According to the Daily Mail on Feb. 3, boxing legend Muhammad Ali is very ill. Ali’s brother, Rahman Ali, says that the former heavyweight champ can no longer speak and it could be a only a matter of days.
Rahman Ali told The Sun, “He’s in a bad way. He’s very sick. It could be months, it could be days. I don’t know if he’ll last the summer. He’s in God’s hands.”
The boxer who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee in his prime has been fighting Parkinson’s Disease since 1984. It didn't slow Muhammad Ali down that much and he remained quite active, despite the tremor. He even lit the flame at the 1996 Olympic Games.
Muhammad Ali again stepped onto the Olympic stage at the games in London last summer, but had to be helped across the stage by his wife Lonnie. He looked very thin and frail. Friends and relatives have been concerned about his health since that time.
Rahman Ali says he is only allowed to speak to his brother on the phone. He accuses his sister-in-law of refusing to let family visit. Rahman last saw his brother in July 2012 at the Sports for Peace Gala in London. He is distraught at being cut out of his brother’s life, saying he loves him above all others.
Muhammad Ali reportedly wants a portion of a Martin Luther King quote on his gravestone.
"I tried to love somebody, I did try to feed the hungry.
"I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked.
“I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.”
The Greatest.
Muhammad Ali’s wife of 26 years, Lonnie, has not commented on his medical status. The former boxing champ is 71.
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