Muhammad Ali is one of America’s greatest sporting figures, but he’s also become one of its greatest philanthropists as well. He’s helped causes around the world, but is also doing that while battling the debilitating Parkinson’s Disease.
According to a report by his family, the 73-year-old legend is suffering from a serious respiratory issue and is in a Phoenix area hospital because of it. The issue is apparently exacerbated by his Parkinson’s Disease as well.
The former heavyweight boxing champion has been battling Parkinson’s for decades now, but continues to appear at private and public charitable events across the nation when possible. However, those appearances have decreased in recent years as his condition has left him more frail.
The sports community has always supported Ali in his charitable efforts and his long, three-decades fight with Parkinson’s disease. Most notable in support was fellow boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard:
Prayers & blessings to my idol, my friend, & without question, the Greatest of All Time @MuhammadAli ! #GOAT
— Sugar Ray Leonard (@SugarRayLeonard) June 2, 2016
Ali has also been in and out of the hospital several times in recent years, and was most recently treated for a urinary tract infection that was initially thought to be pneumonia back in 2015.
His family nor his Parkinson’s doctor had more to say, other than to notify the public that Ali was indeed in an unidentified Phoenix-area hospital dealing with a respiratory issue.
Ali was last seen in public in April, attending his annual Celebrity Fight Night charity event in Phoenix, where he has lived since the mid-1980s. Before that, however, he last appeared in public last October and his condition has continued to decline between those appearances.
What isn’t known is exactly the severity of the respiratory issue facing the “Greatest of All-Time.”
