Muhammad Ali, ‘The Greatest,’ dies at 74

The world lost an icon on Friday night, with the passing of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. “The Greatest of all time” battled Parkinson’s disease for over three decades before ultimately succumbing to respiratory issues in a Phoenix area hospital. He was 74 years old.

Around 9:00 PM PST Ali passed away surrounded by friends and family. His daughter Hana Ali left the following message on Instagram.

The boxing legend and civil rights activist made history not only for his skills in the ring, but his brash and boastful demeanor. Ali never backed off from a statement, especially when it involved social, political, and racial issues.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard spoke with LeBron James who expressed the importance of Ali’s use of his platform and celebrity that extended far beyond the world of boxing.

“When I was a kid, I was amazed by what Ali did in the ring,” LeBron told ESPN.com. “As I got older and started to read about him and watch things about him, I started to realize what he did in the ring was secondary to what he meant outside of the ring — just his influence, what he stood for.”

James also touched on how Ali, among others, were the ones who paved the way for African-American athletes.

“It’s what he did outside of the ring, what he believed in, what he stood for, along with Jim Brown and Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor — obviously, who became Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] — Bill Russell, Jackie Robinson. Those guys stood for something. He’s part of the reason why African-Americans today can do what we do in the sports world. We’re free. They allow us to have access to anything we want. It’s because of what they stood for, and Muhammad Ali was definitely the pioneer for that.”

During his career, Muhammad Ali – who began his career as Cassius Clay before converting to Islam at the ago of 22,and changing his name – had 56 victories, 37 of them by knockout, and five losses. He held the world championship three different times.

In 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the army. The U.S. was entrenched in the Vietnam war during that time. Ali famously stated that he had  “no quarrel with them Vietcong.”

He was sentenced to five years in prison- he didn’t serve the time – stripped of his boxing license and passport for three years, before the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in October of 1970.

His Parkinson’s disease was believed to be linked to his boxing career. Ali was married four times and had seven daughters and two sons.

Ali is the reason why you love a confident precision athlete. 2016 has been heavy. Rest In Power.