Not your average house call: Irish plumber who thought he was being pranked by his friends meets MUHAMMAD ALI after knocking on his door – and stays to celebrate The Greatest's birthday

For years it was just a pipe dream, but Irish plumber Tony Kelly finally met his hero, boxing legend Muhammad Ali – after knocking on his front door.



Kelly, 24, originally from Greencastle, Co Donegal, was on a call out in his new home of Louisville, Kentucky, when his American workmates told him that Ali lived just a few yards away on the opposite side of the street.



The young plumber was convinced it was a joke, but is such a huge fan of the boxer – nicknamed The Greatest – that he walked across the road and knocked on the door, keen to absolutely rule out Ali being a resident.

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Left floating like a butterfly: Tony Kelly with his hero Muhammad Ali in the boxer's Louisville home

Home of The Greatest: The Louisville house belonging to Muhammad Ali that Tony Kelly decided to check, just in case his hero lived there

To Kelly’s utter amazement, Ali’s wife, Yolanda, answered the door and invited him in to meet the sportsman and help him celebrate his 72nd birthday.



A gobsmacked Kelly - who moved in 2012 to Louisville, as it’s the home city of his American wife, Megan - had his picture taken with his hero and told The Irish Independent just how astonished he was.



He said: ‘I knocked on the door and Ali's wife Yolanda answered and I just asked would be possible for one of his greatest fans from Ireland to meet him.



The Greatest: Muhammad Ali out-points Joe Frazier in New York, 1974 In his prime: Muhammad Ali pictured in 1962 (left) and the former slugger in the year 2000 in Los Angeles (right)



Ali poses onstage during the Norman Mailer Center 4th Annual Benefit Gala in October 2012

‘She said “of course” and invited me in and there he was (Ali) sitting in the living room. I was over the moon.



‘I honestly thought it was a wind-up so it was a shock to meet Ali and his lovely wife. They were so pleasant.’



Ali is widely considered to be the best heavyweight boxer the world has ever seen. He cemented his legendary status with knock-out wins over George Foreman in 1974 and Joe Frazier in 1975.



He has been battling Parkinson’s disease since 1984.



