Cape Town - Dr Khalilah Camacho Ali, the widow of Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer ever and one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, is in South Africa to promote the Gerrie Coetzee movie 'Against All Odds'.
Khalilah Ali will meet the Cape Town media at a press conference on Wednesday. She is part of the touring American contingent, headed by the executive producer Kenddrie Utuk of Hartquist Productions. Utuk's primary mission is to finalise logistics and secure venues for the production.
While in Cape Town, the American contingent will stay at a city hotel that is close to the Bo-Kaap, which was formerly known as the Malay Quarter. This area will be of great interest to the Americans, since it was a favourite area of the great Muhammad Ali when he visited Cape Town in 1993, 10 years after becoming a world champion.
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Khalilah Ali, a devout Muslim, said it was a coincidence that 30 years later, she would set foot on a part of Cape Town that was special to Muhammad Ali.
"On occasions in the evenings while he visited Cape Town, Muhammad Ali would ask his driver to take him to the Bo-Kaap," said Khalilah Ali. "He really loved the place. It will be a moving experience when I visit the Bo-Kaap while I am in Cape Town.
"I am delighted to be involved in the movie, which is going to be terrific. I'm looking forward to working with the distinguished South African director, Mr Koos Roets.
"Having been married to Muhammad Ali for many years, I have learned a lot about the fight game."
The late Muhammad Ali and Gerrie Coetzee shared a special bond. Dr Khalila Ali will offer significant input for the much-anticipated biopic, which in its initial stages was simply titled 'Gerrie'. Later the production team settled for a more impactful title, 'Against All Odds.
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Utuk has slated the film to premiere on two starry occasions in Johannesburg and Washington DC.
Filming in South Africa will start in a few months with South African director Koos Roets and South African producer Andre Scholtz at the helm. The cast will include several South African actors.
Thereafter production will continue in Washington, and at the Richfield Coliseum in Ohio, the venue where Gerrie Coetzee became the champion of the world - Against All Odds!
At the press conference, the 64-million-dollar question will be answered - who is playing the role of Gerrie Coetzee?
@Herman_Gibbs