RIP Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016
The world has lost one of the greatest athletes in history.
Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer who proclaimed himself “The Greatest” and was among the most famous and beloved athletes on the planet, died Friday in Phoenix, Arizona, a family spokesman said.
Ali, 74, had been at a Phoenix hospital since Thursday with what spokesman Bob Gunnell had described as a respiratory issue.
The three-time heavyweight champion also had battled Parkinson’s disease since 1984.
Laila Ali “truly appreciates the outpouring of love for her family, as she spends quality time with her dad,” a statement issued by her business manager said.
The boxing legend also was hospitalized in January 2015 with a urinary tract infection. He was hospitalized in December 2014 with pneumonia.
Laila Ali posted a throwback photo of her famous father with her daughter, Sydney, who was born in 2011.
His boxing career overlapped one of the most tumultuous periods in American history, and as Robert Lipstye writes in his New York Times obituary of Ali:
Ali was as polarizing a superstar as the sports world has ever produced — both admired and vilified in the 1960s and ’70s for his religious, political and social stances. His refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam War, his rejection of racial integration at the height of the civil rights movement, his conversion from Christianity to Islam and the changing of his “slave” name, Cassius Clay, to one bestowed by the separatist black sect he joined, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, were perceived as serious threats by the conservative establishment and noble acts of defiance by the liberal opposition.
Loved or hated, he remained for 50 years one of the most recognizable people on the planet.
In 1974, the legendary Foreman vs. Ali bout in Kinshasa, Zaire elevated the boxer to legendary status when he won back the championship for a third time. Here is the entire fight, restored from original video material by HBO:
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36 responses to RIP Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016
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whatthe46 June 4th, 2016 at 01:19
RIP. Love you Much!
Jack E Raynbeau June 4th, 2016 at 01:28
RIP Ali. You brought boxing to the forefront. You wee indeed the greatest.
Scopedog June 4th, 2016 at 01:29
Farewell to the Greatest…he was a true champion.
oldfart June 4th, 2016 at 02:06
Float like a butterfly…
KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker June 4th, 2016 at 05:36
Rest in peace Champ.
William June 4th, 2016 at 09:35
Ali has a pretty special place in the hearts of the folks here in Maine. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/sports/the-night-the-ali-liston-fight-came-to-lewiston.html?_r=0
eyelashviper June 4th, 2016 at 09:56
Are you in Maine? It will always be “home” to me, lived there a very long time, and still visit on occasion.
William June 4th, 2016 at 12:11
Yes, Oxford, 20 minutes from Lewiston
eyelashviper June 4th, 2016 at 12:28
Nice to know. Lived in Rangeley area, Portland, and mid coast area, and traveled all over. Also lived across the line in Southeast NH for awhile.
Wonderful state, miss it this time of year!!!!
I watch that program, I think it is on Natgeo, about the game wardens in Maine…love the accents, and the roads all look so familiar.
eyelashviper June 4th, 2016 at 09:55
His legacy is powerful, he was brilliant, unafraid to speak his truth, and never backed down.
Sad for his family, who so nurtured him all these years, but am happy to see him released from the epic thirty year battle he fought with Parkinsons Disease.
He will always hold an important place in the history of this nation.
anothertoothpick June 4th, 2016 at 09:55
One way or another Ali impacted and entire generation. He was the “Greatest”
After the “Thrilla in Manila” I could tell.
Everybody could tell. Diminishing faculties is something human beings can tell. You don’t have to be a doctor or an expert to see his slow speech, his slow walk, While training for Larry Holmes he was having trouble working the speed bag. THE SPEED BAG!
And he was preparing to fight a heavy weight that could punch through a brick wall.
Ali/Holmes fight was as brutal as it gets.
I am not saying Ali would have lived longer if he did not get in the ring with Holmes. I am saying his quality of life would have been quite different.
eyelashviper June 4th, 2016 at 11:58
Ali’s words on opening the Muhammad Ali Center:
“I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given.
Many fans wanted to build a museum to acknowledge my achievements. I
wanted more than a building to house my memorabilia. I wanted a place
that would inspire people to be the best that they could be at whatever
they chose to do, and to encourage them to be respectful of one
another.”
William June 4th, 2016 at 12:16
For those who might be wondering about the “Dawnold” and his recent twittered display of love and affection for Ali, lets not forget this.
whatthe46 June 4th, 2016 at 18:07
that’s how ignorant he is.
Mensa Member June 4th, 2016 at 19:52
I know, right?
When I heard Obama say that, I immediately thought of Muhammad Ali and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mike Tyson.
And who didn’t?
Well, racists and bigots didn’t.
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 19:32
Excuse my French…
F-Trump….:)
DogsRgoodpeople June 4th, 2016 at 15:04
me and my brothers loved that guy growing up. the world of sports changed forever .some people couldn’t stand him .they thought he was a huge braggart . he changed a lot of minds after standing on principle so steadfastly and without apology. not to mention his brilliant fighting. yeah, sorry to see Muhammad go.
amongoose June 4th, 2016 at 16:52
Both made, and lost money on ya.
You defined a sport, will miss ya.
R.I.P.
LoisB June 4th, 2016 at 16:52
I met Muhammad Ali March 11, 2002. I had a bookstore a couple of doors down from where his daughter, Maryum, worked and he was visiting her. He was kind enough to autograph two books and take a picture with me. Despite the Parkinson’s, he was an imposing figure and the aura of greatness surrounding him was palpable. When he shook my hand, I was amazed at the softness of his. Rest In Peace, Ali, The Universe is yours.
Muhammad Ali “The Greatest”.
whatthe46 June 4th, 2016 at 18:00
that’s wonderful Lois.
LoisB June 4th, 2016 at 19:00
I had a grin on my face for at least a week! I was beyond thrilled.
whatthe46 June 4th, 2016 at 19:34
i’ll bet you did. i can’t begin to imagine that feeling, as i’ve never had the pleasure of meeting anyone like him.
burqa June 4th, 2016 at 17:06
Today Muhammad Ali is mourned around the globe.
It is a shattering loss, for he was woven into our lives in so many ways.
His glittering brilliance in the ring was pure magic. It was many years before super slow motion finally disclosed the “phantom punch” that millions of viewers didn’t see knock out Sonny Liston.
Ali was magnificent.
To my generation he was an ever-growing influence that blossomed beyond the ring as he nobly fought for equal rights, dignity and liberty. He talked big and backed it up bigger. For many years he was the most famous man in the world. He could go anywhere on any continent and massive crowds would turn out shouting Ali! Ali! Ali!
As an indication of his international renown, last night the BBC World Service spent 5 hours or more talking to their international audience about him before they ran another story. In 1999 the BBC named Muhammad Ali the greatest athlete of the 20th century. He received more votes than all the other candidates put together.
Ali stimulated such pride, awe and tears when, quivering, he lit the torch at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Ali moved us all when we were so shaken by 9/11 and he came forth and declared Islam was a religion of peace.
Oh what a boxer! He won Olympic gold as a teenager against a Soviet bloc fighter who was essentially a mature professional. Ali turned pro and went on to not just defeat, but destroy boxer after boxer. He effectively ended the careers of champions like Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson who were thought to be among the greatest boxers ever before they stepped in the ring with Ali. We never heard from George Chuvallo, Henry Cooper, Oscar Bonavena, Ernie Terrell or many others after Ali whipped them. In a title defense against Cleveland Williams, Ali landed 100 punches; Williams landed 3.
For some reason, a lot of the talk is about his latter fights with Frazier and Foreman, but if you want to really see Ali at his best you’ve got to watch his fights before he went to jail for refusing to be drafted – another fight he eventually won, but at such a dreadful cost.
The ‘Ali shuffle’ wasn’t a showboat move, but a brilliant tactic to deceive an opponent and break down his defense. When he ran in training, Ali often ran backwards, because that was how he would be moving in the ring; where he glided with unmatched silkiness, in control, reducing opponents to brutish, confused fools.
For us youngsters in the 60s, we loved his rebelliousness and how he always seemed to come out on top of the powers-that-be, who often hated him. My mother played on that hatred and cleaned out the house on bets made before each fight.
Ali had an incredible sense of humor. We saw it in so many ways. His pre-fight poetry, his clowning with Howard Cosell and even in his D-Con roach killer commercials. Forgotten was the time he showed up at a professional wrestling event. The crowd went berserk when he climbed in the ring and was body slammed by the mountainous Haystacks Calhoun.
It was only after his return after a 4-year layoff that robbed him of his best athletic years, that anyone had a chance to beat him. Frazier was an unstoppable force till he barely beat Ali at MSG, only to lose the two rematches. For the “Rumble in the Jungle” against Foreman, one needs to look at the way Foreman destroyed “Smokin” Joe Frazier beforehand. Foreman knocked Frazier down 6 times before the ref stopped it. I recall a famous photo from that fight that showed a Foreman punch literally lifting Frazier up into the air. Foreman came into the fight with Ali as a fearsome, superhuman wrecking machine. Ali took his best and knocked Foreman out by employing a brilliant strategy never previously seen – the ‘Rope-A-Dope’.
In the years since his retirement, many times I’ve seen this or that athlete described as being “the Muhammad Ali” of their sport and none came close to having greatness that extended so far beyond the arena of competition, being the kind of inspiration he was around the globe.
His greatness as a boxer can be seen in how the sport has withered to next-to nothing since Ali’s retirement.
Ali’s greatness as a human being can be seen in how he never backed down, never lacked courage and became a giant in the civil rights struggle as well as a transcontinental inspiration to millions. Muhammad Ali awed us. He made us giggle and laugh uncontrollably. When we saw him, we knew surprises were coming and were still surprised when they did. Ali thrilled us and inspired us to be better human beings. He showed us how to stand up for what is right and to continue standing even when great power is arrayed against us. He was a fighter who stood for peace. Muhammad Ali stood for the weak and never, ever, ceased being the people’s champion.
And now he’s gone. Who can fill his shoes? No one, that’s who. The world just got a little darker and a bit chillier….
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 17:44
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd9aIamXjQI
whatthe46 June 4th, 2016 at 17:59
i loved this man.
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 18:03
We lost a great one……
The Greatest~!
So many fond memories of him over the years….
LoisB June 4th, 2016 at 19:02
Powerful truth.
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 17:54
Not only the greatest boxer, but one of the greatest humanitarians America had…
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 18:02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD1JfJec66I
Mensa Member June 4th, 2016 at 19:39
A very interesting montage. Sammy Davis Jr. was awesome.
But, I gotta say, like Jessie Jackson, I don’t totally understand what he is saying.
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 19:49
Each to his own…
But I do like Sammy’s dashiki…:)
Mensa Member June 4th, 2016 at 19:53
And with the cigarette! I’m not a smoker but there was something so cool about that.
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 20:10
Be thankful you are not a smoker…
kicked the habit 14 months ago…
40 years to late.
Mensa Member June 4th, 2016 at 19:55
I almost hate to admit it — but I had a couple of dashikis in the day.
i wish I still had them.
StoneyCurtisll June 4th, 2016 at 20:04
:)
Mensa Member June 4th, 2016 at 19:30
All respect due to Muhammad Ali but I have ambiguous feelings about him.
I am in awe of his opposition to the Vietnam War. I can’t think of any above him.
I also give all respect to the power of his personality over the oppression of racism.
And I think he was brilliant.
But few people advanced boxing more than Muhammad Ali and I think boxing has hurt many people. Including Muhammad Ali.
Also, I didn’t like his trash-talking.
When directed at his black opponents it almost had a racist quality to it.
But, at the very lest, it started a trend that I don’t like.