Watching his previous bouts gives Ali a kick
New York, April 30: The boxer who pummeled opponents with his words as well as with his fast fists rarely talks these days, and his dazzling footwork is a memory frozen on video tape and in the minds of millions of admirers.
But the spirit and sparkle in 71-year-old Muhammad Ali’s eyes live on through a 30-year struggle against the effects of Parkinson’s disease, which has stricken about one million in the United States and six million worldwide.
His daughter, Maryum (May May) Ali, said the man who famously dubbed himself “The Greatest” gets a big kick from watching old footage of himself.
“That’s his favorite pastime. He loves to watch him- self. He loves it,” May May said. “It brings him joy, because he’s not that person any more but he can live through his old self. He loves to watch his fights. I love to watch him watching.” Ali was ranked among the 20 most influential Americans ever last year by Time Magazine for his humanitarianism and the inspiration he provided to people around the globe.
While he has battled Parkinson’s, a progressive disorder in which dopamine levels in the brain decline affecting messages to nerves controlling movement and coordination, May May champions efforts to help educate and promote research into the disease.
“His speech isn’t that great. But my father chills out. He watches the Super Bowl, and he gets massages. When I go visit him it’s like a little sabbatical with him. I’m like chilling out with him,” May May said.
“I tell you what was hard for him. It was hard to go out and hear people talking about him.” — Reuters