Drew Bundini Brown

Drew Bundini Brown (March 21, 1928 – September 24, 1987) was an assistant trainer and cornerman of Muhammad Ali, as well as occasional film actor. He was portrayed by actors Bernie Mac and Jamie Foxx in the films Don King: Only in America, and Ali respectively.

Early life

Brown, who was born in Midway, Florida, and raised in nearby Sanford, Florida, and dropped out of junior high school after the eighth grade. The strapping young Brown, who had matured rapidly during puberty, was able to lie about his age and join the Navy as a messboy at age 13.

Career

Discharged two years later, he would become a United States Merchant Marine, and would spend 12 years traveling the world, later becoming a part of Sugar Ray Robinson's entourage as a cornerman.

Brown joined Ali's entourage as a cornerman in 1963, and remained with him throughout his career.

Brown was also one of Ali's speech writers. He wrote certain poems, including that which coined Ali's famous and oft quoted:

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see.