Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was a warrior even through his final days. The former heavyweight champion passed away back in 2016 battling through Parkison’s disease that finally got the better of him. However, even on his deathbed, Ali refused to give in and fought his disease till his last breath.

This was shared by Ali’s son a few days after his death, as he revealed that his father never once complained about his deteriorating health. He stated that while Ali was going through a lot of pain, he never showed any sign of weakness. “I learned is if you watch him even up to his later years he was a man that never complained. You know he never complained, never showed weakness. So you could never tell what days were bad with partisans and what days were good because he’s that kind of person. He’s tough, he’s strong,” he said.

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While many people would have folded under the pain and fatigue of battling a disease for almost 3 decades, Ali proved that he was different from the rest, being a champion through the end.

Was boxing the cause of Muhammad Ali’s Parkison disease?

The cause of Muhammad Ali’s Parkinson’s disorder has been widely debated among neurologists. However, studies showed that although it cannot be pinpointed that boxing was responsible, the head trauma caused by it could have played a major role. The chief executive of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research claimed that there was convincing data that showed this. “It’s very hard to point in almost any individual case to what’s causing the Parkinson’s. But there’s pretty convincing data that head injury can increase your risk for developing the disease.” he said.

During his career, Ali took over 200,000 shots to the head. This could have played a factor in his deteriorating health. Moreover, Ali was even advised by his doctors to quit boxing a long time before his eventual retirement. Ali’s stubbornness to continue boxing might have ended up costing him the chance to remain fully healthy during his later years.

What did you think about Ali’s son opening up about his father? Let us know in the comments.

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