‘Got to See Ali In..’- Despite Infamous Gambling Addiction, 70-Year-Old Jimmy Connors Ecstatically Re-Lives Heightened Emotions While Witnessing Famous Bouts in Boxing Live

In the mid-1970s, no one was as dominant in men’s singles tennis as American Jimmy Connors. He held the World No. 1 ranking in the ATP tour from 1974 to 1977 for 160 consecutive weeks. As a result, he became one of the world’s biggest sporting figures. Over his long and illustrious career, Connors amassed 8 major singles titles. While Connors’ first love in terms of sports will always be tennis, he was passionate about another sport as well.

In the latest episode of the Advantage Connors podcast, Jimmy revealed to his son Brett how he was very much into boxing. He also mentioned some boxing legends who he had the good fortune of seeing in person. Furthermore, he reflected on his gambling habit, which eventually became an addiction.

Jimmy Connors was a boxing enthusiast at heart

As yet another episode of the popular Advantage Connors podcast headed towards its conclusion, Brett Connors decided to respond to some fan questions. One of the questions that were aimed at Jimmy, asked the tennis legend “The greatest sporting event other than tennis” that he has witnessed.

Connors answered, “I’ve been to a lot of great events. I watched boxing. I still do love boxing”. He also mentioned a long list of iconic names in boxing who he followed closely. “I got to see Ali in person and Norton and Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler and oh my god!”

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Clearly, Connors got quite overwhelmed by his emotions as he delved deep into his past and shared his enthusiasm and passion for boxing. “I’ve been lucky to see a lot of great boxing matches when I think boxing was at its height.”

Connors sheds light on his obsession with gambling at the height of his boxing passion

Jimmy Connors’ love for boxing wasn’t all positive. As much as the sport drew him in, it was also the gambling around it that fascinated Connors. In his answer, he also looked back on “the excitement, the electricity, and the gambling that went on around it and the attitude of the people.” He concluded his answer by saying, “To be alive there was something special.”

For Connors, gambling went on to become an addiction well beyond his control. His gambling wasn’t restricted to boxing. After a certain point, he started betting on tennis matches too, and not long after, he began to bet on himself. In one instance, Connors placed a bet worth a whopping $1 million on himself winning against Martina Navratilova in 1992’s Battle of the Sexes clash. Luckily for Connors, he ended up winning the match, but he could have very easily lost it as Navratilova pushed him to his limits.

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