By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Muhammad Ali, the boxing legend, has died. He was 74-years-old.
An official cause of death has not been announced yet.
He was in grave condition for the past several hours in a Phoenix hospital. His daughters rushed to be by his side.
He was dealing with respiratory problems, which along with Parkinson’s disease, were too much for him go overcome.
Ali, who was born Cassius Clay Jr., was a three-time world champion. He was 56-5 in his boxing career.
He was 22-3 in his title fights. Only Joe Louis (26-1) had more wins in heavyweight title fights.
“We lost a giant today,” Manny Pacquiao said. “Boxing benefitted from Muhammad Ali’s talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefitted from his humanity.”
He also had 37 knockouts in his career. He also won a gold medal in the 1960’s Rome Olympic Games, where he won the medal in light heavyweight.
Late in his life, he would travel and talk about love. He was also a civil rights activities and a philanthropist.
He inspired countless African-American and others. William Rhoden, a New York Times columnist, once penned, “Ali’s actions changed my standard of what constituted an athlete’s greatness. Possessing a killer jump shot or the ability to stop on a dime was no longer enough. What were you doing for the liberation of your people? What were you doing to help your country live up to the covenant of its founding principles?”
Even with Parkinson’s disease, he was still a symbols of hope, as when something major happened in the world, he would comment on it. During the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, he held the torch — and that’s one of the images that people will forever hold in their hearts.
