Robstown native, former Olympic boxer "Lefty" Barrera shares his journey

A Robstown native was in Corpus Christi on Friday, teaching residents how to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."

Humberto "Lefty" Barrera, a former Olympic boxer, visited the Trinity Towers downtown to share stories from his days as a prizefighter.

"I'm glad to be here talking to friends and relatives," Berrara said.

He competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy as a flyweight. He reportedly was affected by "bad officiating" and fell in the quarterfinals.

Barrera represented Team USA alongside boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who fought as a light heavyweight. Ali went on to win the championship in his weight class.

Barrera and Ali grew close in Rome, with Barrera even earning the name "Little One" from the legendary fighter.

He shared a story of Ali asking to comb his hair to make it curly. After initially brushing it off, Barrera finally consented.

"So he grabbed my hair and put it that way," Barerra said. "He wanted to make me have curly hair."

The 82-year-old had some of his old Olympic memorabilia on display at the venue for residents to peruse.