2016 proved to be one of the most devastating years in terms of celebrities leaving the Earth, and one of the greatest athletes the world will ever see took his final bow.
On June 3, former world champion boxer Muhammad Ali passed away at the age of 74 due to a respiratory illness after years of battling Parkinson’s disease.
When it comes to thinking of a list of athletes to completely dominate a generation of their sport, Ali’s name will always hover around the top of that list. Throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, Ali’s name ran synonymous with boxing.
With legendary bouts against the likes of Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston, Ali became one of the biggest draws in all of sports. Between 1960 and 19081, Ali would rack up 56 victories, including 37 by knockout.
Although Ali became highly popular in the ring, it was his personality outside of the ring that made his a star. His long list of rhymes, including his famous “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” helped him cross over from just a boxing icon to a pop culture icon.
Ali was also known for his strong racial and political stances throughout the years, including his well-known refusal to fight for the United States armed forces in 1966, leading him to being stripped of his boxing license in most states, and being exiled from the world until the early 70’s.
Ali would eventually return to cap off on of the most dominant sports careers in history. Despite his declining health in his later years, Ali continued his work as a social activist, working to help with peace relations between the US and Islamic countries.
Ali would continue to make sporadic public appearances until his death.
Ali is survived by his wife Yolanda Williams, and nine children, including former world champion Laila Ali.
On behalf of Total Sports Live, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Join us tomorrow as we look at one of the regular season greatest records in the history of sports.
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