer's big event, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times, noting that the name "does have a certain five rings to it," added: "Just be glad that China never landed the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl."

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