Prince and Muhammad Ali during a press conference announcing the World Healing Project and Honours Benefit Concert.

https://twitter.com/RealA...8086222849

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"Boxing great Muhammad Ali, right, embraces the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, during a meeting in Washington on June 24, 1997 prior to a news conference where they were to announce plans for a benefit concert in October. The World Healing Honors will be a grand benefit concert to promote international harmony and tolerance."

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Muhammad Ali: Boxing legend dies at age of 74
http://www.bbc.com/news/w...a-16011175

The former world heavyweight boxing champion, one of the world's best-known sportsmen, had been in hospital in the US city of Phoenix in Arizona state.

He had been fighting a respiratory illness, a condition that has been further complicated by Parkinson's disease.

The funeral will take place in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, his family said.

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Ali shot to fame by winning light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Nicknamed "The Greatest", the American beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to win his first world title and became the first boxer to capture a world heavyweight title on three separate occasions.

He eventually retired in 1981, having won 56 of his 61 fights.

Crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC, Ali was noted for his pre- and post-fight talk and bold fight predictions just as much as his boxing skills inside the ring.

But he was also a civil rights campaigner and poet who transcended the bounds of sport, race and nationality.

Asked how he would like to be remembered, he once said: "As a man who never sold out his people. But if that's too much, then just a good boxer. I won't even mind if you don't mention how pretty I was."

Ali turned professional immediately after the Rome Olympics and rose through the heavyweight ranks, delighting crowds with his showboating, shuffling feet and lightning reflexes.

British champion Henry Cooper came close to stopping Clay, as he was still known, when they met in a non-title bout in London in 1963.

Cooper floored the American with a left hook, but Clay picked himself up off the canvas and won the fight in the next round when a severe cut around Cooper's left eye forced the Englishman to retire.

In February the following year, Clay stunned the boxing world by winning his first world heavyweight title at the age of 22.

He predicted he would beat Liston, who had never lost, but few believed he could do it.

Yet, after six stunning rounds, Liston quit on his stool, unable to cope with his brash, young opponent.

At the time of his first fight with Liston, Clay was already involved with the Nation of Islam, a religious movement whose stated goals were to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans in the United States.

But in contrast to the inclusive approach favoured by civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King, the Nation of Islam called for separate black development and was treated by suspicion by the American public.

Ali eventually converted to Islam, ditching what he perceived was his "slave name" and becoming Cassius X and then Muhammad Ali.

In 1967, Ali took the momentous decision of opposing the US war in Vietnam, a move that was widely criticised by his fellow Americans.

He refused to be drafted into the US military and was subsequently stripped of his world title and boxing licence. He would not fight again for nearly four years.

After his conviction for refusing the draft was overturned in 1971, Ali returned to the ring and fought in three of the most iconic contests in boxing history, helping restore his reputation with the public.

He was handed his first professional defeat by Joe Frazier in the "Fight of the Century" in New York on 8 March 1971, only to regain his title with an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on 30 October 1974.

Ali fought Frazier for a third and final time in the Philippines on 1 October 1975, coming out on top in the "Thrilla in Manila" when Frazier failed to emerge for the 15th and final round.

Six defences of his title followed before Ali lost on points to Leon Spinks in February 1978, although he regained the world title by the end of the year, avenging his defeat at the hands of the 1976 Olympic light-heavyweight champion.

Ali's career ended with one-sided defeats by Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick in 1981, many thinking he should have retired long before.

He fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.

Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of Ali's health. His speech had become slurred, he shuffled and he was often drowsy.

Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.

He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.

March 30, 2003: http://prince.org/msg/7/42649
August 14, 2009: http://prince.org/msg/7/316373
December 2, 2011: http://prince.org/msg/7/371842

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[Edited 6/3/16 22:24pm]

suomynona said:

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[Edited 6/3/16 21:33pm]

Thank you soooo very much for sharing!!!! The history books and social studies books need to be updated....FOR REAL!!!

Thank u for this

OMG! I just posted one of these photos to my FB page. I am so saddened by the deaths of so many icons in 2016.

Hey yaw'll...please show a concentrated and unified love to the family of Muhammad Ali and his family. We understand, and we love....

Baduizm said:

OMG! I just posted one of these photos to my FB page. I am so saddened by the deaths of so many icons in 2016.

Yeah 2016 has been a crappy year, another legend gone RIP

The below blog was just posted by C. Liegh McInnis, the author of The Lyrics of Prince: A Literary Look at a Creative, Musical Poet, Philosopher, and Storyteller:

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Hey Y’all,

*

During my childhood Muhammad Ali was the ultimate symbol of blackness, which was a combination of intelligence, socio-political activism, and style. (Prince even used Ali as the model to teach The Time stage presence.) I’m still amazed that I’m old enough to remember when black people were amazed and happy to see a black face on television, which meant that they were often nervous about how that black person would be portrayed or how that black person who present oneself. Ali, however, was one of those people who defied and refuted the centuries of lies about African humanity—intellect and morality. He was more than a boxer; yet, he was the greatest boxer of all time. Think about that. He was the greatest of his profession, a profession that for years was the symbol of American manhood, but his presence and essence of manhood transcended his profession as he became one of the most powerful acting agents in the Black Liberation Movement. Additionally, as a man, who was the personification of manliness, he showed to the world that manhood was also mental astuteness and empathy for others. Ali, like my father and uncles, affirmed that manhood was not about physically dominating others but that manhood was about caring for and protecting those who could not protect themselves. As such, he was powerful because he taught us how to fight for others while we are fighting for ourselves. And, finally, Ali taught me about humility and diligence. For years I marveled about Ali’s ability to be interviewed after losing the first Frazier fight. To put it plainly, as a child, I remember thinking that there was no way I would have been able to face the world after I had talked all that noise and then lost the fight.

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For those who don’t know the history/story, Ali had been stripped of his title by refusing induction into the armed forces. He spent the next three years lobbying for his right to box. All the while, he proclaimed, rightfully so, that boxing did not have a real champion because he didn’t lose his title in the ring. When Frazier became the champ, Ali made sure that the world considered Frazier a “fake champ.” Many people—mostly the African-American community—agreed with Ali, and many people—mostly the white community—disagreed with Ali. Continuing to fight for his legal right while proclaiming Frazier to be a fraudulent champ, Ali finally won his right to fight. Then, after all that fighting and talking outside the ring, Ali loses to Frazier. Much of black America was devastated. Noted television journalist Bryant Gumbel stated that he cried his eyes out when Ali lost to Frazier. Gumbel added, “When Ali lost, it was like those of us fighting for black rights had lost.” That’s one hell of a weight for one man to carry. As a child, I wondered “How could he go before all those reporters and give an interview after losing?” As we said in the country, I would have been too “shame-faced” losing after having talked all that noise. Yet, Ali, like a man, stood before America and the world and answered every question. He was not belligerent but resolved. Watching tape of that interview, I was amazed that he could remain so poised and still confident after suffering the greatest defeat of his career. When I asked my father how Ali could sit there and talk to those people who were happy that he had lost, my father stated, “because he’s a man son—a man like your granddaddy and a man like your uncles.” My father paused and, then, continued, “Real men, son, don’t run from anything. We do the best that we can, we accept and admit our failures and mistakes, and we work to do better. That’s all a man can do.” That’s the ultimate lesson that Ali taught me. Stand for that in which I believe, fight as diligently as I can for it, accept and admit my mistakes, and make it my life’s journey to learn from my mistakes and failures so that I can become better today than I was yesterday. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: the hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.” That famous Ali rhyme inspired me never to stop moving/progressing no matter how much life tried to knock me out. RIP to The Greatest of All Time.

2 Legends Gone R.I.P. Ali, the greatest champion ever!

Post here http://prince.org/msg/100/427134