In 2016, Muhammad Ali’s former training camp was bought for $520,000; in 2019 it opened as Fighter’s Heaven

In 2016, real estate investor Mike Madden paid $520,000 for Muhammad Ali’s former training camp in Pennsylvania, a property that had fallen into disrepair after the boxing legend left it decades earlier. Madden subsequently invested another $1 million in restoring its 13 log structures, including the gymnasium and mosque, before reopening the six-acre site as Fighter’s Heaven in June 2019. According to Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine, the restoration sought to recreate the camp as it appeared when Ali trained there, turning a once-private sporting retreat into a place where visitors could explore the life and career of one of boxing’s most celebrated figures.The secluded camp where Ali prepared for his biggest fightsLocated near Orwigsburg in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Fighter’s Heaven was established by Ali in 1972. The heavyweight champion wanted a secluded base where he could train away from the distractions of crowded gyms and the media attention that followed him. The idea came from Gene Kilroy, Ali’s business manager and a key figure in his professional career. Kilroy believed a remote training centre would give the boxer greater privacy while helping him control the cos...