Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest heavyweight boxer the world has ever known and a cultural icon, died Friday, June 3, in Phoenix. He was 74. He died from respiratory complications. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984, but was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease proper when his conditions persisted.
ForeignEditorial
Perhaps the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, he also became a cultural icon.
Todd VanDerWerff
Vox.com
Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest heavyweight boxer the world has ever known and a cultural icon, died Friday, June 3, in Phoenix. He was 74.
He died from respiratory complications. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984, but was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease proper when his conditions persisted.
Born Cassius Clay in 1942, Ali won his first 31 fights before suffering a loss and was named the world heavyweight champion by the World Boxing Association three different times, in 1964, 1974, and 1978. He was an Olympic gold medalist and a quick-footed dancer in the ring, lithe and smart and ready with trash talk to throw off his opponents.
But he was also a global celebrity who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, at a time when black men who spoke their minds often paid dearly. His gleeful boasting about his abilities made him tremendously fun to watch on camera. But his unapologetic, outspoken politics made him a figure of tremendous significance.
In particular, Ali’s refusal to fight in the Vietnam War caused him to be suspended from boxing for almost four years, at the prime of his physical prowess. “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?” he asked.
Even as recently as 2015, Ali spoke out against Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the country. (Ali was himself a Muslim and famously a Nation of Islam member at the height of his fame.)
The Greatest
Like Babe Ruth before him and Michael Jordan after him, Ali was simultaneously the greatest athlete in America and such a massive cultural figure that his every move inspired news coverage.
After winning the gold medal at the 1960 summer Olympic games, he burst onto the professional scene that fall, tearing his way through opponent after opponent.
While he had a canny way of throwing his opponents off their games, Ali was also placing himself at the center of the greatest political discussions of the day, especially the struggles of the civil rights movement and the counterculture to push back against white, mainstream American culture in the 1960s and ’70s.
In his later life, Ali became a symbol of declining health and mortality, the great fighter reduced to a shell of himself by his Parkinson’s. His most famous appearance in this time was likely in 1996, when he lit the torch at the Opening Ceremony of the Atlanta Summer Olympics. It’s a fitting image to remember him by.
Tributes pour in for Ali
Athletes and stars from all around the globe including several from Pakistan have taken to social media to express their sadness at boxing legend Mohammed Ali’s death.
Musician Uzair Jaswal tweeted, “Rip #MuhammadAli you were more than just a hero. #legend #inspiration,” while VJ and media personality Anoushey Ashraf wrote, “How legendary must he be? People know boxing because of him instead of knowing him because of boxing! Bigger than his sport! Rip #MuhammadAli.”
Musician Haroon Rashid and the force behind Burqa Avenger noted on Facebook about Ali: “Sad to hear of the death of Muhammad Ali. An icon who transcended sports. A champion whose legacy outside the ring is just as impressive as the one inside.”
Jailabee star Ali Safina tweeted, “Woke up to the sad news that #MuhammadAli has passed away. RIP sir!!”
Actor, writer and director Shaan Shahid tweeted, “RIP The Greatest Mohmmaed Ali #Boxer #mohmammedali” while Mah e Mir star Fahad Mustafa noted, “R.I.P Muhammad Ali the greatest boxer of all times. There will never be another Muhammad Ali. #RIPMuhammadAli.”
Rocker Mustafa Zahid wrote, “He had Muhammad in his name,he had Ali in his name. Bravery must be a bonus. Heavens would welcome you with arms wide open, RIP Champ #MuhammadAli.”
Salman Ahmed tweeted, “#MuhammadAli is carried out of this world into eternity on the wings of Angels (RIP),” while Ali Zafar noted, “Ali. You will always be the greatest. R.I.P #mohammadali.”
