“I Started to See Bits and Pieces of Him Slowing Down”: Diagnosed With Parkinson’s 4 Years After Retirement, Daughter Says Muhammad Ali Fought Last Few Fights While Having Tremors

Muhammad Ali is a name that almost everyone whether they are a fan of boxing or not, knows. The legendary picture of him yelling at Sonny Liston asking him to get up and fight, is something almost everyone is familiar with. Throughout his career, Muhammad Ali faced quite a lot of strong opponents. These include fighters such as George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Larry Holmes. However, three years after his final fight, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome

The relationship between boxing and Parkinson’s disease has been debated for years. The late Muhammad Ali is one of the most high-profile examples. Though some believe that head injuries sustained from boxing may have contributed to Ali’s diagnosis. Neurologists cannot definitively say whether violent blows to the head in the sport is the cause.

His daughter Rasheda Ali recently did a UP- CLOSE interview with Youcef Hollywood. There she revealed a lot of things about Muhammad Ali. During one segment of the podcast, she also talked about Ali’s struggle with Parkinson’s. A  study conducted a year ago also suggested that Ali had shown early signs of Parkinson’s prior to his diagnosis.

Rasheda Ali talks about Muhammad Ali slowly got taken over by Parkinson

Rasheda Ali has revealed that her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years after his retirement from boxing. She stated that her father had been trying to seek medical attention for his tremors since 1981, the year of his retirement. Rasheda’s guess, based on the opinion of a movement disorder specialist, is that her father most likely had the disease when he was fighting. She mentioned that if Muhammad Ali’s fights in the late 70s were closely examined, one could observe a slight shuffle in his walk, which could indicate Parkinson’s.

Rasheda, who has spent a lot of time learning about Parkinson’s, has been able to observe the symptoms in her father’s movements. She noted that as he got closer to retirement, she started to see signs of him slowing down, which are typical Parkinson’s symptoms. Rasheda said, “Looking at his fights closer to his retiring, I started to see bits and pieces of him slowing down, which exhibits some of the Parkinson’s symptoms”. Although her father had the disease at retirement, he was not officially diagnosed until 1984, three years after he stopped boxing.

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Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. And his diagnosis of Parkinson’s brought attention to the disease. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement. It is estimated that over 10 million people worldwide live with it.

Read More: When Did Muhammad Ali Stop Boxing?

Despite his illness, Ali continued to fight for several years. His bravery and determination inspired many people around the world.

Should Muhammad Ali have retired earlier than when he actually hung up his gloves? Let us know in the comments below.