Muhammad Ali was simply incredible. Look at this

One day his greatness as fighter and human being will be recognized by all.

 

I'm telling you!

 

Except by Marco Huck

 

Hey!

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He sparred with Tony Tubbs as late as 1986 shortly before Tony’s fight with Tim Witherspoon

 

That Ali could do anything at all at this stage against a halfway decent fighter really coming for him is amazing.
This is not merely a long retired 40 something athlete who has not been training-this is without any PEDs (taking a thyroid drug which accomplished the opposite does not count) who was some years into Parkinson's.
It was years before when he still had years to go in his career when he held up his hand on a talk show to show how steady it was-looking with any care, it was tremulous even then.

Legend.

 

Magic.

 

You're forgetting Lennox!

 

You had to live through that era to realise just how special he truly was.

We will never see another one like that.

R.I.P. champ and I am so glad I had the chance to meet you.

 

It's quite common for people in the early years of Parkinsons to be able to coordinate themselves very well when they engage in robust physical activity, when they are in motion.
I sometimes work with a guy with Parkinsons. He has an uncontrollable tremor in his hand and he rocks about slightly when he's trying to stand or sit still. It doesn't take long to notice he has Parkinsons. He walks a bit stiffly too.
But he's perfectly fine when he has to run for a bus.

The fact that Ali could still spar in the early years of Parkinsons isn't sign of his greatness or evidence of special quality.

 

OK, but even if he can do better when in motion, surely the inactivity would take its toll, & Parkinson's must have had *some* significant effect on his skills.
According to what you wrote, the disease would not hurt anyone's ability to be a World Class fighter until-when?
Ali seems to have had the disease at least since he fought Shavers. You would call 7 years into the disease the early years?
Also even if this is technically true, I cannot believe the disease would do nothing to harm how WELL one can function, especially for an elite athlete.

That seems highly unlikely. Someone may function better than *they* would do normally when in motion, but no way should they be able to be a top athlete, or where they were before, with no skills disintegrated, some years into Parkinson's Disease.

 

I've seen that clip before.

Today, boxing training (with no sparring) is actually a therapy for Parkinson's patients. See Paulie Ayala's gym. They'd had a number of profiles written about them.

What stands out to me is Herbert Muhammad, Ali's manager, with the moustache, sitting there laughing, as he puts the debilitated 40-something Ali in the ring with a young pro to get punched in the head ... to help get publicity for new gym in Kalamazoo, Michigan?

Ali couldn't have just shown up? He has to get punched in the head, too? Was it worth it? Looks like there wasn't much press there. Did Herbert own a stake in the gym?

They bled that man until they couldn't get another drop out of him.