4th June, 2016
Fellow boxers Mike Tyson and George Foreman were among those who led tributes to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali today as news broke of his death at the age of 74.
The sportsman died with his family at his side after a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease late on Friday evening, a day after he was rushed to hospital with difficulty breathing.
Known to many as The Greatest, Ali’s popularity transcended the sporting world, and he was as famous for his work as a humanitarian and freedom fighter, whose strong beliefs never wavered as he was for his success in the ring.
Tyson was among the first of a host of famous names and friends of Ali to pay tribute to him, taking to Twitter to post a photograph of the pair together during the 1990s.
He wrote: ‘God came for his champion. So long great one.’
George Foreman, 67, who took on Ali in one of his most famous fights, the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1974, said his former rival was ‘something special’.
‘Muhammad Ali made you love him,’ Foreman told BBC Five Live. ‘If you dislike him you wanted more than anything to see him again so you could dislike him again.
‘Beauty is how you would describe him. Muhammad Ali was what I call beautiful.
‘The man was the greatest. Forget about boxing, he was one of the greatest men to appear on television, to appear in the media.
‘He was the greatest.’
The fight in Kinshasa was expected to be Ali’s final foray into the ring. To the astonishment of those watching, Ali adopted a ‘rope-a-dope’ strategy and sapped the unbeaten Foreman’s strength.
Ali then pounced in the eighth round, putting Foreman on the canvas and the fight was stopped by the referee, with Ali regaining the world heavyweight title.
‘Little did I know I would be facing something greater than a boxer,’ said Foreman when asked to remember that night in Africa.
‘He stood the test. He took everything I had and gave back worse. I loved the man. I wanted to beat him and knock him out but I loved the man.
‘He called me Frankenstein’s monster. He was only saying that because it was true. I was a monster, I was a monster.’
When asked about Ali’s fight with Parkinson’s disease, Foreman said more research had to be done to find a cure.
‘Muhammad Ali fought the best he could,’ he added.
Following the news of his death Don King, who promoted some of Ali’s biggest fights, told The Associated Press early Saturday: ‘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.’
He later told CNN: ‘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.’
Former British heavweight champion, Frank Bruno said on Twitter: ‘Inspiration, Mentor, my Friend, an Earthly God of humanity, Simply.’
Boxing promoter Kellie Maloney told the BBC that Ali was an ‘icon’.
‘He took boxing from the back pages, he made it a national sport,’ she said. ‘He made it well known to the world.’
She told BBC 5 Live: ‘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 met Ali while at a function with her former fighter, Lennox Lewis, and added: ‘He could hold a room. Even when he wasn’t well, people were in awe of him.’
Current promoter Eddie Hearn, who looks after current world champion Anthony Joshua, said: ‘Waking to the sad news that “The Greatest” has passed. Rest in peace Muhammad Ali you shook up the World.’
And promoter Bob Arum said: ‘He was the greatest fighter of all time but his boxing career is secondary to his contribution to the world.
‘He’s the most transforming figure of my time certainly. He did more to change race relations and the views of people than even Martin Luther King.’
Meanwhile, hundreds have taken to social media to celebrate his considerable impact on the world and the #GOAT, meaning Greatest of All Time, was trending on Twitter and tributes flooded in from outside the world of boxing.
Lionel Richie tweeted: ‘You will always be my hero’, accompanied by a touching photo of them together.
The photo shows Richie performing to Ali as he attends an intimate evening with David Foster and Friends in support of organ donor awareness at a private home in 2010 in Toronto, Canada.
Ringo Starr, who met the boxer along with the other members of The Beatles in 1964, tweeted: ‘God bless Muhammad Ali peace and love to all his family.’
Singer Jermaine Jackson added: ‘As boys, we huddled around the radio as Muhammad Ali floored Sonny Liston. In 1975, he walked into, and blessed, our lives…’
Former F1 world champion Jenson Button said: ‘#MuhammadAli #cassiusclay “If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize” #restinpower.’
British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter: ‘Muhammad Ali was not just a champion in the ring – he was a champion of civil rights, and a role model for so many people.’
Lord Sugar said: ‘Muhammad Ali he was the greatest, not just a great boxer but he fought for racial equality. Sad Loss to the world R.I.P.’
While Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump quickly tweeted: ‘Muhammad Ali is dead at 74! A truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all!’
A practicing Muslim, Ali had indirectly criticized Trump following his remarks that all Muslims should be banned from entering the United States.
Speaking in December, Ali said all Muslims ‘have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda’.
His statement was directed at ‘presidential candidates proposing to ban Muslim immigration to the United States.’
American television and radio host Larry King said he ‘mourned the passing of Muhammad Ali’ and added ‘he was indeed ‘The Greatest’. An American legend and a true champion for the world.’
While comedian Eddie Griffin tweeted: ‘Rest in peace to God’s champion, simply the greatest of all time!!!!’
Revered by millions worldwide and reviled by millions more, Ali stood tall, 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds in his prime.
He will be remembered for his stunning victories against the likes of Sonny Liston, as well as George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle and Joe Frazier in the Thriller in Manila.
Ali’s health last took a turn for the worse in early 2015, when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection initially diagnosed a month earlier as pneumonia.
The boxer looked increasingly frail during public appearances over the past few years, including his last outing in April.
He wore sunglasses and was seen hunched over at the annual Celebrity Fight Night dinner in Phoenix, which raises funds for the treatment of Parkinson’s.
His final public appearance prior to that was in October of last year when he appeared at the Sports Illustrated Tribute to Muhammad Ali at The Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Ali’s family said his funeral would be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and thanked the public for their outpouring of support.
His daughter, Laila Ali, shared a touching photo on social media as she thanked fans.
The 38-year-old, herself a former boxer, posted on her official Facebook page: ‘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!!’
*Daily Mail of London