By Ricky Hatton: I was extremely saddened to wake up this morning and be told of the passing of the legendary Muhammad Ali.
It is not only a very sad loss for boxing, but for the whole of sport as he was quite simply the greatest and most iconic athlete the world has ever known.
The greatest fighter of all-time, Muhammad Ali, passed away just hours ago as surely every person with a TV, a radio or a computer knows by now. Without doubt the most famous, the most celebrated and the most intoxicating sporting personality who ever lived, Ali, the former three-time world heavyweight king, will continue to be celebrated and honoured for many days, weeks, months, years, decades, maybe even centuries from now.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, he cannot hit what he cannot see, rumble young man rumble! The entire Boxing Family is in grief shedding copious tears which are falling thick and fast like autumnal leaves, following the passing of Muhammad Ali, the most phenomenal fighter of all time…The Greatest. A golden era of Boxing passes with him.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced its flags will fly at half-staff in memory of three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. He passed away yesterday in Arizona. He was 74.
1990 Hall of Fame Inductee Muhammad Ali
Born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942, he won light heavyweight gold at the 1960 Olympics and turned pro the same year. As a pro, Ali was the first man to win the world heavyweight championship three times (1964-67, 1974-78, 1978-79).
Amir Khan has issued the following statement following the death of boxing icon Muhammad Ali:
“It is extremely sad to witness the passing of boxing’s greatest fighter and icon Muhammad Ali. I would like to send my deepest condolences and thoughts to his family at this time. No fighter or sportsman will ever reach the level of Muhammad Ali, whose name will continue to echo through the ages. Inspiring, charismatic, a true legend – Ali will never be forgotten. Having the chance to meet the great man will be a memory and privilege I will always hold dear to me – an incredible human being, fighter and role model. Thank you Muhammad for inspiring us all.”
Boxing great Muhammad Ali died tonight at a Phoenix, Arizona hospital. Ali was 74. He was taken to the hospital on Thursday with a respiratory problem. The conditioned worsened overnight. By Friday, Ali’s conditioned led to him being put on life support. Ali had been battling Parkinson’s disease for over 30 years.
Bob Arum, one of the promoters for Ali, had this to say on Twitter: “A true great has left us. Muhammad Ali transformed this country and impacted the world with his spirit. His legacy will be part of our history for all time.”
It might be something of a morbid subject, but Muhammad Ali, a man who literally gave everything he had in the pursuit of the greatness he achieved in the ring, is, despite the ghastly health problems he has been suffering with for over three decades, outliving his former ring rivals by a quite substantial amount of time. Ali, now aged 74 and more or less housebound, has lived longer than former foes including: Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jimmy Ellis, Sir Henry Cooper, Jimmy Young, Ron Lyle, Jerry Quarry, Floyd Patterson and even his final ring rival, Trevor Berbick.
This March 29th marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Muhammad Ali-George Chuvalo world title fight. The fight, not widely expected beforehand to be too memorable – Ali, having trouble finding U.S venues willing to host his fights due to his political beliefs, only took on Chuvalo as a late replacement because he was also finding it tough getting the big fights – instead proved very interesting.
Heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali had hoped to be in the UK today, to officially open the “I am the Greatest” exhibition honoring his life and career at The O2. But, as reported by The Mirror, the 74-year-old icon was told by doctors that he needed to build up his strength for the long flight from the U.S. Reportedly, Ali, who has been bravely battling Parkinson’s since being diagnosed in 1984 (but many of Ali’s fans believe the great man was actually suffering from the disease a fair bit sooner than then; perhaps as early as the late 1970s, when he was of course still fighting at the highest level) will get his fitness levels up as high as is possible for a man who has Parkinson’s, and the plan is for “The Greatest” to then visit the UK, and the exhibition, in the summer.
Due in large part to former WBA heavyweight ruler David Haye, a petition designed to get the one and only Muhammad Ali a honorary Knighthood in Great Britain is gaining plenty of momentum. According to a report in The Mail, 12,000 people have already visited Change.org and signed their support – included amongst these people, fellow boxers Anthony Joshua and female Olympic gold medal winner Nicola Adams.
Joshua, who captured his Olympic gold medal some 52 years after the then Cassius Clay first rose to prominence by winning his, says Ali had a huge influence on his life and career: