You beat me to it Pepe. Just started another thread on this, but I'll kill it as well as I can.

I'll just copy my opening post in here.....

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"Boxing great Muhammad Ali has died aged 74 in a Phoenix hospital following a short battle with a respiratory illness."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-04/muhammad-ali-boxing-great-dies-aged-74/7477564

As an Olympic Games affficionado I was aware of Cassius Clay's success at the 1960 Rome Games before he turned pro.

He was successful as a professional when there was only one world champ.

Not bad for a black Muslim boy, eh?

I still think boxing should be banned now though.

Cassius has had his day. They used to call him The Mouth of the South.  He beat some of the best and enjoyed all the offerings of wealth. It is a terrible disease and I'm sure he suffered a great deal towards the end.. I used to hate it when his minders would take him to different functions and he didn't seem to know where he was. That is one of the traits of Parkinsons, a blank expression. I know, my darling Dad had it. It was a blessing when he passed away. 

Many tributes will come and all will be deserved. Ali was a champion in his sport yet even people who knew nothing of boxing knew and admired Ali.

Of course, Ali upset the American establishment by refusing to be conscripted for the Vietnam war. I wonder if he's been properly forgiven by the coservatives yet?

Somehow I doubt it.

His lovely daughter Laila has taken up the profession of boxing...shame in my opinion..should remain a man's sport....

The doco 'Thriller in Manilla' is worth a look and found myself much preferring the boxer Joe Frazier to Muhammed Ali after viewing it.....

Very sad though to watch his decline through Parkinsons over the past 20 years or so....

R,I,P, muhammed ali,    a great sportsman,     he took on the best and won,         it was very sad seeing him in his declining years,   he was just a shell of the man he used to be,    as well as parkinsons,  he also had brain damage to some extent,    after all those blows to the head,      i have nevr understood why anyone could enjoy the [sport],  

 Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

RIP not too mad on boxing, but you were the greatest.

........ yawns - and the world will "sob"  -  get "over emotional" and "boo hoo" him for 48 hours and then he will go into the "oblivion" chambers with the rest of those who have "passed"!  No matter how "great" people are deemed to be by the "adoring public"  -  they are soon forgotten!!

Pathetic "sport"  (Sport?) - people beating each other to a pulp?  Ugh! 

Cool - I knew about the Vietnam issue - ok - point taken ... thankyou

Saw a great doco re: Muhammed Ali on SBS last night 'The Trials of Muhammed Ali' and realise there was much I didn't know about him....In no way a boxing fan but he was indeed a 'one off' - Flawed but still an incredible human being with a personality i.e.   - humour, courage when faced with the American mindset he was confronted with in the 1960s,  intelligence, generosity, sense of justice etc. which sort of loomed larger than his boxing prowess...

But still do not like boxing and still didn't like the way he treated Joe Frazier-  but on balance and in the final wash up  probably a whole lot more good than bad...

Think there are more docos to be shown over the weekend...Sorry can't remember which channel but have seen them advertised somewhere...

RIP Muhammed Ali.

Heard of the many tributes regarding Ali,  one that stood out was, He went to a restaurant in N.Y. and the white waiter said to him, "We don't serve black men in here", to which Ali said, "Well, I don't eat black men".

I have a grandson that is a middleweight boxing champion and I have given up sitting in the audience watching his handsome body and head taking blows with my hands over my eyes..I hate it.

But Ali was a great man in his right, and did much for many, my memory is at the awards when moon face addressed him as "Boy"..I don't know why that sticks in my head, I guess it was to do with everyone seemingly holding their breath..