Ali's Parkinsons Syndrome

According to several things I read, Ali said multiple times that he doesn't remember a thing about the Shavers fight after Shavers hit him with a hard shot in the 2nd round. I shudder to think of how much damage that fight potentially did to him.

 

If this was so,it would have taken a magnificent impressionist of Muhammad's voice !!

 

Some years ago I saw a boxing documentary that included an interview of a retired boxer who had slurred speech. I do not recall his name and he was not famous or big time. He demonstrated his ability, with substantial effort and concentration, to clear up his slurred speech and speak clearly when he felt his faulty speech might cause him problems. But he said the natural state of his speaking voice had become slurred.

For a time Ali may have had similar ability to temporarily clear up his speech when it began to become slow or slurred.

I have no way of knowing if any of Ali's lines in films were dubbed by other people but over the years I have heard several entertainers do convincing imitations of his voice.

At the end of his career the late actor David Niven had unclear speech. I heard it was caused by Lou Gehrig's disease and that a skilled imitator was used to dub in some of Niven's movie lines.

 

I heard that about Niven as well. I somehow doubt that Ali's voice was dubbed,though. He sounded pretty clear when he was over here in 1977. This was prior to the Shavers fight,and after he'd finished shooting 'The Greatest'

 

See what you mean. I've just played an interview of Muhammad's from 1974. And there is a difference,albeit minor,in his speech from this one.

 

Ali's shaky parts were edited out.

 

I did read somewhere that Ali apparently had parkinsons before he even turned pro. But it developed over the years and was helped along with all his fights. It stated Ali would have got Parkinsons even if he had never laced a pair of gloves.

Parkinsons isnt related to blows to the head, it something to do with the back of the neck

 

That is not true. Parkinson's syndrome, which is what Ali has, can be caused by head trauma.

 

Ill double check on that one :good

 

It's true.Azzer.

 

I thought id read it had something to do with the back of the head by the neck, i could be mistaken, then again, ive read/watched so much material on Ali

 

It's because he became a punching bag in the 1970's...he was no longer fleet of foot as he was before his layoff...they say,"wow...he had some ability to take a punch!"...big deal...look at him now...sad...

 

Hasnt Ferdie Pacheco claimed that he knew something was wrong around the time of Norton 3 and that he walked away when his pleas to Ali fell on deaf ears?

 

January 1981

None of the 'hangers on' wanted to hear nothing about any medical issue's concerning Muhammad Ali.

The first group to take a stand, was the Hawaii State Boxing Commission, who said
'NO' to Muhammad Ali when he wanted to fight John L. Gardner in Honolulu.

The commission voted 3-2, to reject Muhammad Ali's attempt to secure a boxing license.

Harold Smith, a Muhammad Ali 'aide' said he would find somebody to 'stage the fight',
hopefully by mid-April 1981.

A Hawaii Commission Physician, stated, 'Mr. Ali has not met the minimum standards of a
pre-fight physical. His physical stature is fine, but there are other criteria we follow. Mr. Ali
has fallen below those standards, and we will not grant his a request for a boxing license.'

Then the whole 'Ali Entourage' called "Them Hawaiian's" 'racists'.

 

Good ol Harold Smith .....the cancelled MAPS 5-title fight disaster....under the Muhammad Ali Business Banner.