Noel inspired by legendary Muhammad Ali

This is the view of Claude Noel, the first Trinidad and Tobago boxer to claim a world title — World Boxing Association lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Rodolfo Gonzalez in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States on September 12 1981.

The 66-year-old former pugilist once shared the spotlight with the late boxing icon during his whirlwind visit to Trinidad in 1971.

Noel, who was born in Roxborough, Tobago, but moved to Trinidad at the age of 10, also credited Ali with raising the profile of boxing.

“Before, boxers never used to get any kind of money, maybe a $40,000 or $50,000 a bout.

But since he (Ali) won his first major title he changed that. He moved boxing from one stage to the next,” Noel said during an interview in his home in Malabar, Arima.

Ali, 74, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest boxer, died of septic shock on June 3, at a Phoenix, Arizona, US hospital.

Noel recalled that Ali’s visit was a defining moment in his career.

“We spoke and he told me to work hard and focus.

That gave me the desire to be a world champion,”said Noel, a former Commonwealth lightweight champion.

The former local boxer, who has a highway named after him in his native Tobago, also recalled that he had trained with Ali at a gym in Miami, managed by Angelo Dundee, during the late 1970s.

Now a shadow of his former self, Noel, who lives alone at his Malabar home, said he has been battling diabetes for many years and was in urgent need of assistance.

The father of three said he also has developed glaucoma within recent years, which has severely impacted his vision.

Noel said the money he receives from National Insurance was barely enough to cover his monthly expenses.