JIMMY ELLIS

He was born one of ten children. His father, Walter, was a pastor, and Ellis was brought up as a Christian.

As a teenager he worked in a cement finishing factory. He also sang in the local church choir, later joined by his wife Mary. He continued church involvement all his adult life.

In his youth he admired the boxer Joe Louis.

Ellis won 59 of 66 amateur bouts and was a Golden Gloves champion. He boxed Ali twice as an amateur, with Ali winning the first bout and Ellis winning the second.

After retiring from boxing, Ellis trained boxers.

Later he worked for the Louisville Parks Department on athletic and recreational projects between 1989 and 2003.

With wife Mary he had six children, two sons and four daughters.

His brother Charles boxed in the 1964 Olympics.

He lived with dementia pugilistica, for over a decade before his death.

Ellis died in Louisville Baptist Hospital, Kentucky at the age of 74 from complications of dementia on May 6, 2014, 39 years exactly after his last boxing match. His funeral was held on May 12, 2014, at Louisville's Canaan Christian Church.