Muhammad Ali Irony

[Damaged Goods]

Ali boasted of his appearance and attributed it to his ability to float like a butterfly and elude punishment. Yet, he spent nearly half his life in a semi-vegetative state, not mentally, but neurologically. Long before he was wheelchair confined, he demonstrated aphasia. Hard to imagine a loquacious Ali being aphasic unless you saw interviews.

Can you think of any modern day heavyweights or any weight with similar impairments beginning at a relatively young age?

Certainly not Geo. Foreman. Holmes seems OK, last I heard. Frazier had diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver cancer, certainly not related to brain injuries. Any of the lighter weights?

 

[Pepper]

I know it's not the same, obviously, but so many wrestlers with WWE have died very young, like Ultimate Warrior & Mr. Perfect, to name only two of many. Steroids?

Loved Mohammad Ali.

 

[win231]

Ali was quite a personality & very entertaining. I never cared for boxing, but I did enjoy watching him. What his daughter said was quite true - "He brought people into boxing who weren't even interested in boxing."
I remembered his cameo appearances in TV shows like "Diff'rent Strokes" & "Vegas."
It's really too bad that he didn't choose acting or comedy as his main career; it would have been much better for his health. I remember his speech being slurred long before his diagnosis.