Boxing legend Muhammad Ali dies aged 74
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Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74, a family spokesman has said.
The former world heavyweight boxing champion, one of the world's best-known sportsmen, died at a hospital in the US city of Phoenix, Arizona, after being admitted on Thursday.
He was suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson's disease.
The funeral will take place in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, his family said in a statement.
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Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Ali shot to fame by winning light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Nicknamed "The Greatest", the American beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to win his first world title and became the first boxer to capture a world heavyweight title on three separate occasions.
He eventually retired in 1981, having won 56 of his 61 fights.
Crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC, Ali was noted for his pre- and post-fight talk and bold fight predictions just as much as his boxing skills inside the ring.
But he was also a civil rights campaigner and poet who transcended the bounds of sport, race and nationality.
Asked how he would like to be remembered, he once said: "As a man who never sold out his people. But if that's too much, then just a good boxer. I won't even mind if you don't mention how pretty I was."
Ali turned professional immediately after the Rome Olympics and rose through the heavyweight ranks, delighting crowds with his showboating, shuffling feet and lightning reflexes.
British champion Henry Cooper came close to stopping Clay, as he was still known, when they met in a non-title bout in London in 1963.
Cooper floored the American with a left hook, but Clay picked himself up off the canvas and won the fight in the next round when a severe cut around Cooper's left eye forced the Englishman to retire.
Ali's boxing career
AP- Won Olympic light-heavyweight gold in 1960
- Turned professional that year and was world heavyweight champion from 1964 to 1967, 1974 to 1978 and 1978 to 1979
- Had 61 professional bouts, winning 56 (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), and losing five (4 decisions, 1 retirement)
In February the following year, Clay stunned the boxing world by winning his first world heavyweight title at the age of 22.
He predicted he would beat Liston, who had never lost, but few believed he could do it.
Yet, after six stunning rounds, Liston quit on his stool, unable to cope with his brash, young opponent.
At the time of his first fight with Liston, Clay was already involved with the Nation of Islam, a religious movement whose stated goals were to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans in the United States.
But in contrast to the inclusive approach favoured by civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King, the Nation of Islam called for separate black development and was treated by suspicion by the American public.
Ali eventually converted to Islam, ditching what he perceived was his "slave name" and becoming Cassius X and then Muhammad Ali.
Tributes to Ali
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"It's a sad day for life, man. I loved Muhammad Ali, he was my friend. Ali will never die. Like Martin Luther King his spirit will live on, he stood for the world.'' - Don King, who promoted many of Ali's fights, including the Rumble in the Jungle
"Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. No doubt he was one of the best people to have lived in this day and age." - George Foreman, Ali's friend and rival in the Rumble in the Jungle
"There will never be another Muhammad Ali. The black community all around the world, black people all around the world, needed him. He was the voice for us. He's the voice for me to be where I'm at today." - Floyd Mayweather, world champion boxer across five divisions
In 1967, Ali took the momentous decision of opposing the US war in Vietnam, a move that was widely criticised by his fellow Americans.
He refused to be drafted into the US military and was subsequently stripped of his world title and boxing licence. He would not fight again for nearly four years.
After his conviction for refusing the draft was overturned in 1971, Ali returned to the ring and fought in three of the most iconic contests in boxing history, helping restore his reputation with the public.
He was handed his first professional defeat by Joe Frazier in the "Fight of the Century" in New York on 8 March 1971, only to regain his title with an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on 30 October 1974.
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Ali fought Frazier for a third and final time in the Philippines on 1 October 1975, coming out on top in the "Thrilla in Manila" when Frazier failed to emerge for the 15th and final round.
Six defences of his title followed before Ali lost on points to Leon Spinks in February 1978, although he regained the world title by the end of the year, avenging his defeat at the hands of the 1976 Olympic light-heavyweight champion.
Ali's career ended with one-sided defeats by Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick in 1981, many thinking he should have retired long before.
He fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.
Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of Ali's health. His speech had become slurred, he shuffled and he was often drowsy.
Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.
He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.
How Ali wanted people to remember him
"I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him...who stood up for his beliefs...who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.
"And if all that's too much, then I guess I'd settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was."
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Muhammad Ali, boxing legend, dies aged 74
- Muhammad Ali, boxing heavyweight - obituary
- How the genius of Muhammad Ali entranced the world
- 30 best quotes from the Heavyweight Champion
- Why Rumble in the Jungle is one of the greatest fights of all time
- Bob Arum: Muhammad Ali revolutionised society
- In pictures: Muhammad Ali's life as 'The Greatest'
Muhammad Ali, the former world heavyweight boxing champion and one of sport's most influential individuals, has died aged 74.
Ali, who earned the nickname 'The Greatest', had suffered from Parkinson's Disease since 1984.
Follow live as the world reacts to the death of the celebrated boxer and public figure.
Why Rumble in the Jungle is one of the greatest fights of all time
On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, two of the most powerful boxers in the history of the sport, squared up for the "Rumble in the Jungle" bout in the city of Kinshasa, in the country now called the Democratic Republic of Congo...
'It was a time to be angry'
Jesse Jackson, the black US civil rights leader, said that Ali’s anger during the 1960s was tied intimately to the racism and discrimination faced by Afro-Americans at the time, writes Patrick Sawer.
“He was angry for a reason. We couldn’t use hotels, motels, parks, libraries, public toilets. The animals in the zoo had places they could go to which we couldn’t. It was a time to be angry,” said Mr Jackson.
He said that the decision by the boxing authorities to strip Ali of his heavyweight title for refusing to fight in Vietnam had taken the boxer’s “crown, but not his dignity”.
Let us pray for @MuhammadAli; good for America,world boxing champion,social transformer&anti-war hero. #TheGreatest
Mr Jackson added of Ali’s decision to defy the US Army draft had been an admirable one, born of moral courage. “He said loud and clear, ‘I will defy that law’.
"He could have travelled the world boxing. They took away his visa and his passport so he couldn’t travel around the world, but he was still a champion,” he said.
Ali 'paved way for Obama'
Bob Arum, the boxing promoter, has written about the extent to which Ali transformed American society.
Muhammad Ali paved the way for Barack Obama to be elected as the first black President of the United States - I really believe that, firmly and sincerely.
The impact he had and the evolution he brought led people to accept the integration of blacks into American society, so when when history books are read in 50 years’ time, there will be a significant chapter about Muhammad Ali in the history of American civilisation.
That’s how I see it, as someone in their late 70s who has seen the whole evolution of racial integration happen in the US.
'We lost a giant'
Gareth A Davies, The Telegraph's boxing correspondent, has filed on Manny Pacquiao's reaction to Ali's passing. The 37-year-old, a Filipino senator and the only man in boxing history to win world titles in eight different weight divisions, said:
We lost a giant today. Boxing benefited from Muhammad Ali's talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ali family. May God bless them.
'He was the first real superstar'
Boxing promoter Kellie Maloney has told the BBC that Ali was an "icon".
You either loved him or hated him, but what you did was respect him. He transcended boxing, took it to a new level. He was the first real superstar, not just in boxing but in sport.
If you asked my daughters who the favourite sportsman in the world is, they'd say Muhammad Ali. He didn't just win battles in the ring, he won battles outside of the ring.
Maloney, who met Ali while at a function with her former fighter, Lennox Lewis, added:
He could hold a room. Even when he wasn't well, people were in awe of him.
Ali 'loved London'
George Foreman, Ali's friend and rival from the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight, has speaking to the BBC about his friendship with the boxer - and also about Ali's love for Britain.
We were like one guy - part of me is gone. Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. No doubt he was one of the best people to have lived in this day and age. To put him as a boxer is an injustice.
He loved London. If he had been born and raised in London he never would have changed his name.
'A true champion'
Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya says Ali "transcended sport".
RIP @muhammadali, a legend who transcended sport and was a true champion for all. #thegreatest #MuhammadAli
'This is not a time to mourn'
Don King, Ali's former promoter, has been speaking to CNN about Ali, saying we should "celebrate his life".
He's always been right there, Johnny on the spot, anything he could do for the benefit of mankind. Let us celebrate his life. This is not a time to mourn. This is a time to try to emanate the job he was doing and the burden he leaves behind for us to carry on, to remember that the people are the most important.
'A sporting genius'
Gareth A Davies, The Telegraph's boxing correspondent, has written about what made Muhammad Ali 'The Greatest".
Sports writing is littered with descriptions of greatness and those who claim it. Muhammad Ali embodied it. He was without doubt a sporting genius.
But later in life, as a public figure, when the brash, belligerent “Louisville Lip” of the early years had been replaced by a gracious human being slowed by Parkinson’s syndrome, he was equally special.
There have been too many sublime athletes in modern professional boxing to single out Ali as the greatest boxer of all time, but it is certainly true that in a period when a group of formidable fighters bestrode the heavyweight division it was his footwork and fists, timing and temperament, that brought the sport sensationally to life.
One of most compelling personalities of his age
Here is a snippet of The Telegraph's obituary for Ali.
Muhammad Ali, who has died aged 74, called himself the greatest and made good the claim, not merely as the most talented world heavyweight boxing champion, but also as one of the most irresistible and compelling personalities of his age.
If his emergence as a symbol of political and racial protest was rather more specious, Ali became the most universally recognised figure in the world. And unlike so many other icons of the Sixties - John and Robert Kennedy, John Lennon, and Martin Luther King - he survived the hostility he aroused.
Holyfield 'glad to have known Ali'
Former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield has given his reaction to Ali's death. He told MSNBC:
I'm glad to have known Ali because when I was a kid, at eight years old, I was told I would be like Ali. To take it upon yourself and say; 'I'm the greatest', you put yourself in a position for people to take pot shots at you. This is what Ali did. It's amazing him becoming three-time heavyweight champion of the world. At that time people thought, 'Who could beat three? You have to be stronger to get up from a loss to go on and that's what Ali proved to be.
Ali 'transformed' the country
Bob Arum, the boxing promoter, says Ali's legacy "will be part of our history for all time".
A true great has left us. @MuhammadAli transformed this country and impacted the world with his spirit.
Tributes pour in for The Greatest
Muhammad Ali was loved and respected all around the world, and tributes to the champion have poured in from sports stars and world leaders.
George Foreman, who lost to Ali in the 1974 world championship fight, The Rumble in the Jungle, said that there was no question that Ali was the greatest.
"He is one of those special people," Foreman told The Daily Telegraph. "He was one of those things you see maybe only once in a lifetime. Like a total eclipse.
"You are not going to see anything like that again. Boxing doesn’t do enough to define what he was.
"He was the greatest personality that sports has ever seen, or ever will see. He was the greatest personality ever." Foreman recalled that along with great admiration, he was also fiercely jealous of his old adversary.
"He had everything – charisma, charm, looks and great athletic ability – and you hated him because the guy was handsome. You thought 'If I could just mess his face up a little', but you couldn’t get near him in that ring," he said.
Ralph Ali, Frazier & Foreman we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away, "The greatest piece" twitter.com/ralphkcoh/stat…
It was not just Ali's prowess in the ring that inspired a generation. Barack Obama explained that the fighter's determination to come back to the top of the sport after four years of exile for his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War was the quality he admired the most.
"I was still in grade school when Ali made his extraordinary comeback after nearly four years of exile and later shocked the world by winning his title back," the US president said.
"It was this quality of Ali’s that I have always admired the most: his unique ability to summon extraordinary strength and courage in the face of adversity, to navigate the storm and never lose his way.
"This is the quality I’m reminded of when I look at the iconic photo I’ve had hanging on my wall of the young fighter standing over Sonny Liston.
"And in the end, it was this quality that would come to define not just Ali the boxer but Ali the man — the Ali I know who made his most lasting contribution as his physical powers ebbed, becoming a force for reconciliation and peace around the world."
Former British world heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, meanwhile, said that Ali had inspired him when he was a young child to go on and become a champion himself.
"Muhammad Ali inspired me to chase my dreams in and out of the ring. He meant a great deal to me. I kind of fashioned my whole career after him. Watching him on television as a youngster really did something to me," Lewis told The Daily Telegraph.
"I loved his flashiness, I loved what he stood for, like going against America in the Vietnam War. I loved the fact that he always had helpful advice, was a nice man that he was very religious, that he wanted to help people."
Funeral set for Louisville
The boxer passed away after being admitted to hospital for a respiratory issue on Thursday. His family had been at his bedside on Friday as his condition worsened.
A statement from the spokesman said the Ali family "would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and support" and asked for privacy.
The funeral will take place in Ali's home town of Louisville, Kentucky.
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-16011175
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