does ali have it or is it parkinson disease? also what is the percentage of fighters getting this dementia?quarry wound up a mess. frazier is ok(he took some massive blows in fights) foreman is ok hell even the greatest chin of all time lamotta is ok . how do these guys avoid this after taking so many punches you would figure lamotta would be incoherant after the beatings he took.
Ali has Parkinson's syndrome, and from what I understand, his personal physician's feel that it was caused by repeated blows to the head. Ali, from what I understand, also has damage to his brain stem, the area of the brain with the Dopamine-producing cells.
And JOe Frazier has got to be a little punch drunk....The guy is hardly articulate and he stammers and stumbles over his words and sentences....He sounds bad!
Yeah he's got something although it may just be old age coupled with all the big hits he took from Foreman and Ali. Bobby Chacon and Meldrick Taylor are awful...just brutal to listen to.
I think Ali started looking a bit Parkinson-induced in the late 70's. Pretty sad sight considering he was still shipping punches from the likes of Shavers.
I didn't think there was ever any proof Ali's condition was boxing related but that it was just kind of accepted that it is the cause . Didn't know about the brain stem thing either . Wonder if he'd swap all his past glories for a healthy mind now ?
Just had a look at Lamotta interview, he's 86 no way does he have dementia, he is still sharp as a tack.
Yeh, no matter how La Motta sounds now he pretty much dodged the dementia bullet all his life. That was about all he dodged too. La Motta is the very model of what is supposed to make you punchy. He could take a punch, he blocked punches with his face, fought great competition include Ray Robinson 6 times... On the other hand Tommy Hearns who did not do most of those things and now has a terrible speech impediment. Maybe genetics play a part since three Quarry brothers contracted and died from boxing-related dementia.
I just checked out Joe Frazier. His intelligence and vocabulary seem the same as what I remember from years ago, but he has slurred speech now without a doubt. I'm surprised the guy can talk at all as hard and often as he was hit.
He had it for the Spinks rematch IMO. Not unless he really is tired, which he denies in this clip when being interviewed by Cosell. [yt]9bsoVV0s_mw[/yt]
It is remarkable how it differs. Foreman is fresh as a daisy and a fine commentator. While his first career was rather mild on him, punishment-wise, his second career certainly wasn't. I think a lot of the damage comes from sparring as well though. That's where guys like Meldrik Taylor got most of theirs, going to war every day. And i bet Hearns has been involved in the regular Kronk gym wars as well.