Muhammad Ali statue is a symbol of Lewiston’s resilience, toughness

Photo / Russ Dillingham The unveiling of the Muhammad Ali statue in Lewiston. From left, developer Tom Platz, Bates President Garry Jenkins, boxer Ilyas Bashir, Gov. Janet Mills, Mayor Carl Sheline, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, artist Charlie Hewitt, sculptor Zenos Frudakis.

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By Peter Van Allen

Lewiston’s Muhammad Ali statue, unveiled recently in front of Bates Mill No. 5, commemorates a famous rematch of two heavyweights, Ali and Sonny Liston, in May 1965.

It also symbolizes the Lewiston-Auburn area’s resilience in the past year and a half.

The Ali-Liston rematch on May 25, 1965, is one of the iconic events in boxing history, a decade before the Rumble in the Jungle (Ali vs. George Foreman) or the Thrilla in Manila (Ali and Joe Frazier).

The original bout was slated for Boston but was cancelled because of security threats. A boxing manager in Lewiston, Sam Michael, reached out to the promoters and offered to host the boxing match in Lewiston, at the Central Maine Youth Center (now the Colisée).

Creating an Ali statue for Lewiston was a team effort.

Tom Platz, an Auburn developer, and artist Charlie Hewitt (known for the “Hopeful” neon artwork at the mill) worked for 10 years to bring the Muhammad Ali statue to Lewiston.

Platz worked with the city, helped with the site plan and, after setting up a nonprofit, spearheaded the fundraising efforts through private donations. The sculptor, Philadelphia-based Zenos Frudakis, has done sculptures of Ben Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr. and Albert Einstein, as well as sports figures including Arnold Palmer, Payne Stewart, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and boxer James J. “Cinderella Man” Braddock.

The statue is on permanent loan to the city.

The installation of the statue comes a year and a half after the Lewiston mass shooting that killed 18 people.

“When Ali stood over Sonny Liston yelling ‘Get up and fight,’ he wasn’t just talking to his opponent,” Gov. Janet Mills said at the unveiling.

“He was speaking to all of us. And that’s what Maine and Lewiston have done — we get up and fight. We’ll never get knocked out. We’ll never get knocked down. We’re still getting up and fighting every day. This is a city that is strong, loud and proud in a state that is strong, loud and proud.”