Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Happy Birthday, Muhammad Ali!

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. That's what I remember.

Ali: His body ravaged by Parkinson's disease, 'The Greatest' turns 65 with voice muted, but mind still clear: "The images are unsettling at best, upsetting at worst. The world, after all, remembers what he once was.

Muhammad Ali trembles and has to be wheeled to a ringside spot to watch his daughter fight in New York. A frail Ali needs to be supported by basketball player Dwyane Wade at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

The voice that once bellowed that he was 'The Greatest' is but a whisper now and he communicates mostly with facial expressions.

His body is ravaged by Parkinson's disease and the effects of recent spinal surgery. He tires easily. His mind, though, remains sharp and clear, and his passion for people hasn't faded with age.

Ali turns 65 today. The heavyweight champion who shocked the world is a senior citizen now, eligible to collect social security."

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