At age 74, one of the most beloved athletes worldwide is still floating like a butterfly
Born January 17, 1942, in Louisville, KY as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., Muhammad Ali died Friday, June 3, 2016 in the comfort of family and friends around him in a Phoenix-area hospital.
What was meant to be a brief stay at the hospital turned into fatal treatment for respiratory failure for the legendary boxer who had been surviving advanced Parkinson's disease in recent years.
Ali, who began training at 12 years old, was best known for the upset of the Sonny Liston fight, who he beat at age of 22, winning the world heavyweight championship in 1964.
Ali, who joined the Nation of Islam in 1964, had recently been involved in politics to speak against presidential candidate Donald Trumps' controversial statements towards keeping Muslims out of the United States.
Known for his witty, catchy phrases to instill fear and anger in his opponents, but humor and incite the anticipation of the crowd, Muhammad Ali's famous saying will go down in our history somewhere:
"I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick."
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't."
"I'm the greatest thing that ever lived! I'm the king of the world! I'm a bad man. I'm the prettiest thing that ever lived."
"If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize."
"I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked."
Funeral services for Ali will he held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, according to a spokesman. Arrangements will be announced in a news conference to be held Saturday at noon at a Scottsdale hotel, according to ABC News.
Listen in to a special tribute on Valley Black Talk Radio this Sunday at 6:30 PM: on mobile at: http://www.onmetv.com or desktop: http://www.myonme.com
