Jack Franklin, Once Beat Muhammad Ali!

I was down in Plaquemine a few weeks back, for a relatives funeral. Got to meet and talk with Jack Franklin. Below is a writeup from a Plaquemine newspaper.



“A good representative of this segment of the “greatest generation” is 80-year-old Jack Franklin of Plaquemine.

“The Hall of Fame is a very good thing,” he said. “Boxing is a good thing, because it teaches you how to protect and take care of yourself. There are only three people in the ring, and you don’t have teammates like you do in other sports.”

Franklin is the subject of many of the stories the boxers tell because one of his victories was over a 19-year-old from Kentucky named Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, in an AAU match.

“You don’t want to be remembered for just one fight you won,” Franklin said. “I’d rather be remembered for the 15 Habitat (for Humanity) homes or the 30 or so churches I’ve help build.”