DEER LAKE - Fighter’s Heaven, the historic boxing venue where the late great champion Muhammad Ali once trained, will embark on its second year of visitors when it opens to the public on July 4.

After nearly four years of extensive renovations under new owner Mike Madden, a northern California real estate developer and son of former NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden, this site has taken on a new life, for boxing enthusiasts, and sports fans in general.

Like almost every other attraction across the country, however, Fighter’s Heaven has been shuttered due to the COVID-19 virus for the last several months, but is now set to welcome visitors.

The camp will adhere to strict COVID guidelines during its hours of operation that will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fighter’s Heaven features the original gym where Ali trained with his sparring partners, including the renowned Easton Assassin Larry Holmes and Terrible Tim Weatherspoon.

Inside the gym, tourists will see an array of photos, compliments of Ali’s longtime friend and business manager Gene Kilroy, a native of Mahanoy City. The gym includes a life-size ring, similar to the one used by Ali during his training sessions.

Also, tourists can watch videos in three different areas of Fighter’s Heaven - the gym, inside Ali’s sleeping quarters and the Mosque, where Ali is featured in a moving three-minute segment as he addresses a crowd in England. The Mosque video is extremely profound as Ali speaks about life and the rewards humans attain during their existence.

Newly added features for the 2020 season include a renovation of Ali’s Chalet, which housed his children and spouses during their stays at the camp, and bunkhouses where all of Ali’s sparring partners stayed.

Starting in late December of 1971, “The Greatest of All Time” trained for all of his big fights at the camp. Ali built the camp on Sclups Hill, off Route 61, after purchasing the site from the late businessman Bernie Pollack

A number of documentaries have been filmed at the site:

• The BBC released documentary from June of 2017 - a year after Ali passed away on June 3, 2016.

• HBO’s What’s My Name featured Ali in a two-part series in 2019

• The TRIBECA FILM Festival production visited in April of 2019.

In addition to those, several other documentaries which were shot at Fighter’s Heaven are in the process of being released over the next 18 months.

All visitors to the camp will be required to maintain social distancing throughout the tour, and wear masks while walking the grounds.

Visitors may also tour the camp upon requests by going to the camp’s website at fightersheaven.com and submitting an email, or by calling 570-968-2961. Fighter’s Heaven can also be reached through its Facebook site.