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Boxing Great Muhammad Ali Hospitalized


FILE - U.S. boxing great Muhammad Ali poses during the Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 2006.
FILE - U.S. boxing great Muhammad Ali poses during the Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 2006.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia.

The three-time world heavyweight champion, who is battling Parkinson's disease, is in stable condition at an undisclosed hospital.

Ali's spokesman said the illness was caught early and Ali is expected to make a full recovery.

No other details are being released due to the Ali family's request for privacy.

Ali's public appearances have diminished in recent years as he continues to battle Parkinson's disease, which was first diagnosed in the mid-1980s.

Boxing career

Ali had a storied career as a professional heavyweight boxer from 1960 to 1981.

He dazzled the boxing world with slick moves in the ring and enamored the public with his wit and engaging personality.

He beat George Foreman in one of the greatest fights of all time dubbed "The Rumble in The Jungle," held in 1974 in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ali also had a thrilling rivalry with heavyweight Joe Frazier that saw the two men slug it out in the ring and verbally spar out of it.

In 1964, he converted to Islam, changing his name to Muhammad Ali from Cassius Clay. On religious grounds, Ali refused to join the armed forces in 1967 during the Vietnam War and was convicted of draft dodging.

That conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.

Some material for this report came from AFP.

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