Breaking… Boxing legend, Muhammad Ali is dead

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Ali

Legendary boxer, who proclaimed himself ‘The Greatest’, Muhammad Ali has passed on. He died Friday night in Phoenix, Arizona.
A family spokesman, Bob Gunnell who confirmed his death, said “After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening”.
Gunnell said in a statement that “The Ali family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
A short message on Ali’s official Twitter handle simply said “Muhammad Ali. 1942-2016”.
Aged 74, Ali, was taken to a Phoenix hospital on Thursday with what spokesman Bob Gunnell had described as a respiratory issue.
Ali had also been hospitalized in January 2015 with a urinary tract infection. He was hospitalized in December 2014 with pneumonia.
Hours before her famed father passed away, Laila Ali posted a throwback photo of Muhammad Ali with her daughter, Sydney, who was born in 2011.
“I love this photo of my father and my daughter Sydney when she was a baby! Thanks for all the love and well wishes. I feel your love and appreciate it!!” Laila Ali, herself a former world champion boxer, wrote.
George Foreman, who Ali defeated in 1974 for the world heavyweight title, wrote on Twitter that “A part of me slipped away, “The greatest piece.”
His last known public appearance was on April 9, at a Parkinson’s fundraiser in Phoenix.
He once was known not only for his athletic prowess as a three-time heavyweight champion, but also for his social activism. He was also famous for his wit, and jokes during press conferences before his fight, during which periods he coined a slogan ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’.
Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky, as Cassius Clay in January 1942. He began boxing as an amateur when he was 12 years old and in 1964 became heavyweight champion with a knockout of Sonny Liston. That year he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name.
Ali’s sparkling career was interrupted for three and a half years in the 1960s when he refused induction into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was convicted of draft evasion. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction.
Ali also used his fame to speak out about racism in America.
He retired for good in 1981.
The funeral will take place in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, his family said in a statement.

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