Tickets: On the official website the tickets are £18.00 plus £2.75
booking fee, so nearly £21.00 in total. I thought that was a bit much. I bought
my tickets from Box Nation http://www.boxnation.com/boxing-news/new-muhammad-ali-o2-arena-exhibition-discounted-ticket-prices/
it was £14.40 plus £2.50 booking fee so
£16.90 in total. There was another website which offered £14.50 tickets and just
a small card fee but their ticket entry time was 11:30am only and I wanted to
get there early. Box Nation offered different time slots. To be honest, I don’t
think it would have mattered because we got there nearly half an hour early and
I don't think the lady even checked the time. I think the time slots are more
relevant at busy periods.
We arrived at 10:40am. It was very quiet. The Dome was
quiet. (That's why I think the entry time wouldn't have made too much
difference.) We spent about 2 hours in the exhibition, which I was very
surprised about. I didn't expect to spend that long there.
For the exhibition you are given an audio guide. You see
the numbers on the wall (e.g. round 1) and enter it in the guide then listen to
the clip. The beginning is a series of rooms dedicated to the early part of his
life: where he was born, his family, where /how he learnt to box, his career as
an amateur, the Olympics, his conversion to Nation of Islam, his early
professional fights, the Vietnam War up until the George Foreman, 1974, fight.
Then you reach the rotunda, which is where it got a bit confusing. The rotunda
showcases his professional fights.
On the whole, I really liked it. As I mentioned, I’m not
a boxing fan but Muhammad Ali is one of those people whose life is about more
than just sport. And he made as big an impact outside his field as he did in it.
I, like everyone else, knows that Muhammad Ali will always remain a legend in
his sport and will always be regarded as one of the greatest ever sportsmen. I
found it interesting to learn more about his life, his famous fights and
rivalries and I did like seeing the belts and gowns.
Things I didn't like: the confusing rotunda part, as was
stated earlier. I also thought it was very loud! In each room or area there was
a video tape playing on loop and the volume was quite high. And then you're
trying to listen to the audio guide as well. I did actually get a bit of an
earache!
I will write some notes and post some more pictures soon,
Insha’Allah.