American boxing legend Muhammad Ali dies at 74

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    Muhammad Ali reportedly in critical condition
    Late Muhammad Ali

    Muhammad Ali, three-time world heavyweight boxing champion who was one of the most charismatic and controversial sports figure of the 20th century is dead. He was 74.

    Ali died Friday at a Phoenix hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications.

    ‘After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,’ Bob Gunnell, a family spokesman, told NBC News.

    He further revealed that the boxing great’s funeral will be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. ‘The Ali family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support and asks for privacy at this time,’ Gunnell said.

    Muhammad Ali has been battling Parkinson's disease for three decades
    Muhammad Ali battled Parkinson’s disease for three decades

    Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984, reportedly the result of taking too many punches during his years in the ring particularly at the end of his career, was hospitalized on June 2 in Phoenix for a respiratory ailment.

    Born in Louisville in 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., he began boxing at the age of 12, winning a number of amateur titles, culminating in an Olympic gold medal as a light heavyweight at the 1960 Games in Rome.

    He turned professional after soon after that, arriving on the national scene in 1964 with a stunning upset of then champion Sonny Liston. It made Clay, then 22, the youngest boxer to ever take a title from a champion.

    Muhammad Ali in his hay days
    Muhammad Ali in his hay days

    Three years later he joined the Nation of Islam, changed his name to Muhammad Ali and subsequently refused to serve in the …Read More

    Source:: The NET