Training the Greatest: The Story of Ali and Dundee

Especially at the beginning of Muhammad Ali's professional career, he and Angelo Dundee spent quite a bit of time together. Ali would begin his training early in the morning by running from his hotel in Miami Beach to the Fifth Street Gym where he would continue workouts and sparring sessions under the watchful eye of Dundee. Naturally, they developed a comraderie that would last well after Ali's retirement from boxing.

One instance of them "teaming up" outside of the ring was in the summer of 1961 when Muhammad Ali was photographed by Flip Schulke for LIFE Magazine's September issue. Schulke wanted some shots of Ali training, and the pair had told him to meet them at a swimming pool. There, Ali got into the pool and began shadowboxing. Schulke took the photographs underwater, and the resulting photos became some of the better known shots of Muhammad Ali outside of a boxing ring. When he was asked why he trained like this, Ali said that the water acted as resistence against his fists, so when he was boxing normally, his gloves would feel like nothing and he could hit faster.

It was not until three years later, when Schulke and Ali met again, that it was revealed that the method of training underwater was completely fabricated by Ali and Dundee prior to the photographer's arrival for the photoshoot. In fact, Ali could not swim and Dundee was half-worried this stunt could have ended badly. Instead, it turned into great publicity. 

This would not be the last time Ali and Dundee decided to put on a show for media attention.