Boxing Legend, Muhammad Ali Dies At 74

Muhammad Ali

Heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali, an icon of the 20th Century whose fame transcended the sport during a remarkable career that spanned three decades, died Friday, his family said.

AFP report continues:

The beloved 74-year-old sports hero, who had been battling Parkinson’s disease for decades, passed away in a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he had been admitted earlier this week suffering from respiratory problems.

“After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74,” spokesman Bob Gunnell said.

“The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening.”

Funeral arrangements for Ali would be announced on Saturday, he added.

Concern for Ali had grown throughout Friday, and tributes immediately poured in for “The Greatest,” who was known globally not only for his storied ring career but also for his humanitarian activism.

Ali had been hospitalized multiple times in recent years.

He spent time in hospital in 2014 after suffering a mild case of pneumonia and again in 2015 for a urinary tract infection.

His Parkinson’s, thought to be linked to the thousands of punches he took during a brutal career studded by bruising battles inside the ropes, had limited his public speaking.

But he continued to make appearances and offer opinions through his family members and spokespeople.

In April, he attended a Celebrity Fight Night Dinner in Phoenix that raised funds for treatment of Parkinson’s.

In December, he issued a statement rebuking US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.

“Muhammad Ali transformed this country and impacted the world with his spirit,” said longtime boxing promoter Bob Arum. “His legacy will be part of our history for all time.”

– ‘The greatest’ -His 30-year career, which stretched from 1960 to 1981 and saw him retire with a record of 56-5, included such historic bouts as the Rumble in the Jungle — against George Foreman in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire.

Other defining moments of his career included two knockouts of Sonny Liston and his thrilling rivalry with Joe Frazier — which saw the two men slug it out in the ring and verbally spar out of it.

“Ali, Frazier & Foreman, we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away — the greatest piece” Foreman wrote on Twitter shortly after Ali’s death was announced.

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson added: “God came for his champion. So long great one. @MuhammadAli #TheGreatest #RIP.”

Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville, Kentucky, dazzled fans with slick moves in the ring, and with his wit and engaging persona outside it.

His refusal to serve in the Vietnam War saw him banned from the sport for years, but the US Supreme Court overturned his conviction for draft dodging in 1971.

He took the name of Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam in 1964, soon after he had stunned the sport by claiming the title with a monumental upset of Sonny Liston.

He was vilified in some quarters for that conversion and his outspoken stance on Vietnam and civil rights issues, but he held firm to his beliefs and eventually earned accolades as an activist.

He was chosen to light the Olympic torch in 1996 in Atlanta and was named a UN messenger of peace in 1998.

He received the highest US civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2005.

Boxing Great Muhammad Ali Dies Aged 74

Muhammad Ali - 'The Greatest' - has died aged 74.

Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74

Press Association reports that tributes from the sporting world and beyond have poured in since a family spokesman made the announcement about the former boxer, who had battled Parkinson's disease for 32 years.

The three-time heavyweight champion had been admitted to hospital earlier in the week with a respiratory condition.

Family spokesman Bob Gunnell announced Ali's death in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday evening local time.

Gunnell said: "The Ali family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and support and asks for privacy at this time."

Ali's funeral will take place in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, with a date to be announced.

Few will be disputing Ali's moniker of 'The Greatest'.

Cassius Clay was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 14, 1942. He was first persuaded into his local boxing gym by a policeman, Joe Martin, who found the eight-year-old distraught and bent on revenge against a boy who had stolen his bicycle.

That policeman's decision would lead to the discovery of a fighter who transcended the sport.

Ali became a household name by winning gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics in the heavyweight division.

He soon turned professional and, f ighting under his original name of Clay, he made his debut in October 1960 with a sixth-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker in his home city of Louisville. After 15 straight wins he pulled off a notable stoppage of fading former light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore in November 1962.

In 1964, after rising off the floor to beat Henry Cooper in London, Clay stunned the ogreish and seemingly invincible Sonny Liston with a seventh-round win at Miami Beach to win the world heavyweight title.

It was the beginning of a 16-year odyssey which would see him become the first man in history to win the world heavyweight title three times and would take his remarkable road-show to all corners of an enraptured globe.

Popularity, however, was slow in coming. The public did not take so kindly to the new champion's brash and boastful antics, not least when he announced he had joined the Black Muslim movement of Malcolm X and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

Fights outside the ring continued apace too.

He fought race wars, was stripped of his world title for refusing to fight in the US war in Vietnam and lost his boxing license for close to four years as a result.

His three years of exile may have robbed the world of Ali at his peak but he would go on to win the hearts of fight fans.

The first loss of his professional career - to Joe Frazier - was dubbed 'The Fight of the Century' - although he got his title back with a victory over George Foreman in the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in 1974.

"He was the greatest," Foreman said on BBC 5 Live. "If you dislike him you wanted more than anything to see him again so you could dislike him again.

"Muhammad Ali made you love him."

Other all-time great fights followed, such as the 'Thrilla in Manila' when he stopped Frazier after 14 arduous rounds.

In the end, he called time in 1981 with a record of 56 wins from 61 fights and with a worldwide following of fans.

Parkinson's disease was diagnosed soon after but he did not shy away from the spotlight, lighting the torch at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

His daughter, Laila Ali, shared a touching photo on social media and thanked fans for their support.

The 38-year-old posted on her official Facebook page: "I love this photo of my father and my daughter Sydney when she was a baby!

"Thanks for all the love and well wishes. I feel your love and appreciate it!!"

The reach of Ali went well beyond his sport.

As the news spread, personalities from boxing and elsewhere reacted with sadness.

Prime Minister David Cameron hailed Ali as "a champion of civil rights" while Eddie Hearn, promoter of current heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, said: "The Greatest has passed. You shook up the world."

ACTUALLY, GOD IS THE GREATEST!