Popular boxer Muhammad Ali passes away today at the age of 74
Author yuvamind
The sports champion Muhammad Ali , who had been battling Parkinson’s disease for ten years, passed away on Friday at the age of 74 years in a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Muhammad Ali had been admitted earlier this week due to respiratory disease.
He won and defended the heavyweight championship in epic fights in exotic locations, spoke loudly on behalf of blacks, and famously refused to be drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War because of his Muslim beliefs.
According to his family statement, heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali, an icon of the 20th Century whose fame transcended the sport during a remarkable career that spanned three decades, has died.
“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 today, 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. He spent time in hospital in 2014 after suffering a mild case of pneumonia and again in 2015 for a urinary tract infection.
Ali’s 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.
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.
He was selected 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.