My life is bookmarked by the Ali meeting and I never get tired of speaking about it," he said. Mr Brass talked his way up for a micro bout with Ali when the three-time world champion visited Chennai in 1980. I moved up the ladder in railways pretty quickly and I’m now a mail guard. I asked Ali whether I could come up to the ring. For me, he was simply too tall to land a punch," he said. "You are one of the most promising boxers in India. I will retire next year but there is no sell-by date for my Ali memories," Brass said. Rocky Brass and Muhammad Ali during the knockout. In fact I got a job — though it was at the lowest level — in railways thanks to Ali’s kind words. It was God’s gift to me. I could hear the whizzing sound of his flying hand over my head.The efforts of Mr Brass, 21 years then, to land a punch on Ali proved fut-ile.Chennai man Rocky Threaded Rod Astm Suppliers Brass accomplished something the likes of Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman could not achieve: evade a Muhammad Ali punch. Chennai man Rocky Brass accomplished something the likes of Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman could not achieve: evade a Muhammad Ali punch. "The greatest boxer in the history of the sport unleas-hed a rapid-fire left, but I somehow managed to duck it. Had he connected, I would have been floored. He beckoned me in immediately," the 59-year-old Anglo-Indian said. I felt over the moon.Ali paid rich compliments to the young tyro after the bout. Incredibly, Ali also failed to hit his target with a straight left. "The fight wasn’t on the schedule but there was commotion when Tamil Nadu Chief minister MGR came to the venue."Sharing the ring with Ali was a dream and I wouldn’t let it fade away until I die