Boxing great Muhammad Ali close to death in hospital:

[IE]

Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was close to death in a Phoenix-area hospital on Friday, a source close to the family said.

Ali, 74, one of the world's most celebrated athletes, was hospitalized this week for a respiratory ailment. The family spokesman has said he was in fair condition, but speculation has swirled about his health.

Asked about Ali's condition, the source said: "It's extraordinarily grave. It's a matter of hours."

The source said he had spoken with Ali's wife, Lonnie. "It could be more than a couple of hours, but it's not going to be much more. Funeral arrangements are already being made."

The spokesman, Bob Gunnell, has not responded to repeated requests for comment about his condition.

Ali has suffered from Parkinson's disease for more than three decades and has kept a low profile in recent years.

The New York Post and the International Business Times cited a report on the Radar Online website as saying Ali had been placed on life support. The source could not comment on that report.

Ali's last public appearance was in April at the "Celebrity Fight Night" gala in Arizona, a charity that benefits the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center.

 

[owen333]

Sad..

 

[Sportsaholic]

:0008

 

[IE]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XohdNbHcYiw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


MUHAMMAD ALI'S 50TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION - Billy Crystal performs 15 Rounds

 

[AR182]

NBC is reporting that he just died....

May he RIP!!

 

[Terryray]

such speed and action and in prime of fighting form I remember him vs Brian London:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jU2YPXghFkU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

but he did have such a full life besides boxing....

 

[Scrapman]

GONE at age 74 one of the greatest H weights we ever will see ....

today has nothing like Ali, frazier , Holmes, even the last one that beat tyson was a true fighter

what we have left now is i dunno cause i dont watch fights anymore


RIP Ali :box2:

 

[MadJack]

The Greatest. RIP.

 

[PocketAces]

The Recipe of Life by Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)
In 1972, the legendary Muhammad Ali was interviewed by Robert Frost. During the interview, Frost asked Ali, ?what would you like people to think about you when you are gone?. This was Ali?s reply:
I?d like for them to say
He took a few cups of love.
He took one tablespoon of patience,
One teaspoon of generosity,
One pint of kindness.
He took one quart of laughter,
One pinch of concern.
And then, he mixed willingness with happiness.
He added lots of faith,
And he stirred it up well.
Then he spread it over a span of a lifetime.
And he served it to each and every deserving person he met.
LONG LIVE MUHAMMAD ALI, THE KING OF BOXING!

 

[jigs]

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

RIP Ali.

 

[Old School]

it is truly a sad day...

 

[Old School]

SI's 100 Greatest Photos of Muhammad Ali

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mor...-muhammad-ali/ss-BBtPQ8D?ocid=HPDHP#image=100

 

[StevieD]

RIP one of the all time greats.

 

[Morris]

RIP :0008

 

[Penguinfan]

I guess I'm in the minority on this one and don't understand what was so great about this guy. I'm probably just ignorant to the circumstances so I understand if this pisses people off, but I'm being genuine here when I say I don't know what all the wall to wall coverage is about on TV on Ali.

I'm not a big boxing fan, but I understand he was considered the greatest boxer of all time, but I don't see coverage like this for other sports icons when they pass.

I keep hearing how great he was for the civil rights movement, but I honestly don't know what he did to further that cause other than being a successful black man, what am I missing? Didn't he dodge going to Vietnam? Is that ok?

I'm not a hater, honestly, I'd just like to understand why this is such big news and he's considered such a great human being.

 

[fatdaddycool]

I think I've told the story on here before, but when I was working for AA in Chicago the special services department was short handed and needed someone to meet a VIP at his arrival gate and escort him to his next departure. Generally a layover was involved. This time the VIP was Muhammed Ali and he had a 4-5 hour layover. I took him to the admirals club and he insisted I eat lunch with him. It was just he and I for the first two hours. It was like a private suite they have for celebrities I guess. He could still communicate but very soft spoken and somewhat slurred speech. I asked him anything and everything. Said the hardest he'd ever been hit was by Ernie Shavers and the worst beating he took was by Joe Frazier or Larry Holmes. Said he wished he wouldn't have fought Holmes. We talked about everything. He then told me he wanted to go out into the terminal to be with the fans as word had gotten around he was at the airport. He spent the next hour and a half mugging for the camera for any fan that asked. Every time someone took a picture he made me mug with him, joking that i was his new trainer and he was making a comeback.
As I loaded him into his first class seat to go home he got up, hugged me hard, thanked me for spending time with him, told me he loved me and was honored to know me. He gave me a little card that had his signature on it. He then proceeded to tell me his home address and phone number and said I was welcome at his dinner table anytime. I cried all the way up the jet bridge. Was the nicest, most gracious celebrity I've ever met.

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk

 

[Penguinfan]

I think I've told the story on here before, but when I was working for AA in Chicago the special services department was short handed and needed someone to meet a VIP at his arrival gate and escort him to his next departure. Generally a layover was involved. This time the VIP was Muhammed Ali and he had a 4-5 hour layover. I took him to the admirals club and he insisted I eat lunch with him. It was just he and I for the first two hours. It was like a private suite they have for celebrities I guess. He could still communicate but very soft spoken and somewhat slurred speech. I asked him anything and everything. Said the hardest he'd ever been hit was by Ernie Shavers and the worst beating he took was by Joe Frazier or Larry Holmes. Said he wished he wouldn't have fought Holmes. We talked about everything. He then told me he wanted to go out into the terminal to be with the fans as word had gotten around he was at the airport. He spent the next hour and a half mugging for the camera for any fan that asked. Every time someone took a picture he made me mug with him, joking that i was his new trainer and he was making a comeback.
As I loaded him into his first class seat to go home he got up, hugged me hard, thanked me for spending time with him, told me he loved me and was honored to know me. He gave me a little card that had his signature on it. He then proceeded to tell me his home address and phone number and said I was welcome at his dinner table anytime. I cried all the way up the jet bridge. Was the nicest, most gracious celebrity I've ever met.

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk

That's a great story. Again, I have nothing against him, I'd just like to know more.

 

[The Mover]

I guess I'm in the minority on this one and don't understand what was so great about this guy. I'm probably just ignorant to the circumstances so I understand if this pisses people off, but I'm being genuine here when I say I don't know what all the wall to wall coverage is about on TV on Ali.

I'm not a big boxing fan, but I understand he was considered the greatest boxer of all time, but I don't see coverage like this for other sports icons when they pass.

I keep hearing how great he was for the civil rights movement, but I honestly don't know what he did to further that cause other than being a successful black man, what am I missing? Didn't he dodge going to Vietnam? Is that ok?

I'm not a hater, honestly, I'd just like to understand why this is such big news and he's considered such a great human being.

Hats off Pen you are very slick..... If you really wanted to know about the man there is no shortage of articles on Muhammad Ali . Just a sneak preview he wasn't a draft dodger he showed up but refused on religious beliefs. Enjoy reading about the man but I doubt you will.

 

[The Mover]

I think I've told the story on here before, but when I was working for AA in Chicago the special services department was short handed and needed someone to meet a VIP at his arrival gate and escort him to his next departure. Generally a layover was involved. This time the VIP was Muhammed Ali and he had a 4-5 hour layover. I took him to the admirals club and he insisted I eat lunch with him. It was just he and I for the first two hours. It was like a private suite they have for celebrities I guess. He could still communicate but very soft spoken and somewhat slurred speech. I asked him anything and everything. Said the hardest he'd ever been hit was by Ernie Shavers and the worst beating he took was by Joe Frazier or Larry Holmes. Said he wished he wouldn't have fought Holmes. We talked about everything. He then told me he wanted to go out into the terminal to be with the fans as word had gotten around he was at the airport. He spent the next hour and a half mugging for the camera for any fan that asked. Every time someone took a picture he made me mug with him, joking that i was his new trainer and he was making a comeback.
As I loaded him into his first class seat to go home he got up, hugged me hard, thanked me for spending time with him, told me he loved me and was honored to know me. He gave me a little card that had his signature on it. He then proceeded to tell me his home address and phone number and said I was welcome at his dinner table anytime. I cried all the way up the jet bridge. Was the nicest, most gracious celebrity I've ever met.

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing , you are a very lucky man to spend time with Muhammad Ali. 2 wks. ago we stopped in Louisville & his museum was on my list. It was really enlightening of the many up's & downs in his life. The amount of money / time he generated for charity's was over the top.

 

[Penguinfan]

Hats off Pen you are very slick..... If you really wanted to know about the man there is no shortage of articles on Muhammad Ali . Just a sneak preview he wasn't a draft dodger he showed up but refused on religious beliefs. Enjoy reading about the man but I doubt you will.

I don't doubt there are a zillion articles, just like there is a ton of coverage on TV last night and today. I thought it may be worth conversation here. Nothing more, I assure you.

Like I said, I'm not a boxing fan but I understand Ali's place in boxing history but don't have any knowledge of all the humanitarian stuff being talked about on all the reports and it doesn't seem like any of them go into detail. I was surprised to see he burnt himself when lighting the Olympic torch and was able to keep it a secret.