Monday, 22 December 2014

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali hospitalized with 'a mild case of pneumonia' and is expected to return home soon

Ali, pictured here in 2012 when he was crowned 'King of Boxing, is understood to be in a stable condition 
Boxing great Muhammad Ali was hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia that was caught early and should result in a short hospital stay, an Ali spokesman said Saturday night.

The three-time world heavyweight champion, who is battling Parkinson's disease, is being treated by his team of doctors and is in stable condition, said his spokesman, Bob Gunnell.

'He went into the hospital this morning,' Gunnell said in a phone interview.

'He has a mild case of pneumonia and the prognosis is good.'

Gunnell declined to say where the 72-year-old Ali is hospitalized. No other details are being released due to the Ali family's request for privacy, he said.

Ali appeared in public in September to attend a ceremony in his hometown of Louisville for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards. He did not speak.

Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes. He traveled the world on humanitarian missions, mingling with the masses and rubbing elbows with world leaders. Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005.

The Muhammad Ali Center, in Louisville, is dedicated to Ali's humanitarian causes and also showcases his boxing career.

Ali and his wife, Lonnie, have homes in Paradise Valley, Arizona; Berrien Springs, Michigan; and in Louisville.

'Muhammad is doing fine at this point,' Gunnell told the Louisville-Courier- Journal in October.

'His speaking style is lower in tone, and as the day goes on, he doesn't speak as well as he does in the morning. But Muhammad's a strong person for his age and for the disease he has.'

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